Upon reading the book, I discovered the various themes being pointed out by

Pope John Paul II in his written composition. One of the themes that antagonized my

perception of man as a being amongst other beings the is in Man’s Awareness of

Being a Person. It stated that, “ It can be affirmed with certainty that man, thus

formed, has at the same time consciousness and awareness of the meaning of his

own body, on the basis of the experience of original solitude.” 1 We are separated

from the rest of the other living creatures in this world for a reason with both self-

consciousness and self-determination. Because of this, only man and not other living

beings can dominate the world and fill it with uttermost efficacy. This passage

uplifted my thinking of the body and how important it is to be aware of the body as a

whole.

Another chapter that piqued my interest is entitled, Love is Ever Seeking and

Never Satisfied. It said, “The man's words (in the context of the truth about love) do

not only contain a poetic description of his beloved, of her feminine beauty on which

his senses dwell, but they speak of the gift and the self-giving of the person’s body.” 2

This meant that love, in the context of marriage, is not only a giving of the self

emotionally but also sensually. However, this does not mean possession or

domination over the other but the mutual belonging to each other once married.

Through this, I became more aware of the fact that marriage does not rely on love

alone but also of the giving of self through sex which surpasses the limits of the eros.

The love that unites couples in holy matrimony is at one and the same time of a

spiritual and a sensual nature.

Moreover, the concept of sex was discussed. The human body, with its sex,

and its masculinity and femininity seen in the very mystery of creation includes the

1 Pope John Paul II, The Theology of the Body (Vatican: Rome, 1979-1984), 18.
2 Pope John Paul II, The Theology of the Body (Vatican: Rome, 1979-1984), 285.
right from the beginning, the nuptial attribute, 3 the capacity of expressing love, that

love in which the person becomes a gift to the husband or the wife.

If today were 100 years ago, it would be absurd to talk about the body due to

the malicious components it comes with. But now, people gained the awareness that

we should talk about the theology of the body as it is bound up with the creation of

man in the image of God. It is important to open our minds to the recognition of the

body and how it manifests man, the pure value of humanity as male and female, the

pure value of the body and of sex is manifested.

After reading the book, I realized that there is no shame in embracing intimacy

and expressing sexuality as long as you are aware that it is supposed to be in the

context of marriage. I will no longer shy away from discussions about sex since it is

part of humanity and not to be construed as bad or immoral. It is a further discovery

of the meaning of one's own body and mutual discovery, just as the existence of

man, whom God created male and female with certainty from the beginning. Before,

I used to be quiet about the topic of sensuality since I was brought up in a very

Catholic school which never liked bringing up the topic. But now, I will take the

concept with an open mind and heart since I am now more knowledgeable of the

theology of the body.

3 Pope John Paul II, The Theology of the Body (Vatican: Rome, 1979-1984), 38.