As I was reading through some of JP II’s writings on the Theology of the Body for today’s TOB Tuesday post, I came across this passage:
The theology of the body is not merely a theory, but rather a specific evangelical, Christian pedagogy of the body. This pedagogic character comes from the character of the Bible and above all of the Gospel as a salvific message revealing what man’s true good is for the sake of shaping – according to the measure of this good – his life on earth in the perspective of the hope of the future world.
Following this line, Humanae Vitae answers the question about man’s true good as a person, inasmuch as he is male and female, about what corresponds to the dignity of man and woman when one is dealing with the important problem of the transmission of life in conjugal life. (JP II, General Audience of August 8, 1984 or TOB 122:5)
Much of JP II’s “Theology of the Body” is an in-depth look at pope Paul VI’s prophetic encyclical. So, for anyone trying to gain a better understanding of TOB and what the Church teaches about contraception, responsible parenthood and the nature of the marital embrace, Humanae Vitae is a must read! If you have not read it yet, go ahead and print off a copy from the Vatican website. It is a beautiful document – not to mention fairly short and easy to understand as well!
Lately I have been (off and on) listening to some wonderful commentary on Humanae Vitae from Cardinal Arinze available from CatholicFamilyLand.