Quick Links: Letter, Hungry for More, Moral Authority, Making the Connection, Further Reading, Next Steps
Hungry for More: Letter Eight
Theology of the Body
We are now entering into concrete issues concerning our bodies in the context of marriage. Here we follow Saint Pope John Paul II’s magisterial work, Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body, which is commonly referred to simply as Theology of the Body (TOB). In a way, our whole Bearing The Beams of Love program is based on TOB. Let me just give a little background to this work before we specifically focus on marriage.
Saint Pope John Paul II wrote TOB because our western culture, through centuries of philosophies beginning with Rene Descartes in the 17th Century, has become indifferent to matter. Descartes, with his famous “I think therefore I am,” began the separation between mind and matter; we exist because we are thinking beings, and thought dominates nature, the material realm, and even the body. Hence, after centuries of scientific rationalism, the body is considered mere matter, and its purpose is a machine to be mastered, as with the rest of nature [1].
We might say that TOB is the “Gospel of the Body” [2], that is, TOB brings the good news to our culture that our bodies are as essential to us as our souls and we even attain salvation through our bodies. In fact, it is through our bodies that we discover our spiritual interiors and can attain a wonderful reunion of soul and body. The main argument of TOB is that the body, and only the body, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine [3]. Gifting of oneself to another is the essential truth about one’s body. We must be absolutely free of the dualism described above between mind and body.
If we want to know how Jesus envisions marriage, we need to understand God’s original intent, which we find by considering the state of humanity before the fall. There are four concepts presented in TOB that help us understand: Original Man, Original Solitude, Original Unity, and Original Nakedness.
Original Man
In our letter for this week we see that Jesus takes his antagonists to the “original time,” that is, before the fall of humanity, back to the creation texts in Genesis 1-3. Our Creator’s original design is what we must all embrace to be truly happy. This is superior even to Mosaic legislation on divorce, for the latter was given because of the “hardness of their hearts.”
In a nutshell:
- Genesis 1 gives an objective and metaphysical narrative describing the creation of nature in the form of a cosmic temple from a bird’s-eye view.
- Genesis 2 is subjective and psychological, given from the viewpoint of Adam and Eve as they experienced life before the fall. Both the objective and the subjective together are essential to addressing our humanity in a complete way.
- Genesis 3 describes the transition from “original man” to “historical man,” from innocence and glory to a sinful death creature, through the temptation and fall.
Original Solitude
It is a fundamental fact that in the beginning God created Adam a solitary person. As strange as it may seem to us, all creation, and even God Himself, was not enough for Adam, and by extension, all humanity. On one hand, he was distinct from the animals by virtue of being a divine image bearer. On the other hand, he was distinct from God as a creature with a body.
It is worth pondering that God, who made humanity to relate with Him, created Adam in need of something other than Himself. Though Adam was made a partner with the Absolute, he was “alone” before Eve was created. We can only conclude that God deemed it essential for Adam to feel deeply the experience of loneliness so as to know and appreciate what it means to be in union.
Though Adam had not yet experienced sin, and its consequence of death, his experience of solitude would have given him intuitive knowledge of the warning, “You shall surely die.” Original solitude gives the context for the contemplation of both death and eternity.
Original Unity
The Hebrew name “Adam” means “earth,” indicating that his body is essentially linked to the ground from which he came. This original body of Adam was made in the image of God, containing the potentiality for both male and female as we know it.
God’s creative act of taking a rib out of Adam and making Eve from it makes something essential to Adam into Eve. It is of interest that in the language of the most ancient civilization of the Sumerians (in the land later called Babylonia), the sign for “life” is the same as “rib.”
It is in the context of original solitude that we grasp Adam’s joyous outburst of “original emotion” when he sees Eve. Eve is called Adam’s “helper” not as his lackey, but as an equal partner in accomplishing the task of multiplying and filling the earth. This togetherness is in contrast to Adam’s original solitude, and it is in this original union that the “image of God” is realized as they experience one another through their bodies.
Original Nakedness
We all know that Adam and Eve were not originally clothed with exterior garments but clothed with an original “glory” that was diminished after the fall. The question presents itself: what did original nakedness mean?
The Hebrew word for nakedness is ‘arumim; it is found in direct contrast to the description of the snake as ‘arum, a pun of two words that sound alike but have opposite meaning. In comparison to Adam and Eve, who were “naked but not ashamed,” that is, transparent, innocent, and full of wonder with nothing to hide, the snake was opaque, murky, sinister, and dubious. When the snake imposed its character on them through lies, Adam and Eve lost their original innocence and took on the snake’s opaque nature.
The temptation narrative is framed by the idea of nakedness. Originally, they were naked and not even aware of it, like children (Gen. 2:25). When tempted by the fruit which promised to make them “like God, knowing good and evil,” which essentially means to possess all knowledge, they “saw” their nakedness (Gen. 3:7). TOB refers to this state as “historical nakedness.”
The death they experienced was not a cessation of existence, but a diminished existence. Out of shame they crudely covered themselves from each other, and from God. Their new-found “knowledge” was the awkward realization of creatures acting independently and contrary to their Creator’s purpose, and a corresponding nakedness of their fallen bodies, a hostile exposure to each other and to the elements. They can no longer see the other as they really are, nor see God in one another.
Note on the Authority of Genesis Account of Creation and Fall
Given the fact that the secular theory of evolution is so prevalent in our culture, the question of the authority of the biblical account of creation must be addressed. First of all, however symbolic these accounts may be, it is difficult, if not impossible, to talk of our origins apart from Adam and Eve. Saint Pope John Paul II says it is possible to believe in a theistic evolutionary process, recognizing God as the creator, as opposed to a secular evolutionary theory that says everything was created by chance. The secular theory of evolution fails to take in all the depth and richness of our humanity that begins with Adam and Eve.
Where do we start talking about humanity as we know and experience it? Nothing compares to the sublimity and psychological depths of these narratives. We must regard these texts as revelation, or else we have no starting place at all.
Though Adam and Eve carry much symbolism as “every man” and “every woman,” we treat them as historical figures, feeling the depths of our relationship to them as our first parents. Consider what the Catechism says:
289 Among all the Scriptural texts about creation, the first three chapters of Genesis occupy a unique place. From a literary standpoint these texts may have had diverse sources. The inspired authors have placed them at the beginning of Scripture to express in their solemn language the truths of creation – its origin and its end in God, its order and goodness, the vocation of man, and finally the drama of sin and the hope of salvation. Read in the light of Christ, within the unity of Sacred Scripture and in the living Tradition of the Church, these texts remain the principal source for catechesis on the mysteries of the “beginning”: creation, fall, and promise of salvation.
But above and beyond all this, we rest upon Jesus’ own teachings as He Himself anchors His teachings on marriage upon the creation narratives.
[1] John Paul II, Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body, trans. Michael Waldstein (Boston, Massachusetts: Pauline Books & Media, 2006), 95–101.
[2] Ibid., 127
[3] Ibid., 121
Moral Authority
Sources for Catholic Teaching
Scripture References
Gen 2:24 Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. And the man and his wife, were both naked, and were not ashamed
Mark 10: 6-9 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.” ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder.
Catechism References
1602 – 1620 ARTICLE 7: THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY – Marriage in God’s plan
Vatican Documents
Vatican documents on the origin of marriage emphasize its divine, natural, and sacramental foundation, rooted in God’s creation as described in the Book of Genesis, with Jesus Christ restoring its original dignity. Key texts include the Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraphs 1601-1666), which details marriage as a lifelong, exclusive union for the good of the spouses and procreation.
Key Papal Documents
- Casti Connubii (Pope Pius XI):
This document clarifies marriage as a divinely instituted union between one man and one woman, emphasizing its role in fostering conjugal love and the generation of new life.
- Humanae Vitae (Pope Paul VI):
This encyclical highlights married love’s origin from God, portraying marriage as a providentially wise institution for the purpose of cooperating with God in bringing new life into the world.
- Familiaris Consortio (Pope John Paul II):
The apostolic exhortation discusses marriage as a communion of life and love between a man and a woman, capable of generating new life and cooperating with God in the act of creation.
Making the Connection
A Real-Life Example
When Pietro Molla first met Gianna Beretta, he was immediately struck by her joy. She was a pediatrician, deeply devoted to her patients, and full of laughter. Gianna was both practical and radiant, a woman of science and faith woven together in harmony. Pietro, an engineer with a steady, thoughtful nature, saw in her someone who lived her faith not as an abstract set of ideas, but as a daily rhythm of love.
Their first conversations were simple—about family, about work, about the parish they both served in. But from the beginning, both knew they were being invited into something greater than themselves. Pietro later wrote that he recognized in Gianna “a treasure of virtue and goodness.”
As their friendship deepened into love, they didn’t rush ahead without reflection. They took time to pray, to discern, to ask God what He desired of their relationship. Gianna once wrote in a letter to Pietro:
“Love is the most beautiful sentiment that God has put into the soul of men and women. We must aim to make our love a strong and beautiful reflection of heaven.”
In those words, we hear an echo of what Jesus taught the Pharisees in Matthew 19. Love and marriage are not just human arrangements or contracts; they are reflections of God’s design “from the beginning.” Gianna and Pietro understood that their love was not just about their happiness, but about becoming a sign of God’s love in the world.
On September 24, 1955, they stood before God at the altar, promising their lives to each other. Pietro later described that day as one of “heavenly joy,” a glimpse of paradise lived out in their vows For them, marriage was not just a ceremony; it was a covenant.
In that moment, they lived the truth of Genesis 2: “A man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” Gianna, who had once considered becoming a missionary, understood her marriage as a new mission field: to serve Christ through loving Pietro, their children, and all who crossed their path.
Marriage for the Mollas was filled with the ordinary beauty of family life. Pietro would head off to his work as an engineer, while Gianna balanced her pediatric practice with raising their children. They prayed together, supported their parish, and cherished time with friends and family.
But marriage also meant sacrifice. Pietro traveled frequently for work, which sometimes left Gianna carrying much of the family burden. Rather than resentment, she embraced this as part of her vocation, offering her daily fatigue as love. Pietro, too, admired Gianna’s balance of strength and gentleness, often calling her “a saint for our times”
In 1961, Gianna became pregnant with their fourth child. During the second month, doctors discovered a tumor in her uterus. The simplest medical solution was a complete hysterectomy, which would have saved Gianna’s life but ended the baby’s. Instead, Gianna insisted on a surgery that removed only the tumor, preserving the life of her child but putting her own at risk.
She told Pietro and her family: “If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child. Save the baby.”
Here we see the heart of TOB—her body was not something to cling to for her own sake, but a gift to be poured out in love. Like Christ on the cross, she made her life a self-offering. This was not recklessness but faith, rooted in her conviction that love is stronger than death.
On April 21, 1962, Gianna gave birth to a healthy daughter, Gianna Emanuela. But a week later, on April 28, Gianna died from complications. She was 39 years old.
Pietro was devastated, yet his love for Gianna did not end with her death. He continued to raise their children, and he preserved Gianna’s letters, journals, and memories as treasures. He often spoke of her not with bitterness, but with gratitude for the years they shared. In his grief, he still lived the unity of marriage: he and Gianna remained “one flesh,” joined forever in Christ.
Years later, when Gianna was canonized in 2004, Pietro was still alive. He stood at St. Peter’s Square as the husband of a saint, but more importantly, as a man who had lived the mystery of marriage as God designed it: a total gift of self, faithful to the end.
Sources for Quotes & Story
- Gianna Beretta Molla & Pietro Molla, The Journey of Our Love: The Letters of Gianna and Pietro Molla. Pauline Books & Media, 2010.
- Pietro Molla, Saint Gianna Molla: Wife, Mother, Doctor. Pauline Books & Media, 2004.
- Elio Guerriero, Saint Gianna Beretta Molla: A Woman’s Life. Ignatius Press, 2003.
Further Reading
Additional Reading Materials
Paul II, John. Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body. Translated by Michael Waldstein. Boston, Massachusetts: Pauline Books & Media, 2006.
This is John Paul II’s seminal work. He created a beautiful philosophy of marriage based on God’s original plan for man and woman.
Calloway, Donald H., MIC, ed. The Virgin Mary and Theology of the Body. West Chester, Pennsylvania: Ascension Press, 2007.
This book is a compilation of essays written by some of the world’s foremost Mariologists and experts on the Theology of the Body.
“After reading this book you will understand:
- The nuptial meaning of the body in the marriage of Joseph and Mary
- The Immaculate Conception and the human person
- The significance of Mary as virgin and mother
- The Virgin Mary and the culture of life
- The image of God in the image of Mary as a model Christian
Through an understanding of Mary’s role in salvation history, we are able to see more clearly our personal roles in the Christian life.”
West, Christopher. Good News About Sex and Marriage: Answers to Your Honest Questions About Catholic Teaching. 3rd ed. Cincinnati, Ohio: Servant Books, 2004.
“Christopher West has done an outstanding job in Good News About Sex and Marriage in showing how the teachings of the Church on marriage and sexuality, as presented by Pope John Paul II, actually make sense for everyone in daily life.” Rev. Richard M. Hogan
“A ‘kind of’ catechism of Catholic teaching on sex and marriage…perfect for marriage prep courses, RCIA, adult education and marriage enrichment…Do the Church and yourself a favor: Read and reread this book. Encourage everyone you know to do the same.” Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Schu, Walter J., LC. The Splendor of Love: John Paul II’s Vision for Marriage and Family. New Hope, Kentucky: New Hope Publications, 2003.
“Schu’s book is an incredible accomplishment; it provides a startlingly thorough presentation of John Paul II’s understanding of marriage and the family…Those who find the thought of John Paul II difficult will find this very good introduction to the intricacies of his method and thought.” Dr. Janet Smith
“For anyone who wants a comprehensive, clearly written treatment of what the Church teaches on responsible parenthood and why, this is it.” Mary Shivanandan, S.T.D.
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Next Steps
Ready to Take the Next Step?
How can we help our families become more comfortable talking about difficult issues? Study, Prayer and Practice!
How can we distinguish between an opinion and Revelation? Study, Prayer and Practice!
📖 Study
The following website, ✞ 31 Heartfelt Marriage Blessing Prayers for Unity ✞ – St. Michael’s Parish, provides prayers for unity in marriage, and includes scriptural quotations as the source for each prayer. This is a wonderful place to begin a search and study of the scriptural guidance provided on the topic of unity in marriage.You can look up the topic of marriage in the Catechism as well.
The following website, GOD’S ORIGINAL DESIGN: MARRIAGE, INTIMACY, AND THE DIVINE BLUEPRINT – The Hungry Hearts Collective, provides additional information on the original design intent of God’s plan. It explains how human traditions have nullified the intent of God’s plan, and why returning to God’s intended plan is the only way we can live fully, safely, and wholly. The following three excerpts illustrate these points:
“If we go back to Genesis 1 and 2, we see that God’s original intention for humanity—established before the Fall—was harmonious, committed union. He designed post-adolescent humans for covenantal-couplehood, a relationship that naturally includes sexual intimacy, just as He designed our bodies for eating, movement, and rest.”
“When human traditions take precedence over God’s commands, they strip His word of its transformative power. Rituals become empty, doctrines become barriers, and faith is reduced to lifeless routine. Instead of drawing closer to God, people become entangled in systems that obscure His presence.”
“God’s provision was not merely about companionship but about a sacred union, a partnership reflecting His divine image and working on a common divinely appointed assignment. The order was clear: first, man in relationship with God; second, woman drawn from man; and together, a covenant relationship ordained by God linking them back together.”
Visit websites to read about examples of selfless marriages where God’s original intent is practiced, such as : Vibrant marriages are inspiring examples of selfless love – The Leaven Catholic Newspaper
💖 Prayer
Here is a simple but powerful prayer you can pray daily:
Prayer for Unity in Marriage (Taken from Marriage.com, 21 Powerful Prayers for Marriage to Strengthen Love):
Heavenly Father, we ask for Your divine intervention to bless our marriage with a profound and enduring unity. Teach us to value each other’s presence and to cherish our time together. Help us to understand and learn from our differences and bind our hearts in mutual love, respect, and cooperation. May our partnership reflect Your love and glorify You in every action and decision. Amen.
✝️ Practice
Practice the suggestions below daily:
Living the Blueprint Today, taken from the website : How can we align our marriages with God’s intent described in Matthew 19:8?
Cultivate a soft heart
- Daily repentance and confession keep consciences tender (1 John 1:9).
- Regular Scripture intake renews the mind and melts resistance (Psalm 119:11).
Embrace covenant love
- Husbands love sacrificially—Ephesians 5:25, 28.
- Wives respect and support—Ephesians 5:22-24.
Guard oneness
- Prioritize time together: shared meals, prayer, and conversation.
- Protect intimacy: flee pornography and emotional affairs (Proverbs 5:18-19).
Practice constant forgiveness
- “Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
- Refuse to rehearse past wrongs; love “keeps no record of wrongs.” (1 Corinthians 13:5)
Speak life
- Choose words that build up (Proverbs 18:21; Colossians 4:6).
- Pray blessing over your spouse even when emotions run low.
Seek godly counsel early
- Wise mentors and biblically sound counseling help course-correct before crises deepen (Proverbs 11:14).
Honor the covenant publicly
- Model faithfulness before children, friends, and church family, affirming that marriage reflects Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:31-32).
- Attend a Catholic – based program designed to strengthen your marriage. These include the following:
- C.H.E.R.I.S.H. Retreats CherishCouples.net – HOME
- Worldwide Marriage Encounter Worldwide Marriage Encounter – Experiences for Married Couples
- The Retrouvaille Marriage Program Retrouvaille – Hope for a Better Marriage