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sexuality, more popularly referred to as the Theology of the Body. Both of these great teachings
have shaped the direction of Catholic study on human sexuality and fertility and have deepened
the Church’s understanding of marriage as a reflection of the communion of love and life of the
Trinity. 4
The relationship between the Church’s teachings on human sexuality and on human
fertility is profound, and one that warrants further study. On the one hand, an appreciation for the
Theology of the Body, with its provocative treatment of the spousal mystery, is a theological lens
through which to interpret Humanae Vitae, in order to prevent NFP from becoming simply a
form of Catholic contraception. That is, a proper understanding of God’s plan for marriage and
the family is necessary for couples to fully appreciate the gift of fertility and to use it in
accordance with the natural law. On the other hand, however, NFP—in all of its bio-
physiological dimensions—is essential for interpreting the language of the body. It is a language
that points to the mystery of creation, and therefore, to the mystery of the spousal relationship,
both of which find their origin in the beginning, i.e., in the garden of Genesis. 5 The biological
signs of fertility in a woman’s body offer one profound way through which God directs the
couple’s interior gaze to the spousal mystery, thus inviting them into a deeper communion with
each other and with their Creator. This interior gaze is, so to speak, a peering through the
window of the physical body and a beholding of God’s self-revelation.
This language that St. John Paul II addresses in his teachings on the Theology of the
Body finds its voice in the mystery of creation, in the dialogue between God and man from the
4
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997), 1024.
John Paul II, “The Unity and Indissolubility of Marriage,” Vatican.va, September 5, 1979, para. 4,
accessed May 27, 2018, https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/audiences/1979/documents/hf_jp-
ii_aud_19790905.html.
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