14
Vitae states—with one heart and soul, which is both the goal of their response and also the means
by which the spouses reach fulfilment together as human persons. 45
A Return to the Beginning
Having a better understanding of this divine gift’s meaning and purpose requires, in the
words of St. John Paul II, a return to the beginning. 46 It is in Genesis that one finds not only the
mystery of creation revealed in the sacred text but also proof of the inseparable relationship
between the procreative and the unitive significance of the primordial gift. According to Pope
Emeritus Benedict XVI, the Genesis narrative is placed in opposition to Middle Eastern fertility
rites which posed an ongoing temptation to the Israelites and degraded and perverted the gifts of
45
HV, sec. 9.
John Paul II, “Marriage in the Integral Vision of Man,” Vatican.va, April 2, 1980, para. 9, accessed May
27, 2019, https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/audiences/1980/documents/hf_jp-ii_aud_19800402.html.
46