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he asserts that it is “capable of making visible what is invisible, the spiritual and the divine…a
sign that transmits effectively in the visible world the invisible mystery hidden in God from time
immemorial.” 142 Through this reality, the language of the body takes on a mystical dimension
and is an integral and indispensable element of the sacrament of matrimony. In fact, the Holy
Father asserts, this truth raises the language of sexual union within marriage to liturgical
language, characterized by “love, fidelity, and conjugal honesty.” 143 It is a mysticism that allows
the spouses to form a communion of persons, 144 recognizing in the body of the beloved and in
their union the image of the Creator.
142
John Paul II, “Man Enters the World as a Subject of Truth and Love,” Vatican.va, February 20, 1980,
para. 8, accessed May 27, 2018, https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/audiences/1980/documents/hf_jp-
ii_aud_19800220.html.
143
John Paul II, “The Language of the Body: Actions and Duties,” sec. 2.
144
John Paul II, “By the Communion of Persons,” para. 2.