The Language of the Body

Welcome to Season 6 of the Be Filled Podcast! In this episode we begin looking with Saint Pope John Paul II at what it looks like “on the ground” to live out the Sacrament of Marriage as a sign to the world of Christ’s love for the Church. We discuss the importance of our words/vows matching our behavior in relationships. This even applies to our children as we teach them how to have relationships! You won’t want to miss this rich discussion!

This Episode on YouTube!

Quotes:

“I take you as my wife/as my husband, and I promise to be faithful to you always, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, and to love you and honor you all the days of my life.” (TOB 103:1)

“The persons-the man and the woman- become a reciprocal gift for each other. They become this gift in their masculinity and femininity while they discover the spousal meaning of the body…in the dimension of life as a whole.” (TOB 103:5)

“Human beings, male or female, bride or bridegroom with the vocation to the communion of persons speak a language with the body.” In order to fully express the “deepest words of the spirit-words of love, gift, and faithfulness…we must “speak” with the body.” (TOB 104)

“...the couple through their conduct and behavior, actions and gestures-are called to become the authors of these meanings of the “language of the body”, from which they then build and continually deepen love, faithfulness, conjugal integrity, and the union that remains indissoluble until death.” (TOB 106:2)

Reflection Questions:

What spoke to your heart most in this episode?

When you consider the wedding vows quoted above, how have you lived out these vows in your marriage?

Had you considered that the way you live out your vows has a meaning beyond your life and your relationship with your spouse? What do you see as your mission as a couple in your home, community, and the world?

When we sin it is not just breaking a “contract” or the “law” of God. It is actually, as John Paul II describes it, “deeply personal” and “a blow that directly pierces his heart as Father, Bridegroom, and Lord”. Pray with this reality and ask God to show you the ways in which you have broken His heart and possibly areas that you need healing and deeper repentance.