Reconnecting the Spiritual & Physical Realities of Sexual Intimacy
/BRIDGET BUSACKER
You might already be familiar with the idea that the Catholic Church, in her wisdom and goodness, doesn’t see sex as a necessary evil or something to be scoffed at, but rather to be celebrated and enjoyed by married couples.
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEX KRALL PHOTOGRAPHY
This might sound absurd or even shocking to you, as it did for me when I first learned about it. I discovered this reality through the readings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Theology of the Body and thanks to the excellent witness of incredible Catholic couples and speakers.
Not only does the Catechism of the Catholic Church talk about the commitment expressed through sexual intimacy, but that sex is created by God in His goodness as a source of joy and pleasure.
We don’t realize just how beautiful sex is in marriage because of how we have responded as a society to erotisicm and purity culture. We tend to take extremes, by responding in ways that don’t allow us to live out the fullness and goodness of sexual intimacy within marriage by a man and a woman.
The reality of renewing our wedding vows as married couples through sex is such a gift! And, it shifts the way in which we are challenged to think about sex with our spouse, family planning, and how our love is ordered. Do we respect the person in front of us? Are we choosing to love them or to lust after them? Do we see this person as subject or object?
John Paul II in his September 8, 1982 General Audience he said: “Marriage is the “most ancient revelation (manifestation) of the plan [of God] in the created world, with the definitive revelation and manifestation – the revelation that “Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her,” conferring on his redemptive love a spousal character and meaning.”
God in His goodness shares His love for us and the beautiful love story of creation through the married couple’s sexual intimacy.
It’s time for us to start reconnecting our understanding of sex to the theological realities of our Catholic faith - understanding that reestablishing this understanding doesn’t mean that sex is purely theological. Rather, it is a dance of both the physical and spiritual realities together, constantly calling us into deeper love and understanding of the nuptial banquet.
About the Author: Bridget Busacker is founder of Managing Your Fertility, an online, one-stop shop of Natural Family Planning (NFP) resources for women and couples. She is on a mission to fuse the science of Fertility Awareness Based Methods (FABMs) and Theology of the Body (TOB) into the everyday practice of NFP. Bridget is passionate about women’s health and sex education that promotes the dignity of the human person by integrating a holistic approach to self-knowledge of the body.
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