God's Original Plan of Humankind

10/8/2020

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Last week we had a week of study on the Theology of the Body and I would like to just share one thing here: Original Man, which is how mankind is explained to be as before the Fall. When we think about the story of the origin, of Adam and Eve, we often only think of original sin but there is so much to discover aside from that! Just by dissecting Genesis chapter 2, we can see that God intended us to have so much beauty.

1) Original Solitude
When Adam was still alone, there was a search to be in relationship with another. Specifically in Genesis 2:18, God Himself said that "it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner". This explains that Adam's identity was not yet complete because God is good and everything He creates are meant to be good. This search is also revealed through the body in which the body parts of a man are always 'to give'.

2) Original Unity
The original purpose of man is also be in the 'one flesh union' with woman, who are both united in and through God. Genesis 2:24, "Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh", is a verse that is often quoted at weddings and it truly is God's original plan for man.

3) Original Nakedness
In Genesis 2:25, we see that "the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed" which points to a deeper nakedness than we understand today. It is a total sharing of their true selves without shame — one that is totally vulnerable and transparent as they remain naked with their emotions and thoughts. St. John Paul II wrote in his book 'Love and Responsibility' that shame is absorbed by love, and that can happen only in healthy, thriving, mature love of a marriage.

The body is created with a purpose. A man's body makes no sense on it's own, similarly to a woman's body. Both complements and completes one another. God inscribed this call to self giving love into our bodies. This is an unmistakable plan of God for humankind to enter into a spousal union of man and woman. The reason for marriage? It is because "the joys of marriage love and family life is a foretaste of the wedding feast of the Lamb" which we are all called to in eternal life (CCC 1642). As humans, we are able to experience a small bit of what it would be like when we are reunited with Him through the beautiful give of sex and marriage. We, the Church, are also called to receive the love of the Bridegroom, which is a total and free gift of Himself.

Natural Progression of a Relationship
Even though we know that being in a relationship is good, we also need to have good discernment to be able to make good choices. As St. John Paul II puts it, "in love, there exists a certain responsibility. The greater the feeling of responsibility for a person, the more true love there is." There is always a natural progression to things and it is the same for relationships.

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Friendships are where we get to know the other before anything even happens. When we want to get to know the other better, that's where we move into discernment about dating this person. We involve the community while still keeping the relationship strictly as friends.

In the dating stage, this is where we want to share our faith, principles and values as this is when we discern whether to take the next step of marriage or not. One thing to be aware is to not end up dating the family i.e. doing everything to please the partner's family and ending up hiding his/her true self.

After that comes engagement, marriage and new life. In the end, there is no such thing as 'the one' because there isn't one person in the world that can fulfill and provide all the happiness we are searching for. We choose to love even when we don't feel it. Remember, God gave us a brain and free will to choose well for ourselves. In any case, the best gift we can give in any relationship is our relationship with God. So let us develop and work on that relationship first, first and foremost.

"Don't spend your single years chasing after your future spouse. Chase after God. After a while of running, look and see who is running beside you." — Curtis Martin

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