It's All About the Bones

A number of years ago I read von Hildebrand’s Privilege of Being a Woman. To say it was life-changing would be an understatement. Of course, there is a saying that “when the student is ready the teacher will appear” and that may have well been the case with Alice’s book. As a grown woman I can safely say that I was ready for the truth that was found in her words—hence “life-changing.”

The problem with life-changing experiences, per se, is that they sort of leave you wondering “Now what? Where do I go from here?”

In the years since reading Privilege of Being a Woman I have read countless other non-fiction books that have been touted as “must reads” and yet without exception each has left me feeling a bit empty. Not quite doing it for me. They are okay, don’t get me wrong; but of the caliber of the von Hildebrand book? Nope. And I know they serve a purpose—but I have yearned for something more than a book that seems to be a mere collection of blog articles (as a dear friend has said about all the recent books hitting the market).

Maybe my quickly advancing age has something to do with it—but then again, I don’t feel I have to make excuses for wanting more epiphanies, more substance.

I was again a willing student searching for a teacher and waiting patiently (okay, maybe not always so patiently).

Enter Emily Stimpson.

These Beautiful Bones is an incredible book that truly has it all. Emily Stimpson is intelligent, funny, clever, and very, very likeable.

So it is no surprise that she tackles the topic of theology of the body the same way: with astuteness, humor, wit, and a countenance that sort of gently oozes from the pages. She doesn’t get mired in stories about herself but gives us just enough to endear us to her (when she gives a little nod to great-grandma Rose, you will actually smile if not laugh out loud). This book isn’t about Emily Stimpson, it is about God and you and your dignity as found in all facets of your life under the blanket of theology of the body.

Having said that, it is my experience that the TOB topic either sends people running for cover or has them shrugging their shoulders in a “who cares?” sort of way.

Stimpson’s handling of this topic is so new, so refreshing, so insightful that if you are one of those who would rather run for cover than hear more about sex and the theology of the body, she will stop you in your tracks.

On the other hand, if you aren’t really sure what this whole thing is all about: you will be blessed that this is the first book you read on the topic. In fact, it should have been the one out the gate all those many years ago; chances are we would have had a much more cohesive understanding of theology of the body and a lot less fractured feelings toward the topic.

Yes, it’s about sex but no, it’s not all about sex; it’s about bones. (I find that I don’t even want to give away the whole “bones” thing because it is a gift in and of itself and the way she winds back to the “bones” in the end actually made me cry. Just incredible.)

But back to the sex.

Even then, These Beautiful Bones is not about physical sex, it is about spousal love, dignity in the form of work, reflecting who you are by what you wear and even the way you decorate your home. Stimpson handles the topic of theology of the body as it pertains to food as adroitly as she tackles it in light of manners—yes, manners!

I simply can’t imagine who would not benefit from reading this book.

For those who are well-versed in theology of the body, I would suggest that Emily will take you into a deeper awareness of it in a way that you will live it more authentically. If you really never understood what all the hoopla was about, you will once Emily gets done with you!

These Beautiful Bones is absolutely one of the best books I’ve read in years. Make no bones about it.

 

 

John Paul II on the Dignity of Work

Teresa Tomeo and Cheryl Dickow

“From the beginning therefore he [man] is called to work. Work is one of the characteristics that distinguish man from the rest of creatures, whose activity for sustaining their lives cannot be called work. Only man is capable of work, and only man works, at the same time by work occupying his existence on earth. Thus work bears a particular mark of man and of humanity, the mark of a person operating within a community of persons. And this mark decides its interior characteristics; in a sense it constitutes its very nature.”

Blessed John Paul wrote these words in his encyclical Laborem Exercens in 1981.

I’ve referred to this encyclical many times in my own writings and in attempting to get at the very nature of who I am as a Catholic woman, wife, mother, author, and teacher. I have found in his words a timeless truth—no surprise there!—and a certain sense of peace as well. Whether I have worked outside of the home out of necessity or out of a desire, balancing work with family always holds it challenges; but also holds its rewards.

Nothing offers a fuller sense of satisfaction than a task well-performed. It doesn’t matter if that task is washing the kitchen floor, finding the best bargains at the grocery store, or guiding a classroom of middle school students towards a lesson’s objective. Inherent in who we are as humans, as Blessed John Paul points out, is the need for a person to contribute to his or her family or neighborhood or culture in a discernable way. This is what separates us from the animals but also is what gives us dignity.

This is a different dignity—or maybe it is best to say it is another level of dignity—than we all have as created beings; that inherent dignity exists whether we “work” a day in our life or not. The presupposition here is our understanding of the dignity of the human being from conception to natural death.

In Laborem Exercens, Blessed John Paul moves past that assumption and explores the value and need for every man to “work” as a way to participate in God’s plan for man on earth and to elevate each day’s work in such a way that it actually becomes divine.

That is an incredible understanding of work—and quite a goal we ought to have as a society.

When we create a culture wherein safety nets become traps, we are denying dignity to each and every person caught in the trap. We are withholding an opportunity for each and every person to participate in God’s plan.

Think about how you felt the last time you finished a project or completed an assignment. I know that when I write a column I may read and re-read it half a dozen times. It feels good. I’ve accomplished something.

When I stand next to my three grown sons and listen to them converse with each other there is a sense of accomplishment that I have as their mother. God gave me a job and I performed it to the best of my abilities.

When my husband finishes a project at work he has a bit of a spring in his step. Dignity exists within that accomplishment. When my college-aged son passes a particularly difficult test he is more animated and more talkative. It has affected him in a good way.

Blessed John Paul goes on to write:

“Even by their secular activity they must assist one another to live holier lives. In this way the world will be permeated by the spirit of Christ and more effectively achieve its purpose in justice, charity and peace... Therefore, by their competence in secular fields and by their personal activity, elevated from within by the grace of Christ, let them work vigorously so that by human labour, technical skill, and civil culture created goods may be perfected according to the design of the Creator and the light of his Word.”

Notice that through work the world will more readily be filled with justice, charity and peace! That makes sense, doesn’t it? If we really step back and think about it, there is an interior sense of dignity that rises up within us when we are productive. Why would we deny that from others? When we all share that vision of work and look for ways to bring that to all, we are creating heaven on earth: we are providing an opportunity for each and every person to feel alive in a way that only work can produce.

When Blessed John Paul includes a long list of work that is established in Scripture you can’t deny God’s call upon each of us regardless of what we do:

“The books of the Old Testament contain many references to human work and to the individual professions exercised by man: for example, the doctor, the pharmacist, the craftsman or artist, the blacksmith—we could apply these words to today's foundry-workers-the potter, the farmer, the scholar, the sailor, the builder, the musician, the shepherd, and the fisherman. The words of praise for the work of women are well known. In his parables on the Kingdom of God Jesus Christ constantly refers to human work: that of the shepherd, the farmer, the doctor, the sower, the householder, the servant, the steward, the fisherman, the merchant, the labourer. He also speaks of the various form of women's work. He compares the apostolate to the manual work of harvesters or fishermen. He refers to the work of scholars too.”

Does this mean that work is all fun and games? No, as further we find in Laborem Exercens, work is always associated with toil. That is part and parcel of the journey we are on. So on the one hand there is a sense of dignity inherent in each of our accomplished tasks, while on the other hand those tasks aren’t accomplished without toil on our part.

I agree.

During the long days of raising three boys who are four years apart in age I wasn’t always sure I was going to make; and for darn sure I wasn’t convinced that I wasn’t failing at it, either.

Studying for his test, my son doesn’t smile and proclaim the joy he is experiencing. No, he perseveres in spite of the obstacles and frustrations.

When my husband is in the midst of a project his hours are long, his nights are sleepless, and his mind is elsewhere.

This isn’t to say we are entitled to a job filled with joy and reward wherein everyday is an excursion to Happyland. Rather, it is to recognize that we are designed by our Creator for work that may be demanding and difficult, it may be boring or strenuous; but whatever it is, it is also an opportunity to unite with God and give glory and honor to His kingdom.