Be Filled

In this episode, we continue our discussion on the text of Saint Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. Today we are covering Audiences 5-7 on the meaning of “Original Solitude”. We explore what the first man discovered about what it means to be a person in the process of naming all the animals. We share our personal reflections on the passage and talk about how solitude is still important in our lives today. 

Quotes: 

“Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” So out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18-20)

“...the created man finds himself from the first moment of his existence before God in search of his own being, as it were; one could say, in search of his own definition; today one would say, in search of his own “identity”. (TOB 5:5) 

“..then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)

“Man is “alone”: this is to say that through his own humanity, through what he is, he is at the same time set into a unique, exclusive, and unrepeatable relationship with God himself.” (TOB 6:2)

“We cannot understand who man is apart from his supreme call to a covenant of love with his Creator. Of course, this call to communion is not man’s due. It is a sheer, gratuitous gift, but a gift that reveals man’s greatness. “The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. Our call to receive this gift explains who man is and why he aspired to “something more”. (Christopher West) 

Reflection Questions: 

1. What impacted you most in this episode? 
2. Try to place yourself in the garden with Adam. What do you notice as God brings the animals to him? How do you imagine Adam responding to the animals? What kind of dialogue might there have been between Adam and his Creator during this process? 
3. Do you take time for solitude with the Lord? What might be getting in the way for you? 
4. As you consider how the human person is unique in all of creation, what is your response? 
5. You are unique and unrepeatable and your relationship with God is unique and unrepeatable. What is your response to this thought?
6. Jesus intentionally took time to pray away from others. Why do you think he did this? What do you think he gained from taking this time away? 
7. Take 5-10 minutes each day to be still and quiet. Begin with this prayer, “Ever present God, here with me now, help me to be here with you.” 
8. How can you choose to love God today with your freedom? 

Resources: 

Bill Donaghy’s Commentary on Audiences 5-7

Jungle Book Clip: You Wouldn’t Marry a Panther

The Mindful Catholic: Finding God One Moment at a Time 

The Integrated App

The Being Human Podcast