The Ontology of Sponsality in Karol Wojtyła’s Thought
The Relationship to Which We Are Called
Giovani Domiciano Formenton
Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná , Brazilhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1000-692X
Marcio Fernandes
Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná , Brazilhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0944-1676
José Rafael Solano Durán
Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná , Colombiahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3504-9934
Abstract
This article presents a teleological perspective on spousal love, exploring Wojtyła’s thoughts on sponsality as the divine plan for human love. The investigation is important because spousal love is presented in the Bible and in Christian mysticism as an analogy for God’s love and for the eschatological mystery. It is also necessary considering the social impact of family experiences on issues such as mental health, parenthood, criminality, and antisocial behavior. This bibliographical research is based on Wojtyła’s Love and Responsibility and The Catecheses on Human Love in the Divine Plan. It is divided into four sections: the human person as a relational being, biblical texts about spousal love, Wojtyła’s teaching on this category, and the teleological aspects observed in this teaching. Our findings indicate that for Wojtyła, spousal love is the teleological reality of the human person, supported by three main aspects. (1) According to Wojtyła’s personalistic thought, God must be understandable when inviting a person to a definitive relationship. The Bible uses spousal relationship to indicate God’s definitive alliance. (2) Wojtyła understands spousal love as the original sacrament of trinitarian relation. He states that the human person is the image and likeness of God because it was created as man and woman. (3) Spousal love is a total gift of self that leads the person to blessedness and fulfillment. It is the only way to imitate Christ in his kenosis.
Keywords:
sponsality, spousal love, teleology, eschatology, ontology, theology of the body, nuptiality, Karol Wojtyła, John Paul IIReferences
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Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná
Giovani Domiciano Formenton, graduated in Physical Education from the Federal University of Paraná (2007) in Economics from the Federal University of Paraná (2016) and graduated in Theology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR) (2021) with the Marcelino Champagnat academic merit award. He is currently studying for a master’s degree in theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná. With extensive experience as a manager of educational innovation projects at PUCPR.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1000-692XPontifical Catholic University of Paraná
Marcio Fernandes, adjunct professor in the Postgraduate Program in Theology at the Pontifícia Universidade Catolica do Paraná (PUCPR) and postdoctoral fellow (2013) in Psychology at the Universidade de São Paulo (USP). He has a degree in Theology - Studium Theologicum (1997), a degree in Philosophy from Centro Universitário Claretiano de Batatais (1992), a master's degree in psychology from the Universidade de São Paulo (2001), a master's degree in Fundamental Theology specializing in Religious Sciences from the Pontifical Lateran University (2003) and a PhD in Psychology from the Universidade de São Paulo (2007). He is currently a professor at Pontifícia Universidade Catolica do Paraná and at the Studium Theologicum in Curitiba-PR (Brazil). Visiting professor at USP's Institute of Psychology. Member of the Centro Italiano di Ricerche Fenomenologiche Roma directed by Prof. Dr. Angela Ales Bello and affiliated with The World Institute for Advanced Phenomenological Research and Learning and participant in the research in Fundamental Theology organized by Prof. Dr. Lubomir Zak at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. He is a member of the "Time, Memory and Belonging" research group at the Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of São Paulo.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0944-1676Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná
José Rafael Solano Durán, graduated in Theology from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (1995), a master's degree in theology from the Pontificia Università Gregoriana (2001) and a PhD in Theology from the Pontificia Università Gregoriana (2004). Post-doctorate at the Lateranensis University (2013) and post-graduate studies in Bioethics at the University of Lisbon (2022). Professor at Pontifíia Universidade Católica do Paraná.
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