In | The Shamelessness of Song of Songs

We might think of “shame” as being a negative thing. In Genesis, sexual shame is presented as a kind of healthy defense mechanism. Adam and Eve cover their bodies, their sexual organs, as soon as they become capable of being viewed by one another as objects to be used, rather than as lovers who share “flesh” and “bone.”

After the fall, we might think of sexual “shame”—the desire to cover up against the threat of use or abuse by another—as a mechanism that preserves the value of the person. This defense mechanism helps ensure that sexual values don’t obscure the person. This is why it is natural for “lovers” to be naked in each other’s presence, but not in the presence of strangers. Lovers “love.” They emphasize the value of the person as a whole. The risk of being used disappears in the presence of real love.

What we see in Song of Songs is the disarming strength of real love. Everything else in the book needs to be read in that context. When we read about nakedness in this book, or physical descriptions of it, it’s important to keep all this in mind. These are descriptions of innocence and Edenic fascination. The two lovers have transcended the mutual suspicion of Genesis 3 and offer a vivid portrait of romantic love that can recover the self-forgetfulness and lovingkindness that we were created for in marriage.

Reference: Karol Wojtyla, Love and Responsibility, 1993.