Music Commentary: "All of Me" by John Legend

John Legend's "All of Me" is one of those songs that makes the hearts of teenage girls everywhere go all a-flutter and that a male in his late twenties who happens to be studying for the priesthood probably shouldn't admit that he likes (and so I won't). I do, however, believe that there is a good reason why this song has become so popular. The sentiment that it expresses in the refrain is one that resonates deep within the heart and soul of every living person, both man and woman alike: "All of me loves all of you...Give your all to me, I give my all to you.". Cliched as it may sound, the reason why this simple phrase rings true is that no one wants to be loved half-heartedly. No one wants to be loved partially or temporarily or only when it is convenient.

Unfortunately, this second type of "love" is exactly what we see when we take a look at the world around us. The reason for this is that we as a culture have confused physical intimacy with love. In the sexual act, we are saying with our bodies. "I give you all of myself." This however is quite simply not true when the sexual act is removed from the context of marriage, for it is only in marriage that a man and a woman really do promise to give themselves entirely to each other. Outside of this reality, the sexual act becomes a lie. We say with our bodies, "I give you all of myself", when in fact there is no such intention, which becomes obvious when sexually intimate relationships come to an end and the result is a deep sense of hurt and betrayal. The love that felt so complete physically ended up being partial and fleeting in reality.

This sense of incomplete self-giving also comes into play when contraception is involved. Contraception blocks the unity of the man and woman from coming to it's natural completion.
The message behind the use of contraception is essentially, "I give my all to you...except THAT part."
This is especially true in the case of a man who requires a woman to take the pill in order for them to be intimate. He is essentially saying, "You need to suppress and control your body as a woman in order for us to be intimate." This is hardly the same sentiment as "All of me loves all of you."

The reason that the Church teaches what it does about sexuality is not because it's harsh, old-fashioned, or up-tight. The Church, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, knows that partial, half-hearted, incomplete
"love" will not make us truly happy. We are made for something more: namely a deep, meaningful, and lasting relationship. John Legend gets it, I don't know why the rest of the world doesn't...