Spousal love is seen in John Paul II's theology of the body as a participation in God's love. John Paul II expresses the meaning of spousal love in his catechesis from 1979 to 1984. He starts from the meaning of the word 'beginning' that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 19:3 ff., which refers to Genesis 1:27 and 2:24. The meaning of love, therefore, is the communion of persons whose love manifests the person as an inalienable being. Love thus ratifies and expands the person as the image and likeness of God. The union between man and woman, therefore, highlights the joy of being bone of bone and flesh of flesh. In short, John Paul II's theology of the body opens up horizons for reflection on being man and woman in the face of love.