Theology of the Body Chapter One: Created for Love
Why is there so much pain and suffering in the world? Original sin Concupiscence- tendency to sin Members of a society that is damaged and hurting from the effects of sin Broken families, broken hearts, sexual abuse, infidelity, addictions and shame.
Frog in the Pot Desensitized to explicit sexual content in the media. (less sensitive, indifferent, unaware) Warped understanding of marriage and the role sex should play in relationships.
Lust often dominates our culture. Selfishly seeking one s own pleasure at the expense of another. Can lead to lack of concern, apathy We begin to settle for less than true, good and beautiful relationships. Is there any hope?
The Good News! God is with us! There is hope. Life and sexuality were not always the way we find it now.
Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) Dedicated 129 of his Wednesday Audiences - series of talks on the human body and sexuality. Asked great philosophical?s like- Who am I? Purpose in life? What is love? Theology of the Body- -meaning of our bodies and of sexual desire as it relates to our existence. -study of God as revealed through our bodies.
What the Church teaches is often misunderstood. Fr. Robert Barron video- Catholic Teaching on Sex. Write down 2-3 points he makes.
Love Equals Communion Gen. 1:26-31 -very good -made in God s image -God is love. -Communion of persons united in love -Lover, Beloved, love between them.
A communion of persons. Is created when 2 or more persons give themselves to one another in love. God created humans to participate in heaven and on earth in God s love. Created us to image His love by becoming a sincere gift to each other.
Not Meant to Be Alone Gen. 2:18 Made in God s image and God is a communion of persons Therefore, the Church teaches that Man can fully discover his true self only in a sincere gift of self. -Married life or in the celibate life Mother Theresa: Life is not worth living unless it is lived for others.
JPII s vision of the body- Key to understanding the meaning of our lives. The body, in fact, and it alone is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and divine. It was created to transfer into the visible reality of the world the mystery of God and thus to be a sign of it. Our bodies make the invisible love of God visible. The Sacramentality of the Body
More than human love Not simply called to love one another. God desires to know you and love you. We need to experience the love of God. Sometimes this is hard to believe when we have suffered greatly.
Love Defined: Giving vs. Using Chapter Two
Introduction- Imagine a coach who says.. Do whatever feels right. Team would be a confused, losing group of individuals. Deep in our hearts we want to give and receive love, but we don t know how to do this. To love properly, we must first desire what Is good for the other person.
Searching for Happiness in a Hook Up World --Story starter Discussion?s: 1. Should the guy telling the story have tried harder to keep Jenny from going out? 2. Why do you think she went back out? 3. Why is using someone such a serious sin? 4. How have guys and girls in our culture learned to use one another differently? 5. How can we make better decisions in this area?
Bridging the gap Much using in today s HS relationships Not sure how to differentiate btwn love and using Learning to love can be difficult esp. when we don t have good examples and society/culture/media does not help. There is hope! There is a better way
Our response to the gift of sexual desire- Repression, ignore it or bottle it up? - that can lead to unhealthy, reckless sexual behavior. Indulgence of lust? If it feels good, do it? -using, emptiness, meaningless, pointless Chastity- - acknowledge the power of our sexual desires and guide them with the deeper desire to love.
What is chastity and how can it bring happiness? Virtue that directs our sexual desires and attitudes toward the truth of love. More than abstinence, not having sex. Falls under the cardinal virtue of temperance, controlling and moderating our desire for pleasure. Loving another rightly, responsibly and purely. Chastity only makes sense within the context of love.
What is love? (JPII) -not merely a feeling -an act of will, preferring the good of others to the good of oneself. -must strive to know what is best for the other -commitment of the will to bring about this good
Research shows The earlier a woman becomes sexually active, the more likely she is to experience -out-of-wedlock pregnancy -poverty -Single motherhood -depression -STDs -divorce -multiple sexual partners -breakups -abortion
Are you willing to love your spouse before you get married? 70% lower divorce rate among people who are virgins when they get married. Couples who cohabitate are 2x more likely to get divorced.
JPII said that the person is a good toward which the only proper and adequate attitude is love. He calls this the personalistic norm, a fancy way of saying the human person deserves only the best- they deserve love, and we should never treat anyone with less than love. Lust treats a person as an object, a means to satisfy self, not the other. Are you a user or a lover?
Naked Without Shame Chapter 3
Story Starter: The Two Bishops How can the way a girl dresses affect the way a guy views her? Do you think it is really possible to be able to look at a woman the way Bishop Nonnus looked at the prostitute? Why do you think that Bishop Nonnus wept? Compared to the way other men would look at a prostitute, how do you think the way Bishop Nonnus looked at the prostitute made her feel?
Life before the Fall Adam is created in original solitude. realized -he was alone, -different, -w/o a suitable companion. He longed for a true companion. And so God created Eve
At this point, everything was still pure No confusion btwn love and lust No desire to use Sexual desire- pure desire to love as God loves, gift of self. Original nakedness + Original innocence= naked without shame (Gen. 2:25)
Naked w/o shame(1) vs. shameless(2) 1. Nudity that exists w/in context of innocence, purity of heart, and freedom. 2. Flaunting the body w/o inhibitions or conscience; sex is a recreational activity.
Nuptial Meaning of the Body The marital meaning of the body A gift for each other- they mirrored the life of God. Their bodies literally fit together, a communion that is sacred. Initial experience of perfect union btwn the man and woman= original unity. Integration of body and soul, unity of will and desire.
Genesis 2 concludes with Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh (2:24) -MARRIAGE the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed(2:25). It is this participation in the sacrament of marriage that brought them unity, and ORIGINAL HAPPINESS.
The ORIGINAL HAPPINESS came in living and loving in marriage as God loves: freely-god s love is freely given to us. totally- God s love is complete, does not withhold anything. faithfully- God never abandons us, never stops loving us. fruitfully- God s love brings us life.
Be Fruitful and Multiply God wanted them to enjoy sexual intercourse, gift to each other. From their love, life was born. A reflection of the love that proceeds from the Father and the Son, which is the Holy Spirit. A communion of love, the family.
Why are there so many people who are... Confused about the body, sex and their beautiful purposes? Marriages that do not grow into pure families of love? It all began with- is a bad fruit of
The Big Lie Satan tricked them into thinking they were missing out, God wasn t trustworthy or loving. They: -lacked TRUST in God, -wanted to decide, -chose their own will over God.
This original lie is still alive and well today. A and E sinned through pride and disobedience, led to a rupture of body and soul. Innocence was shattered, replaced with fear, lust and shame. We are in this era of the historical man, (JPII).
The 1 st man and woman represent all of humanity We all suffer from: -weakened wills, disordered appetites. Prone to selfishness, anger, impatience, etc. But thank God, there is hope. His name is Jesus
Digging Deeper: Naked without shame Reading and reflection
Hope and Redemption in Christ Chapter 4
Story Starter: The Room What is the overall point and symbolism of this story? What can you do to create more cards of goodness, purity and love and stop writing the ones that would embarrass you before Christ? What do Jesus words it is finished symbolize in the story and for our own lives? How can Jesus help you turn from shame and hurt to forgiveness, peace and hope?
The Prodigal Son, Luke 15 God does not wait for us to become perfect before He begins to love us. Quote from Blessed Mother Teresa
Christ forgives and redeems When we return to God, He not only forgives our sins, He offers us a new heart. Christ died to set us free, body and soul.
So what do we need to do? Ask for purity, it is a gift from God, He gives it to those who ask. Ps. 51:12 Sacrament of reconciliation Trust that Christ has come not to condemn, but to save us.
Truth and Freedom Chapter 5
Objective truth a reality we can not change or decide for ourselves. Going against that will actually limit and restrict us, not make us more free. Neither is morality subjective. God created us to choose between good and evil, not determine what they are. Must understand the truth of our freedom, and then use it responsibly.
Story Starter: Free and Empty 1. What are the differences btwn living in freedom and living in slavery? 2. If the people in the stories had viewed their bodies as valuable gifts to be given in love, how might this have changed the way they acted? 3. If you have a well-formed conscience, what does guilt signify about whether your actions are free or not? 4. If fear exists w/in a relationship was does this say about the freedom of those involved?
How would you define freedom? Being able to do whatever you want. -This leads to chaos. At 16, you are free to drive, but for this freedom to exist it has to have boundaries.
So what is freedom? Ability to desire and choose the good. If you truly love a person, you decide to live a life that places certain boundaries or restrictions on yourself. Examples: husband loves his wife, father loves his children. Freedom w/o responsibilities is the opposite of love. -JPII
Authentic freedom Involves accepting and living out the truth of who we are and for what we are created. Who are we? -children of God Why are we created? -for love and communion
Not about Escaping rules, responsibilities or external constraints. But, freedom entails living w/o internal constraints on our hearts. Internal constraints- hinder my ability to choose the good.
Examples of an internal constraint? Why do you choose the bad over what you know is right? Emotions/feelings, like pride, selfishness, greed, anger, etc.
Free, Total, Faithful, Fruitful Part 5
Story Starter: Following Tobit How does it make you feel when you read a story that depicts a young man approaching sex in a respectful way? How would you feel if your spouse wanted to pray the prayer of Tobias w/ you on your wedding night? Why would you feel this way? What can you do today to make wedding vows more meaningful if one day you profess them to someone? Do you think wedding vows are viewed differently today than they were 50 or 100 years ago? If so, how and why?
Apply the four parts of the wedding vow to sex. Freeinstead people are pressured, forced, paid for in prostitution. Total gift of selfinstead-one night stands, hook-ups, supposedly safe sex, use of contraceptives. Promoting chastity and fidelity/faithfulness- TV shows that promote promiscuity. Fruitful- instead-not open to new life.
This vision of human sexuality is Not a list of 4 rules the Church forces on us. The demands of love already written on our hearts, stamped on our bodies Visible image of Christ s love for the Church.
When a man and woman get married They don t just receive a sacrament. They become a sacrament, a sign and instrument of God s love for the other person. When is the only other time a person becomes a sacrament? -Jesus in the Eucharist.
Christ said of the Eucharist This is my body, which is given for you. (Lk. 22:19) Through his total gift of self he shows his love for the Church, his bride. The husband gives himself totally, freely, faithfully and fruitfully to his bride (wife). Bible-the analogy God uses to express His love for us: the love btwn a husband and wife.
So the real question to ask when it comes to sexual morality is this: Am I expressing God s love in a free, total, faithful, and fruitful way through my body? Apply this standard to any issue relating to sexuality- Masturbation, pornography, homosexual acts, contraception Why are these not an expression of authentic love?