Theology of the Body

with Fr Samuel Medley, SOLT

IN GRACED FRIENDSHIPS

Blessed Pope John Paul II

Theology of the Body: Human

Love in the Divine Plan

What is the Theology of the Body?

A Collection of 129 Wednesday Audiences given by Pope John Paul the Great during the first six years of his pontificate.

A bible study, or scriptural reflection, on the theological meaning of the human body.

Theology - Φεολογια, or the study of God, which is the primary thing studied.

Theology of the body:

an Encounter with the Living

Jesus Christ

STRUCTURE

Encounter with Christ in:

WORD andSACRAMENT

STRUCTUREPart I: Words of Christ A. Christ Appeals to the Beginning B. Christ Appeals to the Human Heart C. Christ Appeals to the Resurrection

Part II: The Sacrament A. The Dimension of Covenant and Grace B. The Dimension of Sign

Final Part: Humanae Vitae

Fundamental Intuition or

Thought in the Theology of the

Body:Man is made in the image of the

Trinity- for Communion

Just as the Father and the Son eternally beget the Holy Spirit in a Communion of life and love -Man and woman beget the issue of life in child bearing.

“Man became the image of God not only through his own humanity, but

also through the communion of persons”

Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of

God he created him; male and female he created them.”

TOB clearly lays out the basis of trinitarian communion is being

masculine and feminine.

Man and Woman He Created Them

A human person is not only brought about, co-created with

man and woman, but they come to their full maturity of the same love

of man and woman that has created them.

Man and Woman He Created Them

I ran away from your love but you waited for me, yes, you waited for me and then I heard your song, singing over me, singing over me

Now that I hear you Lord, I want to know you more. I want to know you more.

Chorus : Sing your song to me. Oh, there’s no greater thing than to listen to the sound of your voice

When I hear your song I want to sing along and listen to the sound of your voice,the sound of your voice

Lord, I am calling your name and I’m waiting for you, yes I’m waiting for youSo won’t you show me your way and I will follow you, yes I will follow you Chorus

Singing over me bringing peace and mercy with a song that never endsSining over me marvelous and holy, Lord, I want to hear your song again Chorus

“The Sound of Your Voice” by Third Day

The Voice of A

Father:

The Voice of

A Mother:

The Masculine VoiceCaused infants to:-increase heart rate-increase brain activity-sweeping eye movements-kicking of legs and thrashing of arms-excited emotional

response

The Feminine VoiceBrought About:

-decrease heart rate-steadied brain activity-closing of eye lids

-calm body movements-some even began to fall

asleep

The Man HoldStudies show there is a universal tendency for

men of every culture to:-Throw their children high

up in the air.-Hold them out away from

them for eye contact-Perch them up above

their shoulder

These studies show that the way a man uses his

body to affirm the person of the child engenders:-Confidence, Daring-Trust, Courage

-Adventure, Excitement-Sense of Freedom

The Woman Hold“Mothers more frequently use touch to calm, soothe,

or comfort infants”“Bring the child toward her breasts providing warmth,

comfort, security and protection”

Engenders gentleness, calm, intimacy, tenderness, comfort, and humility

Human DevelopmentIt has clearly come to the popular culture that

each human person needs love and acceptance to develop as a mature and well-adjusted person.

Human DevelopmentDr Conrad Baars, PhD, expert psychiatrist

and consultant for the Vatican

Has shown that each person needs the affirmation of their personhood in order to

come to full affective, or emotional maturity.

Man have “Emotional Deprivational Disorder” which comes from being unloved.

Most people suffer not because of what someone did to them, but but of what

someone didn’t do- LOVE THEM.

Human DevelopmentYET HUMAN LOVE because it is

given and received by men and women can never be neuter, or

without gender.Man and Woman, through the

perceived bodily contact, voice, touch, and overall expression of love,

bring about the affirmation and maturation of the human person.

Theology of the Body - THEOLOGYFrom Divine Revelation (Genesis 1-2):The image of the Trinity was revealed in:-One Man and One Woman-Exclusive, Mutual, Covenanted Conjoining of the Two

Why do we need both feminine and masculine love to grow?

Let’s Look Within the Human PersonPSYCHOLOGY OF THE BODY

Why do we need both feminine and masculine love to grow?

Let’s Look Within the Human PersonPSYCHOLOGY OF THE BODY

The human soul:Intellect Will- Spiritual AppetiteReason

Intuition

Energy Appetite

Pleasure Appetite

Focus on single pointLogically conclude

Contemplate WholeGrasp Meaning

Love, Joy, DesireHatred, Sadness, Disgust

Hope, Courage/TrustDespair, Fear, Anger

MAN

WOMAN

Let’s Look Within the Human PersonPSYCHOLOGY OF THE BODY

MASCULINEAFFIRMATION

OF THE HUMAN PERSON

-Confidence, Daring-Trust, Courage-Adventure, Excitement

-Sense of Freedom

LACK OF MASCULINE AFFIRMATION: (From Gender Study)-Exhibited a general lack of courage and

confidence, especially in accomplishing difficult goals

-"there may be something unique to fathers that provides children with different

opportunities to regulate their emotions" -Were statistically more promiscuous and found

it difficult to live chaste relationships well, which is particularly difficult for women in later

years who develop “daddy issues”-Showed high sense of aggression and could not

express anger in a healthy way or found it highly uncomfortable when someone is angry

with them

Let’s Look Within the Human PersonPSYCHOLOGY OF THE BODY

FEMININEAFFIRMATION

OF THE HUMAN PERSON

-Gentleness/Calm-Intimacy/Tenderness -Humility

LACK OF FEMININE AFFIRMATION:

(From Gender Study)-Found it difficult speak about their feelings,

experience connectedness, and found intimacy awkward

-showed high insecurity and need for attention, physical contact, emotional and affirmation-Had difficulty showing affection, warmth and

developing depth in romantic relationships with their spouses.

BADNEWS?

This is where the little unloved and unaffirmed child

inside each person may start crying.

I AMUNAFFIRMED

I AMUNWANTED

REJECTED

UNLOVED!

But wait,there is

GOODNEWS!

Redemption of the BodyHOPE- Diagnosis - CureTheology of the Body speaks of a triptych, or a three part revelation of each person’s body.Beginning- Original Meaning of the Body- Communion

Now- Historical Meaning of Sin and Grace, Fallen yet Redeemed

Future Glory- Your body is made for eternity

ABBA Father- thought of you before the world began

JESUS Saviour- loves you exactly as you are right now

HOLY SPIRIT- fills in the gap between time and eternity

Redemption of the Body

ABBA Father- thought of you before the world began

JESUS Saviour- loves you exactly as you are right now

HOLY SPIRIT- fills in the gap between time and eternity

HEALING THROUGH GRACED FRIENDSHIPSWITH THE TRINITY

Redemption of the BodyThis is why one of the most

conducive and healing environments is to receive the Sacraments frequently

and devoutly, practice the life of prayer and penance, living

the virtues of faith, hope, and charity, expressed in whole hearted service.

Redemption of the BodyHOWEVER-

We do not fully experience deep healing unless the spiritual graces we

receive are lived in human love.We are created to live the image of the Trinity in human relationships.We need to experience masculine and feminine affirmation in graced

friendships with others.To love and be loved by different

men and women in community life and communion.

Graced FriendshipCatechism of the Catholic Church 2347The virtue of chastity blossoms in friendship. It

shows the disciple how to follow and imitate him who has chosen us as his friends, who has given

himself totally to us and allows us to participate in his divine estate. Chastity is a promise of immortality.

Chastity is expressed notably in friendship with one's neighbor. Whether it develops between persons of the same or opposite sex, friendship represents a

great good for all. It leads to spiritual communion.

A human person is not only brought about, co-created with

man and woman, but they come to their full maturity of the same love

of man and woman that has created them.

Man and Woman He Created Them

“There is no fact that has been established by social science literature more convincingly than the following: all variables considered, children are best served when reared in a home with a married mother and father. David Popenoe (1996) summarized the research nicely: "social

science research is almost never conclusive, yet in three decades of work as a social scientist, I

know of few other bodies of data in which the weight of evidence is so decisively on one side of the issue: on the whole, for children, two-parent families” (p. 176). (Gender Complementarity and

Child Rearing by Dr A. Dean Beard PhD)

No Fact More Certain:

NO! - There is no study where anyone even claims to have found a “gay gene,” meaning no gene that like hair colour, will determine

one’s sexual orientation.

Even Dr Dean Hamer, who invented the phrase, “gay gene,” says, “We have not found the gene - which we don’t think exists - for

sexual orientation.”

Scientific Research - shows that “Critical review shows the evidence favouring a biological (genetic) theory to be lacking.” - Archives of

General Psychiatry.

The only thing that some claim is, not that it is inherited, but it MAY BE heritable, meaning, there might be a genetic

predisposition for it like there is for alcoholism of mental illness.

Are People Born Gay?

Implications for Same Sex “Marriage”

If a person is not only created in the image and likeness of God, but brought to the

fullness of that image and likeness only in a one-man, one-woman, exclusive, permanent, reciprocal, covenanted union, then anything other than that cannot bring the health and

well being of persons.

Implications for Same Sex “Marriage”

The HUGE problem is now people are attempting to equivocate by law other

unions that are not God’s plan. His plan is not only accessible by the Church or Bible, it is written into the fabric of our beings by

natural law. Try going against gravity or inertia in the physical realm and you can see

its equivalent in the moral realm.

Implications for Same Sex “Marriage”

By saying that same sex unions are the same as the one-man, one-

woman, covenant of communion, you are attacking the image and

likeness of God.

Implications for Same Sex “Marriage”

We have a social and political responsibility to defend marriage

and family when it is attacked.

THANK YOU