How can you follow a Church that still believes that sex is a sin? This is the question one friend asks of another and thus begins a fantastic overview of John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.
Theology of the Body (TOB) is much more than just a theology of sex in the modern world; it is a whole new way of thinking about the human body and the role of sexuality. St. John Paul II says that the body reveals God to the world.
This video, even if the electronic voices are a bit annoying, is a fantastic intro to TOB while at the same time a great instructional tool for how to explain TOB to someone who thinks having sex is not necessarily reserved for marriage.
Theology of the Body
The information is presented in an apologetics format instead of straightforward teaching and it hits on all the questions one might be asked about the Church’s teaching on sex.
It covers the subjects:
1. The Human Soul
2. The Body is Good
3. Male and female in the image of God
4. Original innocence
5. Nuptial meaning of the body
6. Communion of Persons
If you have no idea what these terms are, check out this video. If you have no idea how to explain these concepts to your friends, check out this video.
A Free Gift
St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body seeks to set the record straight. The body is not something to be ashamed of and thus hidden in a puritanical sort of way, nor is it a playground for personal satisfaction and selfish pleasure.
Sex is to be a free gift, a total gift, a fruitful gift, and a faithful gift. Any act of sex that does not fulfill each of these requirements falls short of the plan God has for us and is thus disordered. In today’s world, this teaching seems out of touch with reality and highly restrictive, but in truth, it reveals the true purpose of our bodies and produces true freedom of expression because when we express our love in a free, total, fruitful and faithful way, we achieve communion that is an image of the triune God.
This guest post was written by Jeff Hedglen, a Campus Minister and the Associate Director of Young Adult Ministry in the Fort Worth Diocese of Texas.
More Theology of The Body Resources
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