Theo

Key Figures

• Pope St. John Paul II

• The Polish pope who served from 1978 to 2005.

• Authored Theology of the Body, a series of teachings on the meaning of human love, sexuality, and the body as part of God’s divine plan.

• Emphasized the dignity of every human person and the sacramentality of the body.

Theology of the Body

• A collection of 129 lectures by Pope St. John Paul II.

• Focuses on how the body reveals divine truths about God, human relationships, and love.

• Explores God’s original design for humanity, the impact of sin, and humanity’s ultimate destiny in heaven.

Sacramentality of the Body

• The body is a visible sign of God’s invisible grace.

• Through our bodies, we reveal truths about God’s love, especially in the context of marriage and self-gift.

Four Types of Love (from Greek terms)

1. Agape: Self-sacrificial, unconditional love; reflects God’s love for humanity.

2. Eros: Passionate, romantic love; must be purified by agape to avoid selfishness.

3. Philia: Friendship love; companionship and mutual goodwill.

4. Storge: Familial love; natural affection, such as between parents and children.

Sins and Struggles

• Lust: A disordered desire for sexual pleasure, treating another person as an object.

• Concupiscence: The tendency to sin, resulting from Original Sin.

• Fornication: Sexual activity between unmarried persons; contrary to God’s design for sex.

• Adultery: Sexual activity where at least one participant is married to someone else; violates marital fidelity.

• Pornography: The depiction of sexual acts meant to arouse, reducing people to objects and distorting God’s plan for sexuality.

• Contraception: Any act that intentionally blocks the procreative potential of sex; contrary to the openness required in the marital act.

• Masturbation: The misuse of sexuality for self-gratification, isolating the act from its purpose of self-gift and union.

States of Humanity

1. Original Man:

• Humanity as created by God before the Fall.

• Lived in harmony with God, self, and creation.

2. Historical Man:

• Humanity after the Fall.

• Struggles with sin, concupiscence, and broken relationships but has hope through redemption in Christ.

3. Eschatological Man:

• Humanity in the fulfillment of God’s plan, in heaven.

• Includes the Resurrection of the Body, where our bodies will be glorified.

Original Experiences

• Original Sin: The first sin of Adam and Eve, which disrupted their unity with God and introduced death and sin into the world.

• Original Innocence: Humanity’s state of purity before the Fall, where there was no lust or selfishness.

• Original Nakedness: Adam and Eve’s ability to see each other without shame because of their pure hearts.

• Original Solitude: Adam’s realization of being alone and his longing for a suitable partner, leading to the creation of Eve.

• Original Unity: The unity between Adam and Eve, reflecting God’s plan for marriage and mutual self-gift.

• Original Happiness: The joy experienced by Adam and Eve in their perfect union with God and each other.

Human Nature and Redemption

• Shame: The feeling of unease about one’s body or actions due to sin, which did not exist before the Fall.

• Spiritualized Body: The human body is not merely physical but is united with the soul, reflecting divine truths.

• Glorified Body: The perfected body we will receive at the Resurrection, free from suffering and death.

• Resurrection of the Body: At the end of time, our souls will reunite with glorified, perfected bodies in heaven.

Eschatology and Heaven

• Heaven: The eternal union with God, where we experience perfect joy and love.

• Eschaton: The final event in God’s plan, including the Resurrection and the fulfillment of all things.

• Beatific Vision: The direct experience of God in heaven.

• Communion of Saints: The unity of all believers, living and dead, in Christ.

Marriage and Sexuality

• Marriage: A sacrament that reflects God’s covenantal love; a lifelong union of man and woman, open to life.

• One-Flesh Union: The physical, emotional, and spiritual unity achieved in marriage, especially through the marital act.

• Natural Family Planning (NFP): A moral method for planning pregnancies by respecting the natural rhythms of fertility.

• Purposes of Sex:

1. Unitive: To deepen the love and unity of the couple.

2. Procreative: To participate in God’s creative work by bringing new life into the world.

Virtues and Truths

• Objective Truth: Truth is rooted in God and unchanging, independent of personal feelings or opinions.

• Freedom: The ability to choose the good, not simply the ability to choose anything.

• Abstinence: The choice to refrain from sexual activity, either temporarily or permanently, as an act of self-discipline and virtue.

• Chastity: The virtue of ordering sexual desires in accordance with God’s will, integrating sexuality into the person’s life.

• Language of the Body: The body communicates truths about love and self-gift, especially in the context of sex and marriage.

• Nuptial Meaning of the Body: The body’s capacity to express love through self-gift, particularly in marriage.

Key Philosophies

• Personalistic Norm: Every person is valuable for who they are, not for what they can do; they must never be treated as a means to an end.

• Utilitarianism: A philosophy that values people based on their usefulness, opposing the Christian understanding of human dignity.

Additional Topics

• Oxytocin: A hormone released during childbirth and sexual intimacy, promoting bonding and trust.

• Same-Sex Attraction: Church teaching distinguishes between the attraction itself (not sinful) and homosexual acts (which are contrary to God’s plan).

• Homosexual Activity: Sexual acts between people of the same sex, seen as contrary to the unitive and procreative purposes of sex.

Four Marks of Marital Love

1. Free: Love must be freely chosen without coercion.

2. Total: Love involves a complete gift of self.

3. Faithful: Love is exclusive and lifelong.

4. Fruitful: Love is open to the creation of new life.