Theology of the Body Theology of the Body • A series of scriptural reflections on the meaning of human love and sexuality written by Pope John Paul in a series of 130 speeches • Studying God through our human body. • A study of God and the purpose of our existence, as discovered and revealed through our bodies. • What does it mean to be a human? how should I live a life of happiness and fulfillment? • John Paul II's 129 weekly audience addresses where he outlined the Church's teaching on sexuality • Our bodies and sexual desire show us the meaning of our existence • It demonstrates why we are here and our purpose • The body and one flesh union of man and woman reveals something of the mystery of God Who is St. John Paul II? • Pope John Paul II was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his death in 2005. • He was elected pope by the second papal conclave of 1978, which was called after Pope John Paul I, who had been elected in August to succeed Pope Paul VI, died after 33 days. • Born: 18 May 1920, Wadowice, Poland • Died: 2 April 2005, Apostolic Palace, Vatican City • Full name: Karol Józef Wojtyła • Feast day: 22 October

1. The Theology of The Body
KEY WORDS TO STUDY: •THEOLOGY •THEOLOGY OF THE
BODY •HUMAN •HUMAN SEXUALITY •SEX •BODY
Theology of the Body
 A series of scriptural reflections on the meaning of
human love and sexuality written by Pope John
Paul in a series of 130 speeches
 Studying God through our human body.
 A study of God and the purpose of our existence,
as discovered and revealed through our bodies.
 What does it mean to be a human? how should I
live a life of happiness and fulfillment?
 John Paul II's 129 weekly audience addresses
where he outlined the Church's teaching on
sexuality
 Our bodies and sexual desire show us the meaning
of our existence
 It demonstrates why we are here and our purpose
 The body and one flesh union of man and woman
reveals something of the mystery of God
Who is St. John Paul II?
 Pope John Paul II was the head of the Catholic
Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State
from 1978 until his death in 2005.
 He was elected pope by the second papal conclave
of 1978, which was called after Pope John Paul I,
who had been elected in August to succeed Pope
Paul VI, died after 33 days.
 Born: 18 May 1920, Wadowice, Poland
 Died: 2 April 2005, Apostolic Palace, Vatican City
 Full name: Karol Józef Wojtyła
 Feast day: 22 October
Great Writings of (Pope) St. John Paul II (Encyclicals)
• Ecclesia de Eucharistia (17 April 2003) • [ Chinese -
Croatian - English - French - German - Hungarian - Italian -
Latin - Polish - Portuguese - Spanish ]
• Fides et Ratio (14 September 1998) • [ Arabic - Danish -
Dutch - English - Finnish - French - German - Hungarian -
Italian - Latin - Polish - Portuguese - Romanian - Spanish ]
• Ut Unum Sint (25 May 1995) • [ Danish - Dutch - English
- Finnish - French - German - Hungarian - Italian - Latin -
Polish - Portuguese - Spanish ]
• Evangelium Vitae (25 March 1995) • [ Dutch - English -
French - German - Hungarian - Italian - Latin - Polish -
Portuguese - Spanish ]
• Veritatis Splendor (6 August 1993) • [ Danish - Dutch -
English - French - German - Hungarian - Italian - Latin - Polish
- Portuguese - Spanish ]
• Centesimus Annus (1 May 1991) • [ Chinese - English -
French - German - Hungarian - Italian - Latin - Polish -
Portuguese - Spanish ]
GENERAL AUDIENCE
 Wednesday 12 December 1979-
THEMES EXPLORED IN THEOLOGY OF THE BODY
 Humanae vitae (Church teaching on birth control)
 Catholic teaching on the value of the body
 Our vocation and identity as sons and daughters
of God
 God's plan for life and love, God's design for
human sexuality
THEOLOGY
 The study of God
 We do it when we reason and discourse about
the nature, will and purposes of God
 However, we cannot study God. God cannot be
the direct object of human research
 Theos God
 Logos word
 Theology is words about (the study of) God
 Everyone does Theology
What do Christians believe about the body?
 We are made in the image and likeness of God
(Genesis 1:26-27)
 We are mortal beings that go from ashes to
ashes, dust to dust
 God became man through the incarnation.
 We believe in the resurrection of the body.
"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye
be single, your whole body shall be full of light." -
Matthew 6:22
The Original Layout of Theology of the Body

2. The different ages of man.
 Original Man - humanity before the fall
 Historical Man - humanity after the fall to the
return of Christ
 Eschatological Man - humanity after the return of
Christ. We will be perfectly united with God with
no tensions between body and spirit
THE ORIGINALS!
The Original Happiness
 A happiness that was rooted in the perfect gift
that was initiated by God, received in love, and
shared in love.
Original Solitude
 The original state when Adam realized that he
was alone because he was without companion in
paradise.
 It also refers to human experience being alone in
the world as a person, as someone fundamentally
different from the animals.
Original Solitude
 In His original solitude man acquires a personal
consciousness in the process of distinction from
all living beings (animalia).
 At the same time, in this solitude, he opens up to
a being akin to himself, defined in Genesis (2:18,
20) as "a helper fit for him."
 This opening is no less decisive for the person of
man; in fact, it is perhaps even more decisive
than the distinction itself.
 In the Yahwist narrative, man's solitude is
presented to us not only as the first discovery of
the characteristic transcendence peculiar to the
person. It is also presented as the discovery of an
adequate relationship "to" the person, and
therefore as an opening and expectation of a
"communion of persons.“
The Original Man
 The era of humanity in the “original experiences”
before the Fall, up until the original sin of Adam
and Eve.
The Original Nakedness
 The first experience of Adam and Eve when they
were naked without shame. Before original sin,
lust did not even exist and all (sexual) desires are
pure.
The Original Innocence.
 The state of Adam and Eve prior to their
knowledge of sin, when their minds, hearts, and
their bodies were perfectly innocent.
Original Unity
 The initial experience of perfect unity between
man and woman as they lived in perfect
communion with each other and gave themselves
to each other through the mutual gift of their
bodies.
The Original Sin
 The first sin of Adam and Eve, when they
distrusted God’s plan and chose their own will
over the will of God.
 • Breaking of the first covenant – man's
historical sinfulness to his original innocence
 "Then the eyes of both were opened, and they
knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig
leaves together and made themselves aprons"
(Gn 3:7).
 Effect: Disunity/fragmentation of humanity, of
man from God, of male and female from each
other, of the passions within each person,
experience of shame
 Concupiscence - is the inclination to sin
Communion of Persons
Nuptial meaning of the body
Humanity as a Language

3. Blessed are the pure in heart
Sermon on the mount
The human heart is a battlefield between love and lust
St. Paul's teaching on the human body
St. Paul and the human body
Universe call to holiness
The resurrection of the body
Celibacy
 Our masculinity and femininity is a physical sign
given to us so that we might know that we are
called to enter a loving communion in imitation of
the trinity
 A charism or gift from God, and an invitation
 Self-denial required
 Marriage common and natural response to desire
to love and be loved
 Then why celibacy?:

Marriage

4. Tobias and Sarah
Reflections on Humanae Vitae
Humanae Vitae
 Chastity means to live in the order of the heart.
(Nov. 14, 1984)
 Continence protects the dignity of the conjugal
act
 Language of the body should be expressed in the
integral truth of its meaning
 The papal encyclical, Humanae vitae (HV) written
by Pope St. Paul VI in 1968, provides beautiful
and clear teaching about God's plan for married
love and the transmission of life.
Latin: Of Human Life
_____________________________________________
HUMAN SEXUALITY
Overview:
 Your sexuality can play an important role in your
identity and sense of self.
 Sexuality often refers to a person's sexual
orientation or preference
 Your sexual orientation is who you are
emotionally, mentally, and physically attracted to.
Human Sexuality
 Expression of sexual sensation and intimacy
between persons
 Expression of identity through sex
 Comprises a broad range of behavior and
processes
 Determined by anatomy, physiology, psychology,
culture, relationship with others, and
development experiences
Physiological Aspects of Human Sexuality
 Influenced by hormonal changes during
pregnancy/genetic predisposition
 Sexual dysfunction: libido diminution & erectile
dysfunction
Sexual Identity
 Gender identity
 Orientation
 Intention
Sexual Function
 Sexual desire
 Sexual arousal
 Orgasm
Social Aspects of Human Sexuality
 Governed by rules of behavior and status quo
 Influenced by social norms and vice versa
Example: gender identity
Gender Identity
 Sense of self as masculine or feminine
 Gender in which a person identifies
 Gender that other people attribute to the
individual on the basis of gender role
 Is affected by a variety of social structures
Gender role
 Usually related to and derived from gender
identity
 Includes all disclosures of a person as having the
status of a man or a woman
Sexual Orientation

5. Gender identity and sexual identity
Cisgender
 Denoting or relating to a person whose sense of
personal identity and gender corresponds with
their birth sex
Sexual Orientation and Mental Illness
Sexuality
 is a part of who you are and who you will
become.
 develops and changes throughout your life.
 The feeling of being comfortable with your
sexuality and sexual identity is essential to your
well-being and healthy development as a human
person
Sexuality isn't just about sex. It's also about how you"
Portrait of Traditional Male Roles
Some stereotypes associated with the traditional male
role include a man's:
Portrait of Traditional Female Roles
Some stereotypes associated with the traditional male
role include a woman's:
SUMMARY:
 Your beliefs and expectations about sex and
sexuality are influenced by your personal
experiences, upbringing and cultural background
 And the people at home are role models
 Note: You can help your child by modelling and
reinforcing values and beliefs about safety,
responsibility, honest communication, and
respect in relationships by treating your partner
with respect and talking about how to stay safe
Understanding teenage sexual behaviour, sexual
attraction, and sexual identity
 Most teenagers will experiment with sexual
behaviour at some stage – this is a normal,
natural and powerful urge in these years. But not
all teenage relationships include sex.
 Teenagers are also maturing emotionally and
socially. They might want romantic intimacy and
ways to express love and affection. And they
might be curious and want to explore adult
behaviour.
Different Sexual Orientations
 Sexual attraction and sexual identity aren't the
same
 Young people who are same-sex attracted might
or might not identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.
 They might identify as heterosexual
 Sexual attraction is also different to gender
identity, which is a person's sense of who they
are - male, female, both, or neither.

6. Sex
 Biological traits that society associates with being
male or female
 Refers to biological and physiological
characteristics that define men and women
Gender
 Cultural meaning attached to being masculine &
feminine, which influence personal identities
 Socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities,
and attributes that a given society considers
appropriate for men and women
 Transgender should be a part of this too
 e.g. Man, woman, transgender, intersex, gender
queer, among others
Sexuality
 Sexual attraction, practices & identity which may
or may not align with sex and gender
 e.g. heterosexual, homosexual (gay or lesbian),
bisexual, queer, among others
God's direction for the family
 The roles within the family must be respected,
accepted, and honored
The role of the woman
 To be submissive to her husband (Eph, 5:22-24)
 To honor her husband as shown through an
obedient spirit (1 Pet. 3:5-6)
REVIEW:
1. It refers to the biological differences between
males and females, such as the genetalia and
genetic differences. – sex
2. Sex and gender always stand exactly for the same
thing and same meaning. – false
3. It is a code of morals practiced by a person or a
group of people. – ethics
4. It is the study of the nature of God and religious
belief. – theology
5. There are 129 catechesis all in all in the Theology
of the Body which were given on the Wednesday
audiences of Pope John Paul II started in the year
1989. - false, 1970 something dapat
6. True or False? The Theology of the Body was
originally a catecheses written by St. John Paul II
about the human person and human sexuality.
False ata d ko sure
7. Explain the biblical passage from Genesis, "Be
fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it"
(Genesis 1:28)
8. The Theology of the Body was written as a
catechesis on "Human Love in the Divine Plan" or
"The Redemption of the Body and the
Sacramentality of Marriage." – true
9. It is considered as one of the major forces for
change in the world today. – globalization
10. Write something about the following pictures