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Welcome to Theology of the Body

 

SUBJECT OVERVIEW

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is an introduction to John Paul II’s teachings on the Theology of the Body. Theology of the Body is a series of 129 Wednesday General Audiences delivered by Pope John Paul II during the first five years of his pontificate. It is a catechesis on God’s divine plan for human love. John Paul II developed a biblical anthropology on what it means to be a human person created male and female and called to become “one flesh.

As a young priest, Karol Wojtyla developed a very “special love for love”. He was deeply struck by the beauty of love between a man and a woman and committed himself to the service of it.

As a young priest I learned to love human love. This has been one of the fundamental themes of my priesthood… If one loves human love, there naturally arises the need to commit oneself completely to the service of “fair love”, because love is fair, it is beautiful. (John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope)

The Theology of the Body is the fruit of John Paul II’s life-long “service to love”. “He can surely be regarded as one of the greatest champions of the human person, marriage and the family of all time.

COURSE NOTES

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

    By the end of this course students should be able to

    1. Be familiar with the basic concepts of the Theology of the Body
    2. Have experience reading the texts of John Paul II’s homilies on Theology of the Body
    3. Situate John Paul II’s teachings on human sexuality within the broader context of his theological anthropology
    4. Reflect on, and apply some of the concepts of the theology of the body to challenges experienced by persons living marriage as their path to holiness today.
    5. Grow in understanding and love for the vocation to apostolic celibacy, and be able to explain it within the framework of the theology of the body.

     

    PROGRAM

    This course will cover the following topics:

     

    INTRODUCTION:

    1. Theology of the Body and Humanae Vitae
    2. Laying the Foundations for Theology of the Body
    3. “Cartesian Lenses” – Understanding Contemporary Man
    4. The Triptych

     

    SLIDES | VIEW

                 CLASS 1

                  CLASS 2

                   CLASS 3

    CHAPTER 1 – ORIGINAL MAN:

    1. In “The Beginning”
    2. Original Solitude
    3. Original Unity
    4. Original Nakedness
    5. Man in the dimension of gift – the Spousal meaning of the Body
    6. Fatherhood and Motherhood

                  CLASS 4

                   CLASS 5

                  CLASS 6

      CHAPTER 2 -HISTORICAL MAN

      1. Christ appeals to the Human Heart
      2. The Man of Concupiscence
      3. Original Shame
      4. The Insatiability of the Union
      5. The Corruption of the Spousal Meaning of the Body
      6. Commandment and Ethos
      7. The “Heart”: Accused or Called?
      8. Eros and Ethos
      9. Purity: Life according to the Spirit

                  CLASS 7

                      CLASS 8

                       CLASS 9

          CHAPTER 3 – ESCHATOLOGICAL MAN:

          1. The Resurrection of the Body
          2. Celibacy for the Kingdom of Heaven
          3. Celibacy and Marriage: The Vocation of Historical Man

                CLASS 10

                RESOURCES

                Recommended Reading

                Course Notes | VIEW

                • John Paul II. The Redemption of the Body and Sacramentality of Marriage (Theology of the Body) From the Weekly Audiences of His Holiness September 5, 1979 – November 28, 1984. Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2005. | VIEW
                • Mary Healy. Men and Women are from Eden: a Study Guide to John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. Servant Books, 2005. ($51 AUD – the best and most approachable introduction to JP II’s Theology of the Body; $10 for e-book)
                • Burkhart, E., and López, J. Ordinary Life and Holiness in the Teaching of St Josemaría: A Study in Spiritual Theology. v. 2. NY: Scepter, 2020. (pp. 435-444)

                Further Reading

                • John Paul II. Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body. Introduction and translation by Michael Waldstein. Boston: Pauline Books, 2006. | Introduction available HERE.
                • May, William. Theology of the Body in Context: Genesis and Growth. Boston: Pauline Books, 2010.
                • Percy, Anthony. Theology of the Body Made Simple. Boston: Pauline Books, 2006.
                • Edward Sri. Men, Women & the Mystery of Love: Insights from John Paul II’s, Love and Responsibility. Cincinnati: St Anthony Messenger, 2007.
                • Wojtyla, Karol. Love and Responsibility. San Francisco: Ignatius, 1993.

                Church Documents

                • Paul VI, Humanae Vitae (1968)
                • John Paul II, Redemptoris Hominis (1979)
                • John Paul II, Mulieris Dignitatem (1988)

                Related Resources (Not Theology of the Body)

                IFFD Love Talks

                • María Cruz Díaz de Terán, Equality Between Men and Women
                • Ana de Vierna, When, How and Why to Talk to Your Children About Sexuality
                • Jorge Gutierrez, How to Overcome Pornography Addiction 
                • Alejandro Villena, Pornography and Technology: How Do They Access and How Does It Affect Them? 
                • Diana Díaz Alférez, Sex Education at Home: Keys to Preventing Sexual Abuse 
                • Rafael Lafuente, Sex to the Fullest for Those That Love Each Other to the Fullest 
                • Carlos Chiclana, Develop and Integrate Your Relationship in Intimacy  
                • Lucía Martínez Alcalde, Unmasking Sexual Incompatibility
                • Carolina Sánchez Agostini, Between Netflix, Instagram and TikTok: How to Lead Dialogues on Sexuality with (Pre) teens?