Theology of the Body: Pt. I

As I mentioned in another post, we're digging into the Theology of the Body (often called TOB) based on St. John Paul II's Wednesday audiences from 1979 through 1984.  If you haven't heard of the Theology of the Body (I hadn't until about 2015 or 2016), it is a truly beautiful vision of how we as humans should relate to one another with a particular focus on the sexual relationship between men and women.

In our youth group, we're using You:  Life, Love, and the Theology of the Body from Ascension Press as our foundational material.  The course is very well-written and includes videos for each lesson.  The videos feature several outstanding speakers who break down the topic in a way that's relatable.  The material is outstanding--the only thing we've struggled with, though, is that there is so much of it that we sometimes feel like our teens are sipping from a fire hose in our 75-90 minute meetings.

The adult facilitators met the first week in January to discuss how the teens have received the lessons, so far, and to make our plans for how to continue our exploration in the winter/spring semester.  One of our adults suggested that it would help the teens to have a big-picture view of TOB so that they have a touchstone to which to connect the upcoming themes.

From our discussion, we identified two primary principles from which the other themes flow.  The first deals with who we are and what it means, and the second principle is where we're going or what we're striving for.

The first core principle is that we are defined by our relationship to God--namely that we were created by him in his own image and likeness (Imago Dei, if you're fond of Latin) with a rational soul.  This has two big implications. 

First, since all humans are made in the image and likeness of God, we, as humans, must treat other persons with respect because of our inherent, God-given, human dignity.  We must recognize that each of us has free will and that we are more than tools to be used.  When a person tries to impose his or her will on another person, it is a violent violation of this relationship.

The second implication is the flip side of the first, and one of our adult leaders shared that it was a lesson she taught her third graders in Religious Education many years ago.   If someone fails to treat you with human dignity, it is important to lovingly remind them of who you are and how you should be treated.

The second core principle is that we are all called to make an authentic or sincere gift of our self (not coincidentally the name of this blog).  It is in giving of ourselves that we find our ultimate joy and fulfillment, and it is in self gift that we most closely image God, who, in the person of the Son, made the ultimate gift of self love.

As we move into the final chapters of the study, we'll encounter how our self gift can be sacramentally realized in the vocations of marriage or holy orders.  Even so, though, we don't need to wait until then to find opportunities to practice making gifts of ourselves.   When a parent or sibling or friend is struggling, we can lighten their load as a gift of love.  This could be helping with a chore, being extra attentive, listening attentively, making them a special treat or just telling them we love them. 

Sometimes it may be something we perceive as small, but it may have a very big impact on their day.  Other times, it may be a significant sacrifice on our part.  In either case, though, the important thing is that we offer it as a free gift of love.  It can't be done begrudgingly or half-heartedly.

May we all grow to fully recognize the inherent human dignity in all of our fellow human persons.  May we also grow adept in making ourselves a gift through frequent practice.

-Bob