THEOLOGY OF THE BODY CHAPTER SEVEN – FREE, TOTAL, FAITHFUL & FRUITFUL

Chapter Objectives To analyze these four marks of God’s love in the life of Christ, in his love for the Church, in the wedding vows, and in the love of spouses in marriage To differentiate love that is self-giving from sex that is self-seeking

To demonstrate that reception of God’s love, like Mary, is the prerequisite for truly loving self and others To recognize that marriage is a pre- requisite for sex to be a sign of the four marks of God’s love - yet not a guarantee - since even married couples can sin with such acts as masturbation, adultery, and contraception which cannot image God’s love

Key Concepts The four marks of self-donating love (agape) are free, total, faithful, fruitful While “What would Jesus do?” is a good start for making moral decisions, “How would Jesus love?” is a good start to building a loving, lasting, communion with others Mary is the perfect model for how we are to receive God’s love

Husbands and wives continually renew their wedding vows through lives of true mutual service, but especially through their one-flesh union: the marital act of sexual relations Contraception is a contradiction (“speaking against”) of the language of love

In the Sacrament of Marriage, a couple receives special graces, but moreover, they become a symbol of the union of Christ with the Church, which speaks of deep change in their very being, not simply as passive recipients of God’s grace

GOD’S LOVE Free: God’s love is freely given to us. Total: God’s love is complete and He gives all of Himself to us, withholding nothing. Faithful: God never abandons us and never stops loving us. Fruitful: God’s love brings us life. Jesus died for us so that we could have new life.

WEDDING VOWS & CHRIST

JESUS’ AUTHENTIC LOVE Jesus modeled free love through His freely chosen acceptance of the passion and death on the cross Jesus showed us what total love looks like on the cross Jesus was faithful to His Father’s will and faithful to each one of us. Jesus’ life and death is fruitful because he achieves redemption for humanity

HOMOSEXUALITY Scriptural References: Lev 18:22; 20:13; Rom 1:27; 1Cor 6:9-10 The purpose of the sexual faculty is the expression of married love (unitive) and the generation of new life (procreative) in the context of the family A distinction must be made between homosexual orientation and homosexual activity

Homosexual orientation: is a physical attraction to persons of the same gender. It is usually a person’s principal and permanent sexual orientation. The desire is viewed as a deficiency but is NOT sinful because it is not chosen. Homosexual activity: refers to engaging in genital sexual activity with persons of the same sex. Deliberate homosexual activity is always morally wrong and constitutes grave matter.

Homosexual persons enjoy the same human worth as everyone else. Their humanity has a claim to the same respect and dignity as everyone else. To act unjustly against such dignity on the part of society or as an individual is a violation of Christian love.

Chastity and Homosexuality 2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

2358 The number of men and women who have deep- seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

WHAT IS A VOCATION? Vocation – the committed state of life that God “calls” us to The sacraments of service provide the graces for specific ways our common vocation is lived out today.

HUMAN VOCATIONS Priesthood Religious ‘Consecrated” Life Married Life Single Life