Sexuality and the Theology of the Body

Sex vs. Sexuality Sexual Identity: Sexual Orientation: Our own personal understanding of what it means to be masculine or feminine Sexual Orientation: Whom we are attracted to heterosexual orientation – attraction to persons of the opposite sex/gender homosexual orientation – attraction to persons of the same sex/gender

Sex vs. Sexuality Sexual Behavior: Sexual values: How we express our sexuality in relationships with members of both genders Sexual values: What we believe is right and wrong, acceptable and unacceptable, permitted and not permitted regarding sex and sexuality

The Theology of the Body Series of addresses given by John Paul II from 1979-1984 God has created our bodies and our sexuality Our bodies tell us about who God is and who we are

The Body as a Sacrament Makes the invisible, visible Our bodies (which are visible) can make God (invisible) present to us

In the Beginning… Jesus refers to sexual morality and says that we need to look to the beginning (Genesis) To learn about what our sexuality is and what is right and wrong, we need to look at how and why we were created

Created for Love We are created in the image and likeness of God “It is not good that man should be alone” We are created with a desire to love and be loved, know and be known Love is a communion of persons  gift We are created male and female so that we can give to the other

Personalistic Norm John Paul II Human persons deserve only the best – we should never treat anyone with less than love

What is love??? If the personalistic norm is true, we should treat each other with love The earlier a woman becomes sexually active, the more likely she is to experience: Out of wedlock pregnancy STD’s Multiple sexual partners Depression Single motherhood Divorce We have to ask ourselves, “If a young man really loves a girl, is becoming sexually active worth the risk for her?”

Original Man The existence of humanity before sin entered the world Humanity as God created it to be Sexuality as God created it to be

Originally…. Original Solitude – man as being different from the animals; Adam’s need of a companion Original Unity – the initial perfect unity between man and woman Original Nakedness – the experience of Adam and Eve being naked without shame. Before original sin, pure sexual desire without lust

Original solitude Original unity Original nakedness

This process of original solitude, unity, and nakedness tells us what our bodies and sexuality were meant for… Love To give ourselves as a gift to another We are born with this desire

The Effects of Sin… The serpent approaches the woman Says that God lied, God then does not love, does not want what is best for them Adam and Eve turn away from God

The Effects of Sin… Adam and Eve believe the lie of the serpent Original sin enters into the world This disrupts the relationship between God and humanity The relationship between man and woman is also disrupted

Love Gone Awry After sin, selfishness enters Giving the gift of our bodies in our sexuality feels good (physical & emotional) In order to obtain that feeling people will USE others or themselves They will bypass love (gift of self) Because of sin, sexual desire is distorted. It is not as God created it to be.

Historical Man JPII uses this term to describe man after sin has entered the world

Hope and Redemption in Christ Because of original sin there is a distortion of the relationship between God and Humanity and between Man and Woman Jesus Christ comes to restore that relationship

Jesus Humanity thought God did not love, did not want the best for humanity Jesus proves that God loves Humanity Jesus embodies self-giving love by dying on the cross

Jesus Redeems Our Sexuality Jesus dies on the cross. He literally gives himself to Humanity with total love. Humanity receives Christ’s love. The Christian lives under the mission of Christ Humanity brings God’s love into the world A husband gives himself and his whole life for his wife The wife receives the love of her husband and gives love back…lives under his mission Woman brings new life to the family Spousal Analogy Ephesians 5 

Heavenly Marriage Union of God and Humanity in heaven Jesus dies in order to open heaven for us The union of man and woman on earth is a glimpse of the union of God and man in Heaven Union of man and woman on earth Union of God and Humanity in heaven

Historical and Original Man Today… Historical Man… “All I need is a lil’ bit, not a lot, baby girl, just a lil’ bit” I want your ugly, I want your disease, I want your everything as long as it's free, I want your love “I don't wanna waste my time and take home a girl that just wants to hang out, I just wanna get to the business.” “A young husband should say to his bride: ‘I have taken you in my arms, and I love you, and I prefer you to my life itself.’” “God has assigned a duty to every man: the dignity of every woman.” “Now I take this sister of mine not because of lust, but with sincerity. Grant that we may find mercy, and that we may grow old together.”

Chastity The chaste person expresses their sexuality in a loving and responsible way Chastity and abstinence are NOT the same thing Expresses their sexuality within God’s design Not about saying “No” to sex It is about saying “Yes” to Love If we love someone, we put what is best for them before ourselves, this includes our sexual desires

Positive Purity vs. Negative Purity Negative Purity – avoiding sexuality because of the fear that one will lust Positive Purity – looking at a person and overcoming the temptation to lust with love for the person We want to strive for a positive purity End part I

Language of the Body Our bodies are a sacrament The body speaks a language The body can tell the truth, or it can lie

The Language of the Body “Don’t you know that when you sleep with someone your body makes a promise whether you do or not?” –Vanilla Sky The language of sex says, “I love you, I am yours, I am here for you, I care for you, forever, etc…”

The Language of the Body If we have sex with someone we are saying one thing with our bodies, but we must be sure we are telling the truth

The Language of Premarital Sex Bodies say: I love you, I will never leave you, you are safe… Premarital sex says: I love you and I care about you, but I am not fully committed to you

The Language of Contraception Bodies say: all that I am is yours, I hold nothing back, I give to you all that I am Contraception says: I cannot give you all that I am, I am not fully committed to you, not open to sharing my fertility with you, not open to receiving your fertility

The Language of Pornography Our bodies say: I love you, I love your soul, body, and all that you are Pornography says: I am willing to use your body, I do not care about your heart, soul, or mind

Tell the Truth We should strive to tell the truth with our bodies In order for us to tell the truth in our sexual activity, we must be married When we are not married we should tell the truth with our bodies as well

Marriage: Love as God Loves We are meant to love as God loves Fully Freely Faithfully Fruitfully

Full, Free, Faithful, Fruitful Full – the couple holds nothing back from each other Free – it is a free gift, no one should be pressured by the other person or by lust Faithful – the two should be committed to one another Fruitful – sex should not exclude the procreative aspect

Wedding Vows… (Name) and (Name), have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?   Will you love and honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives? Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church? I, (Name), take you, (Name), to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.

We can apply the 4 F’s to questions of sexual morality Premarital sex Contraception Same Sex Marriage Divorce Masturbation Lust Etc…

Homosexuality and Natural Law Nobody ever chooses their sexual orientation Being homosexual or having homosexual feelings is not a sin because it is not a choice It is not known if there is a genetic cause of homosexuality Some personal factors such as child abuse or parenting issues may contribute to homosexual orientation

Homosexuality and Natural Law Natural Law – Set of moral norms we discover when we look at how we are created physically, psychologically, and spiritually Just because we can do something does not mean we should

Church Teaching on Homosexuality Homosexuals should live a life of chastity as all Christians are called to do The Church does not decide to prohibit marriage to homosexuals The Church must follow scripture and natural law and cannot change those things The Church cannot redefine marriage

To Summarize… The Church does NOT teach that sex is a bad thing Sex is powerful, and created by God for a purpose Through sex and marriage, we can make God’s love visible on earth Sex is a great gift, but we need to treat it with reverence!