Marriage Prep: Introduction to Theology of the Body, Slide 1 & 2

* Here are the first two scripts and slides from my most recent marriage prep presentation. Enjoy!*

Intro Slide

 

I was invited here today to very briefly touch on a topic called Theology of the Body in preparation for the next talk on natural family planning.

For the past year I have been studying with people from all around the world with the Theology of the Body Institute in down in PA. We have been studying the church’s teaching on sexuality, but more specifically our last Pope, John Paul II’s, insights into what the body means. And this is what Theology of the Body really is, the study of how our bodies relate to God.

Pope John Paul II wanted to answer two questions in this teaching: What does it mean to be Human? and How do I live my life in a way that will bring true happiness? While answering these two questions he explains how our bodies are connected to our selves, our personhood and how our bodies are connected to God. He highlights for the world what the church has always taught, that our bodies are a vital part of our understanding of God and especially of Christianity.

So I am here to talk a bit about the BODY. Hopefully, this presentation will be a little teaser to the greatness that awaits you in marriage: a sacrament very much about the body.

Slide Two: Body Image

 

The world seems to have a lot to say about the body! It presents many images of the body.

Elle model: On the one hand The body as ALL we are. To be happy we must have the perfect body and experience as must bodily pleasure as possible

Twinkie: The body is just the shell. It doesn’t really matter. If we are to live GOOD lives, we must reject the body because it clouds who we are, prevents us from seeing the Soul, of the person.

We can be left thinking, “How is my body connected to my person? What does my body have to do with my happiness?”

And even more abstractly: How is the body connected to God at all? Even to heaven? We tend to think of God as spiritual and so to get closer to God we have to reject our bodies. We even sometimes think that this is the reason for the commandments of the church, to keep our sinful bodies in order.

*Stay Tuned for Slides 3- 12*