Class will be meeting next Sunday, January 24.
Unless too many students are away for the West Coast Walk for Life .... If this is you, please let me know!
Last time, we completed the sixth chapter of Theology of the Body for Teens: "The Language of the Body." Key points:
- Our “body language” conveys meaning. Half or more of our communication is actually non-verbal, conveyed by tone, gestures, facial expressions, etc.
- In particular, this is true of sexual intercourse. Sex speaks the language of total self-donation, meaning, "I am entirely yours. I make a complete gift of myself to you."
- The language of the body can tell the truth, or can tell lies.
- How to tell if you're speaking the truth with your body? Ask: Does the meaning of the act match the objective truth? For example, Judas's kiss is an example of a lie told with the body.
- In marriage, the marital act "matches" the objective truth that the spouses have made a total gift of themselves to each other. Thus it "speaks" the truth.
- The same act "speaks" a lie outside of marriage, since it does not match the truth of their situation (i.e. they have NOT made a total gift of themselves to each other).
- Contraception also makes the message into a lie, since then the couple says to one another: "I give myself to you except for my fertility." This contradicts the language of total self-donation.
- Three are involved in creation when a new life is conceived from the marital act: the husband, the wife, and God.
Quotes to ponder:
"... the deepest words of the spirit -- words of love, gift, and faithfulness -- call for an appropriate 'language of the body.' And without this language, they cannot be fully expressed." -- TOB 104:7
"Don't you know when you sleep with someone ... your body makes a promise whether you do or not?" – Vanilla Sky (2001)
At home assignment:
Chapter 6, "Digging Deeper: The Pornographic Lie” on pp. 88-89.
If you missed missed class or want to review:
Please read workbook Chapter 6, pages 81 - 85 (stop at the end of the question box). Also, see assignment above.
Future class dates:
January 2016
24 Class -- IMPORTANT: Please let me know ASAP if you will be away at Walk for Life.
31 Class
February 2016
07 Class