Class will be NOT meeting for the rest of 2018.
We'll be back January 6, weather permitting.
Last time, we discussed the fourth chapter of Theology of the Body for Teens: "Hope & Redemption in Christ." Previously, in chapter 3, we looked at the beauty of the original plan and how it sadly went wrong. Now we see how Christ redeems and restores. Key points:
Class date: 12/16/18
Quotes:
“That, for both the wise ancient pagans like Aristotle and the even wiser Christian moral tradition, was the real horror of vice or sin: it turned the potential glorious thing, a human being, into a deformed parody, a mockery, a pitiful creature enslaved in his own self-destructiveness, body and soul. To put it in St. Augustine's concise terms, sin is its own punishment.” - Dr. Benjamin Wiker, "Addiction or Sinful Habit?"
“In order to see Jesus, we first need to let him look at us.” – Pope St. John Paul II
“Confession is an act of honesty and courage. It's an act of entrusting ourselves beyond the sin to the mercy of a Loving and Forgiving God.” – Pope St. John Paul II
Article:
Class will NOT be meeting next Sunday, December 9.
We will meet the following Sunday, December 16.
Last time, we went over the third chapter of Theology of the Body for Teens: "Naked Without Shame." Key points:
Class date: Dec 2, 2018
Quotes:
“The spousal meaning of the body refers to the body’s power to express love: precisely that love in which the human person becomes a gift and—through this gift—fulfills the very meaning of his being and existence."
~ Pope St. John Paul the Great (TOB 15:1).
Article:
In class, I used a portion of the following article in analyzing and explaining the use of story as a teaching method in Genesis --
You were made for communion:
Next class will meet Sunday, December 2.
(No class this Sunday.)
Last time, we worked through the second chapter of Theology of the Body for Teens: "Love Defined." Students should understand and be able to explain these key points:
Class date: November 4, 2018.
Find the hidden image in this auto-stereogram.Brian Butler uses this analogy in the presentation. At first, the stereogram looks like just a bunch of random dots, just as life might look random, with no pattern. But if you look at it in the right way, then suddenly a pattern, picture, or message emerges, analogous to looking at life through the lens of the Theology of the Body can bring into view a true picture of life with depth and meaning.
Topics are approximate and subject to adjustment.
Blessed Theresa ("Mother" Theresa) of Calcutta said, "Purity is the fruit of prayer." So, pray before you get out of bed in the morning and before you close your eyes at night. Be intentional about your prayer. Don't just rush through prayer in the morning, but plan to wake a little earlier so that you have enough time to start your day with God. Do the same thing at night, talking and listening to Him. Do more than just offer a prayer as you fall asleep. Before you count sheep, have a talk with the Good Shepherd.
Virtue Challenge: Your relationship with God comes first in your life
Reject the counterfeits of lust and fleeting pleasure and build your relationships on the truth you have discovered. Remember these wise words of John Paul II: "Deep within yourself, listen to your conscience which calls you to be pure. ... A home is not warmed by the fire of pleasure which burns quickly like a pile of withered grass. Passing encounters are only a caricature of love; they injure hearts and mock God's plan." Don't allow yourself to be pressured into lowering your standards. Don't cheapen yourself by using others or permitting yourself to be used. Practice purity and reap the rewards of authentic love.
Hopefully, you have people in your life who live out their call to holiness in a bold way. Seek them out and spend time with them. In addition, spend time with the heroes in heaven, such as the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph - models of both marriage and celibacy, as well as humility and love. While you're at it, ask St. John Paul II to pray for you, too. It was his "yes" to God that allowed the Spirit to prompt and instruct him in the concepts that would become the Theology of the Body.
Virtue Challenge: Genuinely excited for another, not jealous or vain
