THEOLOGY OF THE BODY
by Fr. Stephen Bierschenk

Please join us on October 8th, 2009 at 7 pm in room 109 of the Family Center as Stephen Ministry presents THEOLOGY OF THE BODY by Fr. Stephen Bierschenk Refreshments will be served. All are welcome!

What is THEOLOGY OF THE BODY? The 'Theology of the Body' is Pope John Paul II's integrated vision of the human person - body, soul, and spirit. As he explains, the physical human body has a specific meaning and is capable of revealing answers regarding fundamental questions about us and our lives:

• Is there a real purpose to life and if so, what is it?
• Why were we created male and female? Does it really matter if we are one sex or another?
• Why were man and woman called to communion from the beginning? What does the marital union of a man and woman say to us about God and his plan for our lives?
• What is the purpose of the married and celibate vocations?
• What exactly is "Love"?
• Is it truly possible to be pure of heart?

All of these questions and many more are answered in Pope John Paul II's 129 Wednesday audiences, which were given between the years 1979 and 1984. His reflections are based on Scripture (especially the Gospels, St. Paul and the Book of Genesis), and contain a vision of the human person truly worthy of man. John Paul II discusses who man was in the beginning, who he is now (after original sin), and who he will be in the age to come. He then applies this message to the vocations of marriage and celibacy, in preparation for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Pope John Paul II's revolutionary and life-transforming message of hope counteracts societal trends which urge us to view the body as an object of pleasure or as a machine for manipulation. John Paul II portrays a beautiful vision of sexuality in his Theology of the Body and other earlier works including Love and Responsibility. He encourages a true reverence for the gift of our sexuality and challenges us to live it in a way worthy of our great dignity as human persons. His theology is not only for young adults or married couples, but for all ages and vocations since it sums up the true meaning of the human person.