JPII's "Theology of the Body." What's the big deal?

[Lepanto]

Many on this board rave about it, but they never really say what’s so ground-breaking about it. On another thread, some have suggested that JPII be named a “Doctor of the Church” because of TOB. Really?

Admittedly, I have only a passing familiarity with TOB. I’ve only read certain, limited parts of it and–yawn–not meaning any disrespect, but JPII is just reiterating Catholic sexual morality. I suppose that’s why I’m not terribly compelled to read it all. Good stuff, certainly, but hardly ground-breaking.

So what’s the big deal with TOB?

 

[Penitus]

For me, it’s a new lens by which I view the entire Catholic faith.

It’s as you say, nothing new, just a new way of looking at things.

 

[down_under]

it is not that it is a new thing. It is the utter depth and context that he puts to it. he has a way of explaining it that gets to the very heart of the issue. I mean lets face it sexuality and the problems we are having with it IS the issue of the day. there is no area that the world at large has more backward. and here is a Pope who explains it in a way deeper and more full of meaning, not to scholars, but to us everyday folk in a way that we can understand it. but not only understand it but to go deeply into it. He nailed the issue of the day for the common man in TOB.

 

[agangbern]

What he wrote became a big deal to me simply because he was the one who wrote it. It is because of how I perceive him to be he is that burns like fire within me to give a big deal to what he said or wrote.

 

[Em_in_FL]

I think it’s revolutionary because of how the world views sex.
When the secular world looks at sex it’s dirty, lustful, behind closed doors, and self-pleasing…
Also, the eyes of the world view the church’s teachings on sex as a staunch, rigid, unloving “act”.

TOB explains what the church teaches in a new light… it opens the eyes of the faithful to the BEAUTIFUL GIFT of sexuality within marriage… the privilege and rights that we are given in marital sexuality are NOT what the secular world would imagine!

It’s hard to explain if you’re not married (I noticed OP’s profile says single)… but the GIFT and PRIVILEGE of marital sexuality is difficult to explain in today’s secular world. TOB helps shed some light on the church’s beautiful teachings!

 

[setter]

Admittedly, I have only a passing familiarity with TOB…I’m not terribly compelled to read it all. Good stuff, certainly, but hardly ground-breaking.

So what’s the big deal with TOB?

It develops and anwers the “why” of Catholic teaching in a way that considers the whole person made in God’s likeness and image …this is a revolutionary view of man as a created sexual being in our depraved world culture as never as comprehensively presented before.

 

[Chancellare]

Many on this board rave about it, but they never really say what’s so ground-breaking about it. On another thread, some have suggested that JPII be named a “Doctor of the Church” because of TOB. Really?

Admittedly, I have only a passing familiarity with TOB. I’ve only read certain, limited parts of it and–yawn–not meaning any disrespect, but JPII is just reiterating Catholic sexual morality. I suppose that’s why I’m not terribly compelled to read it all. Good stuff, certainly, but hardly ground-breaking.

So what’s the big deal with TOB?

As it was before, many great ideas at their inception were greeted with either hostility, ridicule or disregard. Your reaction is good copy.

 

[newbetx]

Well, not all liked what he developed and I hear that JP II’s version is a tad dry. I read Christopher West’s and it is much more interesting. I’ve not cared for some of the audio stuff from him or some of the others. I think is a matter of preference.

For me TOB was a focus changing event. So many of the pieces of sexuality that I did believe in became more intwined with other spiritual events. My focus changed from “getting it” to it’s true meaning of “giving it.” That is the fundamental discrepancy with the prevailing culture today and TOB.

Sex is a powerful thing. Sex is a good thing. Used inappropriately, its no longer good, but still powerful. TOB explains the difference and the whys behind the good and evil of our sexuality.

You must realize before TOB there were basically two extreme camps. One that believed sex was evil and only should be used to make babies and those that thought sex was good as entertainment. Now there were many “inbetweeners” that thought it was something in between the two extremes, but they had misunderstandings of right and wrongness of certain actions. I fell in that category. If what my wife and I thought was OK to do felt OK to us, why all the hubbub about why the church thought it was wrong? Well TOB explains why the church believes the rules to be what they are. If you accept it all, then it’s a marvelous state of mind and matromony that you embrace. If you reject it, it does not mean that you can’t be happy. You can, but you’ll be missing something and be ignorant of it.

A simple example. Say that eating ice cream is a fantastic experience… So many people in the world NEVER have ice cream. Can their life be happy without ice cream. Sure. But imagine if everyone could enjoy ice cream, with the one they love, are committed to, and in special circumstances. Wouldn’t thier lives be better?
TOB is more than a set of rule or an explaination of their importance. To me, TOB is a state of mind and spirit, too.

 

[m134e5]

Many on this board rave about it, but they never really say what’s so ground-breaking about it. On another thread, some have suggested that JPII be named a “Doctor of the Church” because of TOB. Really?

Admittedly, I have only a passing familiarity with TOB. I’ve only read certain, limited parts of it and–yawn–not meaning any disrespect, but JPII is just reiterating Catholic sexual morality. I suppose that’s why I’m not terribly compelled to read it all. Good stuff, certainly, but hardly ground-breaking.

So what’s the big deal with TOB?

I’m not sure what the big deal over Theology of the Body is. Honestly, I’m not sure what the big deal over Pope John Paul II was. All he had to do was wave to a crowd, and everyone went wild. I never really got that.

 

[SaintJoanOfArc]

I think if I had only read certain parts of it, I might have yawned and found it boring as well; however, when all of it comes together, it’s so incredibly beautiful that “boring” is the last word I would use to describe it.

In high school my mom would pull a sentence or two to try to explain things to me, but I usually rolled my eyes. Not to say that I didn’t listen… rather, I merely behaved like a Catholic because I was *supposed * to, not because I wanted to. When I came to college, a girl I worked with happened to mention TotB in passing, so I thought, “What the heck, I’ll give it a try.” I picked up a copy of Theology for the Body for Beginners by Christopher West and could not put it down. Relating sex to the Eucharist?? I mean really. I never could have conceived of such a notion… and now it actually makes sense!

Before I had read it, most of my friends (even Catholics) would laugh when I said I would never use birth control… one of them told me, “My mother is a devout Catholic and even she used the pill.” And I never really knew how to respond… which of course always made me look foolish to them, especially in this sex-crazed college environment. After I read the book, I offered it to one of my friends (a non-Catholic). A week later she came to me and said “I never would have believed it… but IT MAKES SENSE! Catholics don’t just make this stuff up…”

My girl’s rosary group spent last semester reading and discussing TotB. Some of them had never even been aware of the Church’s teachings… and I think that’s where Pope John Paul II (with the help of Christopher West) has done something ground-breaking. Our culture has become so oblivious to the true meaning of love, but this work is really penetrating college campuses. It presents old information in a way that truly makes sense, especially in the minds of high-schoolers and college-students who might not want to listen to their parents.

Earlier this evening I was talking with someone who wants to integrate TotB into a school in Africa. He was talking about how they don’t like condoms, can’t afford the pill, but certainly aren’t going to practice NFP just for the heck of it. People have to understand the theology behind our beliefs before they’ll actually want to take part in what is currently seen as an inconvenience to their sexual desires. Somehow I can see how that applies more toward Americans than Africans. Go figure.

Anyway, I could talk all day about this, but alas, school…

 

[mkat83]

but this work is really penetrating college campuses. It presents old information in a way that truly makes sense, especially in the minds of high-schoolers and college-students who might not want to listen to their parents.

I discovered ToB by accident. My husband and I had been married a few months and we went to a seminar at our parish on God’s Plan for a Joy filled Marriage. The presenters used Christopher West’s program for engaged couples, but applied it to any couple, married or engaged. It completely opened my eyes to what the church really teaches. I am 24 years old, went to Catholic school through 8th grade, and was involved in campus ministry during college. Somehow, I never had a clue about the church’s true teachings about sex and marriage.

After attending the seminar at our parish, it really changed my whole outlook on sex and marriage. I only wish I had been taught these things at a much younger age because I think it would greatly influenced me to make a lot of decisions differently when I was younger.

I really think ToB could be an extremely effective teaching tool for high school and college students. One of my first thoughts was “they need to be teaching this to high schoolers, or even younger, before they become sexually active.” And college students, too. If you just tell kids, “don’t do it because it is wrong,” that just isn’t very effective. But, if you can explain why they should not have premarital sex, then it is a much easier sell. ToB definitely does a great job of explaining why.

 

[Chancellare]

I’m not sure what the big deal over Theology of the Body is. Honestly, I’m not sure what the big deal over Pope John Paul II was. All he had to do was wave to a crowd, and everyone went wild. I never really got that.

If a holy person can make a crowd go wild by just waving and you don’t get it, don’t you think you should brush up on reading something about that person?
I used to wonder why people idolize rock stars and I didn’t get it until I learned about counter-culture and alienated youths. When JPII showed that a holy man can attract a 7 million crowd in one place, that’s when I started to study more about Catholicism and all its richness.
Nowadays many people fail to enrich their understanding about holiness and wonder what JPII has done to make this world just a bit better.

 

[rush176]

I am 48 years old and have been married for 26 years. I recently read Christopher West’s book on TOB and it was life changing. I have 2 teenage daughters and am wondering how to get them to read this. One of the biggest themes that stuck me was the respect we should give our bodies in recognition of the beautiful gift they are. Not just if we are healthy but how being a man or woman fits into Gods awesome design. For the first time I understand why it is a sin to look at a women in a lustful way. It also became clear that given the pathetically low practice of NFP within the church we need to teach the concepts of TOB to our children. If people understood TOB and respected themselves more NFP or at least no artificial birthcontrol would be a non issue. It would also eliminate premarital sex, demand for pornography, and so many other problems that low self esteem and buying into the worlds view of sex cause.

 

[sharkman]

The Papacy of John Paul the Great is further proof to me that the Good Lord gives to His Church what it needs when it needs it, and furthermore, I am one of those one’s, that you mention, who believe that he will be declared a Doctor of the Church when he is canonized. And not just for the ‘TofB’. It certainly is his crowning achievement, but the man produced a plethora of encyclicals, and documents that will have theologians burning the midnight oil for years to come.
Regarding the Theology of the Body, the genius of the Pope’s teaching is many layered, first, he is addressing a major moral problem that is corrupting the very fabric of society. Lust and illicit sex have always been a favorite tool of satan throughout the history of man, but we live in a time when people are trying to legitimize these notions, not just through societal acceptance, but through official legislation and adopting immoralty into the law of the land(hate crimes against homosexuality, homosexual marriage, co-habitation, there’s even a group that is trying to legalize pedophelia(NAMBLA)). Some would say that the Church is a bit late coming to the table, but not really. The sexual revolution began many decades ago, but it didn’t really get going until the 1960’s. John Paul the Great came into the Papacy in 1978, and the Theology of the Body was the first teaching project he commenced. The problem is not the Pope or his teaching, it is people(as always). Because of original sin our intellects are darkened, and our wills are weakened, so the sexual revolution is going like wild fire, but if you look at the history of the Church you’ll see that when the Church declares a Truth it’s not unusual for that teaching to take one or two generations to really take, to get from the heart of the Church into the heart of the people. So as they say,‘There’s alway hope’.
Second, JP the Great is speaking to today’s world not only in a language that is more palatable to the modern ear, but even more so to the modern mind. John Paul the Great is using a philisophical discipline known as phenomenology to help explain ancient truths in a way that the 21st century mind can grasp and understand. As others have said, he is giving us the WHY behind the what, and he’s giving it to us in a way that we can adopt it into our lives and live it. The Theology of the Body is a gift to the Church from our Loving Heavenly Father given to us through His Vicar. I believe it will bring a new awakening to the Catholic Church, and hopefully to Christianity in general, and the world beyond. I whole-heartedly recommend that you take it up and study it. It has the capacity to change your whole outlook, not only on human sexuality, but also human relationships, and the relationship between God and man.
As I said, it’s a gift from God; don’t you think you should open it?
God Bless.

 

[LittleDeb]

Yeah, what they said!!

For me, TOB was the thing that drew me back to living life fully Catholic. I struggled with all sorts of beliefs: premarital sex, all-male priesthood, God as ‘He’, homosexual “marriage,” celibacy and chastity, marital sexuality, infertility treatments-IVF, and of course, contraception.

TOB gave me such a deep understanding of God through our bodies. I agree that what is contained in TOB is not new Catholic teaching. But our late Holy Father was able to teach it in such a way that every question I had was answered.

It has been one topic I have been able to bring up among non-Catholics of all flavors where many show an honest interest. They admit they have never heard anything like it. I can’t tell you how many ‘Bible Christians’ were shocked that they had never noticed that Scripture begins and ends in a marriage.

Love it, love it! I started studying it before I had ever heard of Christopher West. My first introduction was in a class at our Newman center in college in 1993. I was a nominal Catholic who had barely ever set foot in the Newman center until then. Fr. Simeon lit me up with this teaching. (God rest his humble soul!)

Thank you Pope John Paul the Great!

 

[Shiphrae]

Many on this board rave about it, but they never really say what’s so ground-breaking about it. On another thread, some have suggested that JPII be named a “Doctor of the Church” because of TOB. Really?

Admittedly, I have only a passing familiarity with TOB. I’ve only read certain, limited parts of it and–yawn–not meaning any disrespect, but JPII is just reiterating Catholic sexual morality. I suppose that’s why I’m not terribly compelled to read it all. Good stuff, certainly, but hardly ground-breaking.

So what’s the big deal with TOB?

It’s a very big deal! I just finished reading Christopher West’s book for beginners. I found it incredibly good. It really opens one’s eyes to understanding sex in a different and new way. I will definitely get the follow-up book and probably the original book written by John Paul 2. It should be required reading for all Catholics before marriage and given to people who are seeking counseling later.

One has to read the book with an open mind and a positive attitude to get the most from it.

 

[mark_a]

I mean lets face it sexuality and the problems we are having with it IS the issue of the day. there is no area that the world at large has more backward.

You sure nailed it.

I am in the process of bringing not TOB, but the “issue of the day” to my kids. This moral disconnect between Protestants and Catholics is a time bomb for mixed marriages.

I have no intention of introducing my kids to TOB sooner than absolutely necessary.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

I’m not sure what the big deal over Theology of the Body is. Honestly, I’m not sure what the big deal over Pope John Paul II was. All he had to do was wave to a crowd, and everyone went wild. I never really got that.

He didn’t meet you but I bet he “got” you. That is what that crowd was reacting to, in part. He loves us, and people in the crowds said love radiated from him. It was like he was a conduit for God’s love and as Vicar of Christ he gave us something we so desperately need.

JPII knew we needed TOB, too. It’s a manual for a wounded world about how to love and receive love the way the Creator intended.

 

[Shiphrae]

posted by** mark a**

I have no intention of introducing my kids to TOB sooner than absolutely necessary

Well I’m sure it depends on the age of the kids. But most teens would probably benefit from reading Christopher West’s book for beginners. Developing a good attitude about sex and about one’s body is of utmost importance.

Peace of Christ,
Shiphrae

 

[SaintJoanOfArc]

You sure nailed it.
I have no intention of introducing my kids to TOB sooner than absolutely necessary.

Shoot, in today’s world it seems absolutely necessary to introduce it to kids as soon as possible. Even from a very early age they’re bombarded with sex from every angle of their lives. I remember the kids when I was in FIRST GRADE talked about it (specifically, anytime anyone said the phrase “do it”, they shot a sexual joke.)

I think it’s imperative that TotB gets to kids before the world does. Granted, I’m not saying throw the six year olds the book, but nowadays kids are introduced to sex well before their teens… I just hope they realize the beauty of it well before their idea of it is completely distorted.