Theology of the Body

  • Thread starter Thread starter childofmary1143
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

childofmary1143

Guest
Dear Friends,

I am beginning to learn about Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. Before I get into it I see that a number of laymen (Christopher West) give talks about it. Is he the only one who speaks of it and does he have the support of the Church to teach about it authentically?
 
I’m sure Mr. West is not the only man alive who interprets the Theology of the Body, and he does not have any support from the Church beyond that any Catholic expert on a subject has. There are orthodox Catholics who dislike some of his writing, who think that he puts too much emphasis on the good of the physical and boarders on an idolatry of the body, so don’t take every word as fact.

I don’t agree with such people, though. JPII gave the thumbs up to West’s interpretation, and it does not at all seem to over-glorify sex or physical reality at the expense of the spiritual. I would recommend his books.

God bless.
 
doesn’t cardinal arinze dedicate an episode or two of his podcast to the theology of the body
 
I found a link to a series done my a man named Fr. Richard Hogan on EWTN. I haven’t listened to it yet, so I can’t tell you how good it is…seeing as it was on EWTN though, I suppose it can’t be that bad. Here is a link if you wish to download the episodes (they are in MP3 format).

ftp://217.160.246.215/pub/audionet/EWTN_programs/Fr._Richard_Hogan/Theology_of_the_Body/
 
Another author to read is Mary Shivanandan. Her book Crossing the Threshold of Love deals pretty well with TOB although I do like Christopher West’s style better
 
Transformer said:
There are orthodox Catholics who dislike some of his writing, who think that he puts too much emphasis on the good of the physical and boarders on an idolatry of the body
Click to expand...
Transformer,

I admit that I am not extremely familiar with TOB, but my initial reaction is that it does indeed overemphasize the body and particularly sex. While I hold this view, and one or two other people I know also agrees, I’ve not heard very much opposition to TOB on these grounds. Out of curiosity, what groups or people have you heard saying these things about TOB? Are there any articles on the matter? I think this is certainly worth looking into.

Thanks and God bless.
 
Transformer said:
I don’t agree with such people, though. JPII gave the thumbs up to West’s interpretation, and it does not at all seem to over-glorify sex or physical reality at the expense of the spiritual. I would recommend his books.

God bless.
Click to expand...
With all due respect, John Paul II (of immortal memory) having given his “thumbs up” to anything does not by any stretch of the imagination guarantee its doctrinal orthodoxy or compatibility with Catholic moral or theological teaching. On the contrary, given his penchant for anything novel or “revolutionary”, it should raise further suspicion as to the acceptability of this work.
 
Anima_Christi said:
With all due respect, John Paul II (of immortal memory) having given his “thumbs up” to anything does not by any stretch of the imagination guarantee its doctrinal orthodoxy or compatibility with Catholic moral or theological teaching. On the contrary, given his penchant for anything novel or “revolutionary”, it should raise further suspicion as to the acceptability of this work.
Click to expand...
Just curious as to what JP II produced that is contrary to Catholic teaching. He always seemed pretty down the line to me. Do you see the same trend with Benedict XVI, too?
 
Christopher West teaches in a Catholic Seminary and lectures and writes about JPII’s teachings that have become known as Theology of the Body. He is probably the best-known of many who teach on this subject.
I have participated in West-based seminars on TOB, and have not found that either he nor the subject matter dwell on sex for the sake of sex.
 
John Paul II’s teachings - now called “Theology of the Body”, were a timely response to “the world’s” distortion of the use of sex. It is a beautiful and deep theological explanation that does not focus merely on “sex” - but goes so much deeper than that - from the nuptial meaning of the body to how and why God made us (so wonderfully!) “male and female.”
You understand the connection in marriage of the union of the Trinity and how the union of husband and wife mirror that (with “offspring” flowing from the love of their union - as the Holy Spirit “proceeds” from the Father and the Son…)

It is critical that the Church (Christ’s voice in the world) respond and put into proper and holy perspective the role of sexuality (within marriage only of course) to counter the degradation of the human person and body the world has come to embrace.

Theology of the Body is, as one put it, “a time bomb set to go off” in the next century. A wonderful and amazing time bomb. 👍
There are some who would criticize ANYTHING that speaks openly about sex. Maybe a vestige of the age old “sex is dirty” mindset. Perhaps these are the very people that need to read and understand God’s holy perspective on marriage and sex. 😃

Theology of the Body is nothing new. It is merely a deeper study on what has always been.
 
Hello dear peoples, I have read, TOB, the written work of the Holy Father JPII and Christopher West’s interpretation of it, and dear friends it is utterly, completely and totally beautiful. I have also bought the audio tapes, CD and listen to them as I drive. and each time I listen I “hear” something that I have missed before.
Sexuality understood in this way, so transcends what is generally understood that there is not even a chance of them meeting.
I am a little envious (holy envy mind you!😃 ) of the young people of today. They have this work to be able to study and understand and live. For us dear oldies (moi 😉 ) it is good to know but…
I think the Holy Spirit always knows what is most needed. In 1968 amidst the turmoil of the sexual revolution, Humane Vitae emerged and we know it was a God given instrument to fight the prevailing thought and winds. Nearly forty years later (our day) and after the failure of the human person to accept/understand practice Humane Vitae, and the fruits which came as a result of that, We have been give TOB. A teaching (JPII) so sublime that it will take a century to deeply study and understand it. TOB emerged when sexuality has been so debased that it is no longer sacred but an animalistic instinctual practise. The animals do it. We humans do it. nothing to it. TOB says WRONG!!! There is a majesty in sexuality and the body and it is possible to see God, through this medium. It teaches about such a kind of holiness that it cannot be dismissed as anything but prophetic.
God Bless
GraceAngel.
 
With all due respect, John Paul II (of immortal memory) having given his “thumbs up” to anything does not by any stretch of the imagination guarantee its doctrinal orthodoxy or compatibility with Catholic moral or theological teaching. On the contrary, given his penchant for anything novel or “revolutionary”, it should raise further suspicion as to the acceptability of this work.
Click to expand...
It’s true, but I was working from the premise that the Theology of the Body is accurate. Of all the people I have met who think West goes too far, I havn’t met one who thinks the ToB itself is invalid. In fact, I havn’t yet met any orthodox Catholic who thinks that. My point was that if the ToB is valid (it seems to be) and its writer gives a thumbs up to an interpretation of it, then the interpretation is probably correct. It could still go too far, though.

God bless.
 
And with all due respect to you Transformer, your thoughts on the Holy Father JPII are misguided and really sad.
Try reading the 130 Wednesdays talks on TOB. Read them individually, and slowly and when you have done that, even without reading Christopher West’s materials, then decide if the works of the Holy Father are “novel” or lightweight. Which is what you implied. When you finish TOB (carefully and with deep meditation) try reading The Nuptial Mystery by Angelo Cardinal Scola, Former Patriarch of Venice. Just try reading this book. Both speak of a deep mystery of sexuality.
Sorry I dont like what you implied about His Holiness JPII.
Grace Angel.:mad:
 
And with all due respect to you Transformer, your thoughts on the Holy Father JPII are misguided and really sad.
Try reading the 130 Wednesdays talks on TOB. Read them individually, and slowly and when you have done that, even without reading Christopher West’s materials, then decide if the works of the Holy Father are “novel” or lightweight. Which is what you implied. When you finish TOB (carefully and with deep meditation) try reading The Nuptial Mystery by Angelo Cardinal Scola, Former Patriarch of Venice. Just try reading this book. Both speak of a deep mystery of sexuality.
Sorry I dont like what you implied about His Holiness JPII.
Grace Angel.
Click to expand...
I guess I misspoke; I certainly didn’t mean to imply John Paul the Great’s works are novel or lightweight. In fact, they are at least deep enough that when I even try to read in-depth material about the ToB, I both have trouble understanding it because of my limited theological knowledge, and I still see how profoundly it unifies the Christian (Catholic, Godly) image of sex and the body with my own subjective experience with sexuality.

I was under the impression that Anima Christi was the one who suspected JPII writings of being novel, and that I was opposing his idea of JPII in my post. Specifically, when I said, “It might still go too far, though,” I meant that about West’s interpretation, not about JPII’s theology itself. In fact, I’m confused right now about what I implied in my post. I know I didn’t speak specifically about what I thought of JPII himself in my last post, but I certainly didn’t mean to imply I thought he was novel, un-theological, or simply misguided. I don’t think any of those things; I suspect that his writings are incredibly profound and his theology very developed, though I don’t for certain simply because I havn’t read very much directly from him. One more time now, I’m not sure what exactly I implied in my post that you strongly disagreed with, what was it again?

God bless.
 
Transformer my deepest and humblest apology, my response was meant for Anima Christi. I didnt like his/her comments.
Sorry, sorry, sorry,:o :o :o :eek:
 
a priest of this diocese gave an excellent one hour exposition of the JP2’s teaching on TOB last night, it was excellent. He also produces regular newsletters distributed throughout the diocese on various Church teachings, and the last two have been on the same topic, applying it to specific issues, homosexual “marriage”, stem cell research etc. Neither he, nor West nor any other writer has a copyright on interpreting the writings of this pope or any other, on V2 dox or any other theological topic. This priest teaches like all priests through the authority of the bishops and the whole Church by virtue of his ordination to that office.

West and other laymen who teach and write on theological and doctrinal matters do so either under the authority of their bishop, as in Catholic colleges or other institutions, or by submitting works intended as textbooks to the bishop for approval, or through an approved Catholic apostolate, or simply on his own when he is producing materials intended for a general audience, giving his own reflections etc. These should be evaluated with the same standards we would use for any expository writer. The writers, and the readers, must take into account their own preconceptions and subjective experience and not mistake these for fact or objective truth.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top