The Explosion of Love

I'm sure all of you know, there's a 8-week(i think so) program at SFX that runs the Christopher West videos that talk about the Theology of the Body. It's an incredible program to attend but I understand time constraints and exams so Stacie has kindly provided the notes for the first session so do thank her when you see her!

Session 1 : An Education in being human
The Foundation of LIFE and Culture
"Theology of the body" [TOB] is the working title John Paul 2 gave to 129 talks he delivered during his lifetime. It concerns the call of the male and the female to become "one flesh". If it is true, as some say, that the TOB is all about sex, then, what is sex? To ask questions about the meaning of sex (the meaning of our creation as male and female) is to ask questions about the very meaning of human existence. The TOB takes us on an exhilarating Trinitarian journey that leads us ever-upward from the body to

1. the union of man and woman to
2. the union of Christ and the Church and from there into
3. the eternal union of Father, Son and Holy Spirit or what chris west calls (the eXpLoSioN of love)

John Paul 2 uses the spousal union as a "lens through which to view the whole of existence, the whole of reality and of God's plan for humanity (you and I).

1a. What we learn essential...for the understanding of man in general: for the... self understanding of his being in the world (aka existence) [TOB 102:5]
1b. Therefore, this Theology of the Body is the basis of the most appropriate method of man's... self education. (to educate ourselves about the meaning of existence) [TOB 59:3]


What makes the Human Body "Theological"?
In Christian catechesis, people are used to an emphasis on the spiritual realm. Yet many people are unfamiliar with the emphasis on the body. TOB is a clarion call for Christians not to be more "spiritual" but to be more incarnational; to put flesh on the spiritual life. We are NOT spirits trapped in a body. We are body-persons; incarnate spirits.

Our bodies are a kind of sacrament. It has made what is invisible, visible. We cannot see God. As pure spirit, God is totally beyond our vision. Yet Christians believe that the invisible God has made himself visible. How?
God's mystery revealed in human flesh. For in Christ, "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Colossians 2:9)

Take home thought.
The body, in fact, and only the body, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine. God created the human body to be a sign of the mystery hidden within the Trinity from all eternity.

*there's actually a lot more notes but I have not included them here if not it'll be wayyyy too long so if you're really interested, please email stmlifeline@gmail.com for the entire notes for Session 1 or just poke Stacie for it. =D