I was driving home from work tonight and a car turned out in front of me. It really wasn't a big deal, he was turning left and I was turning right and there was more than enough time for me to slow down and let him go (which is what I did). But that made me think: what if he hit me? What if I got killed in a car accident on the way home on Christmas Eve? What if anybody died in a crash or for any other reasons this close to Christmas.
That would suck for my family (hopefully I'd be singing with the angels).
My point is, we all know stuff about death. We've probably known somebody who has died or is at death's door. We all know it's painful. Perhaps we've read Heaven is for Real or other such books and know something of near-death experiences. Perhaps we've learned about judgement and as much about Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory as we possibly can. But in the end, we do not know a lot about death. What is it like to die? Very few people can answer this question. But we still don't know until we experience death.
Still, we know more than Adam did. He'd never read those books... this was just a little bit before 2000. He wasn't bombarded by news media: the news was that he woke up and walked around a bush. He'd never had anybody he had known die at this point, he was the first person. Adam had absolutely no exposure to death.
Yet, according to Bl. John Paul II, Adam had an idea based on what he had. He had a body and a spirit, he was blessed with the gift of existence. JP2 says that Adam knew that when God said "if you eat of this tree you shall die," Adam at least associated "death" with "leaving his body".
It's amazing. We owe are very existence to God. Adam existed because of God, and this command probably helped him understand that. We owe life to God, and we owe death (aka hopefully even better life) to God. God. God. God. We really are nothing without him.
We need God. That's the bottom line. Every aspect of ourselves needs God. Haven't you noticed when we decide that we don't need God, everything seems to go wrong? In my personal life, the days when I decide not to pray are the worst. My best days are definitely when I have received the Eucharist, the body and blood and soul and divinity of my God, Jesus Christ. My worst days are when I wake up and don't think about him. And in society, we can see how a lot of our crumbling comes from denial of God, or God's plan. My example: greed. The American economy is so bad because people are greedy. The rich and the poor. Enough Americans want what they cannot afford or exploit people for the sake of having more. Thanks to greed we get violent crime, white collar crime, and a crappy job market.
Guys, we need God. Whether or not we know it, we need God! And that is what Christmas is all about. We need God, and so God gave us himself. We definitely cannot beat that as far as Christmas gifts go, but we can at least give God ourselves in return.
Dear Jesus, Happy Birthday! Thank you for coming to the world for my sake. Help me to continue to acknowledge you throughout the week and to realize how needy I truly am! Also, please comfort those who have lost a loved one recently. Please be with them, and give them the graces they need to not only keep going, but to have a Merry Christmas nevertheless. Amen
Love
Dec 25, 2011
Dec 19, 2011
2 Roads Diverge...
Did anybody read the poem by... I think it was Walt Whitman? It's about a guy walking in forest and he decides to take the grassy path because it looked like nobody else had. It is pretty easy to see the analogy here between the path and life. We all made choices and different choices will lead us to very different places.
That's one of the topics that JP2 brings up: choice. We all have the choice to choose right and wrong. God gave Adam a tree that he was not supposed to eat from. And for the time, Adam chooses not to eat of it.
If any of you have read my little bio, you know that I'm a Criminal Justice major. Well I just finished a Criminology course, it's amazing some of the theories. Some of them imply that you're bound to commit crime because you have these forces inside (or outside) forcing you to make this particular choice. The funny thing is, we still have the option to choose otherwise. Unless somebody has put some sort of brain-bug in your head and uses a remote control to force your hands to kill someone... it's your choice. We all have the capability to choose between right and wrong. Inside, we all at least have a basic understanding of that is good and what is bad. Do we choose to go through with it?
That does not mean the choice is easy. It can be very hard to make the right choice. It can be very hard to stay at home instead of going to the party where you know there will be heavy drinking and sex. It can be hard to go to a party and tell people you're not drinking. It can be hard to speak up when you watch your friends act in ways that you think may very well come back to haunt them. But do we still have the choice? Yes.
Second point, a point that I think I've been senselessly beating into your heads since the beginning of this blog: humans are not animals. Yes, I've taken basic biology and I know we belong to Kingdom Anamalia. But we are more complex than ordinary animals. JP2 puts that into his talk again because, in a world mixed with mechanism and relativism, we need to know. Here's one new piece of evidence he gives, though:
If you read Genesis 2, it lists out tilling the ground and making the waters rise (thank you Ancient Egypt!). What does this mean? I was confused until I thought about monkeys. Scientists have observed how monkeys, chimps, and several other animals have learned to use tools to help them survive. But, as far as I know, none of them actually farm. None of them have actually worked to grow their own food. Only beavers manipulate the water to help with food. There's a difference, in my opinion, between tools and technology. Tools (my definition) are the small things we use to help ourselves. Technology is changing, so I can't really think of a definition. Anyway, while humans have moved from pyramids to skyscrapers, animals are still hitting oysters with rocks.
My point, and I think JP2's point too, is that humans are much more special than animals. We are capable of so much more thanks to our Heavenly Father.
Dear Lord, please bless us as we live out this week! Help us all to develop our consciences so that we may make the right choices always. And help us remember your Son for His birthday next week! Amen.
That's one of the topics that JP2 brings up: choice. We all have the choice to choose right and wrong. God gave Adam a tree that he was not supposed to eat from. And for the time, Adam chooses not to eat of it.
If any of you have read my little bio, you know that I'm a Criminal Justice major. Well I just finished a Criminology course, it's amazing some of the theories. Some of them imply that you're bound to commit crime because you have these forces inside (or outside) forcing you to make this particular choice. The funny thing is, we still have the option to choose otherwise. Unless somebody has put some sort of brain-bug in your head and uses a remote control to force your hands to kill someone... it's your choice. We all have the capability to choose between right and wrong. Inside, we all at least have a basic understanding of that is good and what is bad. Do we choose to go through with it?
That does not mean the choice is easy. It can be very hard to make the right choice. It can be very hard to stay at home instead of going to the party where you know there will be heavy drinking and sex. It can be hard to go to a party and tell people you're not drinking. It can be hard to speak up when you watch your friends act in ways that you think may very well come back to haunt them. But do we still have the choice? Yes.
Second point, a point that I think I've been senselessly beating into your heads since the beginning of this blog: humans are not animals. Yes, I've taken basic biology and I know we belong to Kingdom Anamalia. But we are more complex than ordinary animals. JP2 puts that into his talk again because, in a world mixed with mechanism and relativism, we need to know. Here's one new piece of evidence he gives, though:
If you read Genesis 2, it lists out tilling the ground and making the waters rise (thank you Ancient Egypt!). What does this mean? I was confused until I thought about monkeys. Scientists have observed how monkeys, chimps, and several other animals have learned to use tools to help them survive. But, as far as I know, none of them actually farm. None of them have actually worked to grow their own food. Only beavers manipulate the water to help with food. There's a difference, in my opinion, between tools and technology. Tools (my definition) are the small things we use to help ourselves. Technology is changing, so I can't really think of a definition. Anyway, while humans have moved from pyramids to skyscrapers, animals are still hitting oysters with rocks.
My point, and I think JP2's point too, is that humans are much more special than animals. We are capable of so much more thanks to our Heavenly Father.
Dear Lord, please bless us as we live out this week! Help us all to develop our consciences so that we may make the right choices always. And help us remember your Son for His birthday next week! Amen.
Dec 12, 2011
... And We're Going to Pretend It's Still Sunday
Alright, so it's finals week and at my school that means breakfast and bingo!!! So I just(ish) got back from that, so forgive me for technically posting on Monday and pray for all my finals and papers to go well!!!!!
And back to solitude...
Yeah, I'm talking about "Original Solitude", one of the points JP2 draws from the beginning of Genesis. Man was out in the world, caring for the plants and the animals and the other things, but scriptures say that he was alone. Why would he be alone when he's clearly not? First of all, Adam was with God. Second, he was with the animals (such as the DOG for crying out loud!) but still, he was alone. This highlights how man is different from every other creation.
I know I've gone into this a lot... thank you History of Psychology... but we need to remember this! We're human. We're special. We're the most amazing, most diverse creatures on the planet. We have a body, but we also have a soul. I learned in a New Testament class that one soul is worth more than all the earth. Why? Because that soul is eternal. When our bodies die, our soul will live on forever. There is literally no way we could learn everything about humanity because we're infinite!
Humans are hard-wired for companionship. It's funny, in my... yes... History of Psychology class again we talked about how humans have these... glands I think (called monods or something like that?) that help us have relationships with others. We need each other.
More than that, men and women need each other. Yes, the scripture seem to imply that man would be completely lost without woman (which is true! :D) but, women also need men. We're different, but we're complementary. It's sort of like cookie dough ice cream (my favorite btw). Men are the vanilla ice cream and women are the cookie dough. Both are good, but together they make something on a whole new level!
Anyway, JP2 does have more to say on this topic. But that's for another letter. If you want to get the book and read ahead... more power to you. But until then, pray that my finals go great!
Dear Lord, I would just like to thank you. Thank you for giving me people in my life. Continue to bless me with more people that will help me grow holier; help me grow closer to you. Thank you! Amen.
And back to solitude...
Yeah, I'm talking about "Original Solitude", one of the points JP2 draws from the beginning of Genesis. Man was out in the world, caring for the plants and the animals and the other things, but scriptures say that he was alone. Why would he be alone when he's clearly not? First of all, Adam was with God. Second, he was with the animals (such as the DOG for crying out loud!) but still, he was alone. This highlights how man is different from every other creation.
I know I've gone into this a lot... thank you History of Psychology... but we need to remember this! We're human. We're special. We're the most amazing, most diverse creatures on the planet. We have a body, but we also have a soul. I learned in a New Testament class that one soul is worth more than all the earth. Why? Because that soul is eternal. When our bodies die, our soul will live on forever. There is literally no way we could learn everything about humanity because we're infinite!
Humans are hard-wired for companionship. It's funny, in my... yes... History of Psychology class again we talked about how humans have these... glands I think (called monods or something like that?) that help us have relationships with others. We need each other.
More than that, men and women need each other. Yes, the scripture seem to imply that man would be completely lost without woman (which is true! :D) but, women also need men. We're different, but we're complementary. It's sort of like cookie dough ice cream (my favorite btw). Men are the vanilla ice cream and women are the cookie dough. Both are good, but together they make something on a whole new level!
Anyway, JP2 does have more to say on this topic. But that's for another letter. If you want to get the book and read ahead... more power to you. But until then, pray that my finals go great!
Dear Lord, I would just like to thank you. Thank you for giving me people in my life. Continue to bless me with more people that will help me grow holier; help me grow closer to you. Thank you! Amen.
Dec 7, 2011
Movie time!
Sorry guys, I'm in the midst of finals so that plus the natural procrastination of a college student means I do not currently have the brain capacity to understand John Paul II.
HOWEVER...
for you viewing pleasure I found this video on youtube that I think brings up several good points about our culture. We just have so many problems with young people and "hot or not" and subjective views of the body.
Without further ado...
Proverbs 31 woman v. Victoria's secret model
Have a great evening/day/whatever time you're reading this!
HOWEVER...
for you viewing pleasure I found this video on youtube that I think brings up several good points about our culture. We just have so many problems with young people and "hot or not" and subjective views of the body.
Without further ado...
Proverbs 31 woman v. Victoria's secret model
Have a great evening/day/whatever time you're reading this!
Dec 4, 2011
Still in the Beginning
Just wanted to say, first of all, that I'm not going to do daily reflections. I've come to realize that sometimes this is too much for me to take in even every day like this. I'm definitely going to post Sunday, and on other days it depends.
Here's the main thing that stuck out to me in JP2's 5th audience, or his 5th Theology of the Body speech (because that's how he gave them). We sinned. Adam and Eve ate that darn apple... we know the story. But right after that God promises salvation. Right away, we have hope
This weekend, I went on a prayer retreat. During Mass, I was looking around in the chapel (because I had WAY too much coffee that day) and I saw the paining. It was the Annunciation, or when the angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her that she was going to have a Son. But in the background of that painting, on the wall of Mary's house, was a picture of the eviction of the garden. I immediately thought about the contrast between Eve's "no" and Mary's "yes", but now I think about the promise. God promised Adam and Eve that, despite their betrayal and their chosen fallen nature, he would save them. Then, several thousand or so years later, Mary said yes and conceived the savior of the world.
I guess my main idea right now is hope. I'd say that today we live in a more skeptic world than a hopeful one. A college kid goes and gets a degree, and then what next? We don't think about our dream job and hope for the best, we're praying (hopefully) that we'll be able to find a job in today's economy. But I guess in a world influenced greatly by the militant atheists, that should be expected. Without God, there is no hope. Without His promise, there is nothing to look forward to.
God gave Adam and Eve a gift, even though they didn't deserve it, before He gave us Christ. He gave hope.
Dear Lord, sometimes I struggle believing that you will pull through. There's a lot going on right now, and it's hard. Please give me the grace to trust in your providence and true hope. Amen
Here's the main thing that stuck out to me in JP2's 5th audience, or his 5th Theology of the Body speech (because that's how he gave them). We sinned. Adam and Eve ate that darn apple... we know the story. But right after that God promises salvation. Right away, we have hope
This weekend, I went on a prayer retreat. During Mass, I was looking around in the chapel (because I had WAY too much coffee that day) and I saw the paining. It was the Annunciation, or when the angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her that she was going to have a Son. But in the background of that painting, on the wall of Mary's house, was a picture of the eviction of the garden. I immediately thought about the contrast between Eve's "no" and Mary's "yes", but now I think about the promise. God promised Adam and Eve that, despite their betrayal and their chosen fallen nature, he would save them. Then, several thousand or so years later, Mary said yes and conceived the savior of the world.
I guess my main idea right now is hope. I'd say that today we live in a more skeptic world than a hopeful one. A college kid goes and gets a degree, and then what next? We don't think about our dream job and hope for the best, we're praying (hopefully) that we'll be able to find a job in today's economy. But I guess in a world influenced greatly by the militant atheists, that should be expected. Without God, there is no hope. Without His promise, there is nothing to look forward to.
God gave Adam and Eve a gift, even though they didn't deserve it, before He gave us Christ. He gave hope.
Dear Lord, sometimes I struggle believing that you will pull through. There's a lot going on right now, and it's hard. Please give me the grace to trust in your providence and true hope. Amen
Dec 3, 2011
Creation Part Dos!!
So here's where I get you guys addicted to this little experiment of mine. I tell you that Bl. JP2 says that the second story of creation helps demonstrate the differences in humanity before and after the fall. The difference between our original innocence, and life after the fall. But I'm not going to tell you what any of them are. Partially because I don't know and understand completely myself. Those sections will come soon enough.
Even though there is a difference, the rules have not changed so to speak. This is something that Jesus is trying to tell the Jewish authorities in the Gospels. He said that Moses allowed them to have divorce because "of your hardness of heart." In other words, we were too pig-headed to just switch from free divorce to no divorce. But, as JP2 comments, Jesus didn't like it.
I think we need to think about this in every aspect of our lives. Like Sunday for example. The third commandment says "keep holy the Sabbath Day". But society says "whatever, you have so much to get done and you don't want to waste a second." Just because it is socially acceptable to work and ignore God on His day does not mean it's right. Yeah, it's funny what happens when you word it like that. We don't want to say that we "ignore God", but isn't what forgetting Him on His day is?
Once again, as a college kid, that gives me a lot to think about. There's a lot of things that are "socially acceptable" that I'm not sure coincide with God's law. Like parties. In and of themselves, they aren't bad. But we all know that college parties are pretty much people drinking as much as they can and rubbing on each other when they're too drunk to know exactly what's going on. ONCE AGAIN, just because it's socially or even legally acceptable DOES NOT MAKE IT RIGHT! God has a plan for us, and any step away from that plan is not right.
Stay tuned to learn a little more about God's plan, because it'd be slightly stupid to decide to follow it without trying to find out what it is.
Dear Lord, please open our hearts! Because the hearts of the Israelites were closed, there was a law in contrast with your plan for us. Help us to always be open to your will, or at least give us the desire to be open. Help us make the right choice always, no matter what others may think. And help us in this continued study, for lack of a better term, and help us learn what your servant Bl. John Paul II had to say to us. Amen
Even though there is a difference, the rules have not changed so to speak. This is something that Jesus is trying to tell the Jewish authorities in the Gospels. He said that Moses allowed them to have divorce because "of your hardness of heart." In other words, we were too pig-headed to just switch from free divorce to no divorce. But, as JP2 comments, Jesus didn't like it.
I think we need to think about this in every aspect of our lives. Like Sunday for example. The third commandment says "keep holy the Sabbath Day". But society says "whatever, you have so much to get done and you don't want to waste a second." Just because it is socially acceptable to work and ignore God on His day does not mean it's right. Yeah, it's funny what happens when you word it like that. We don't want to say that we "ignore God", but isn't what forgetting Him on His day is?
Once again, as a college kid, that gives me a lot to think about. There's a lot of things that are "socially acceptable" that I'm not sure coincide with God's law. Like parties. In and of themselves, they aren't bad. But we all know that college parties are pretty much people drinking as much as they can and rubbing on each other when they're too drunk to know exactly what's going on. ONCE AGAIN, just because it's socially or even legally acceptable DOES NOT MAKE IT RIGHT! God has a plan for us, and any step away from that plan is not right.
Stay tuned to learn a little more about God's plan, because it'd be slightly stupid to decide to follow it without trying to find out what it is.
Dear Lord, please open our hearts! Because the hearts of the Israelites were closed, there was a law in contrast with your plan for us. Help us to always be open to your will, or at least give us the desire to be open. Help us make the right choice always, no matter what others may think. And help us in this continued study, for lack of a better term, and help us learn what your servant Bl. John Paul II had to say to us. Amen
Dec 1, 2011
"in the image of God he created them" AKA the 1st creation story
There are two ideas that come out to me most in this small passage: the fact we are made in God's image and that he created us male and female.
FIRST PART: So we are made in God's image. That means we have to be good. JP2 points out here that the only comparisons in these biblical passages are between God and man. First, that means that we cannot just compare man to other animals. We can only get so far, and any picture would be incomplete.
It's funny... remember how I got really academic a few posts ago and blamed it on my Psychology class? Well, in this same psychology class I just turned in another paper of behaviorism and psychoanalysis. For those of you who don't know what those are... google psychoanalysis. But behaviorism is a science where, for the most part, you observe animals and draw conclusions from this. As I wrote in this paper, it sounds interesting but it does not completely make sense. As JP2 says, if we are made in the image and likeness of God, and we can never completely understand God, doesn't it make sense that we wouldn't understand everything about humanity either much less learn about it from animals.
Also, the Bible does not compare humans to the earth but it does say that we were put in dominion over it. This gives us a degree of superiority that the other animals do not have.
The most important thing, the thing I think most people struggle with, is that we are good. Because God made us, we are good. Yes, there is the fall so there is definitely some not good stuff with humanity. But our bodies are a gift. We need to respect them. How? As a female, the first thing that comes to mind is how we dress. Do our outfits reflect the dignity of our bodies or are they practically "grab here" signs. On the other hand, we need to be careful about how we treat our bodies. What sort of stress do we put them under? What sort of fuel do we put in them? Do we eat too much? Do we eat enough? Do we hurt ourselves. People, we need to respect this wonderful gift that God has given us.
SECOND PART... and I think a lot of extreme left-side feminists would scream at me right now, but at least wait.
JP2 says that the Bible is very objective in this point. It's not gloating or anything... it's just stating a fact that anybody above the age of 2 should know. Boys and girls are different. When I was little (according to my mother) I was in a class when she was pregnant with my little brother. I argued with the teacher because "the only difference between boys and girls is that girls have long hair and boys have short hair".
Haha. So I think we all know that 4-year-old me was not quite right, so what is different? Men tend to be bigger than women, but women have bigger hips. It's true. In 7th grade I learned from a classmate's father that you could tell if the person in an x-ray was male or female based on the hips. Clearly there's some other bodily differences that I just don't feel like going into, and I think we should all start thinking about what that means for gender roles.
One last thing: human beings were created last according to creation story. So God created the animals, created man, and then created woman ( :D ). Okay in all seriousness, that means that we human beings are the high points of God's creation. Even high than the angels. Isn't that amazing?
Dear Lord, I would like to thank you for all your gifts to me! I would like to thank you for my body and my life, as well as making me a (guy or girl depending on the reader's gender). Please continue to bless us as we try to learn more about you through the words of your Servant Bl. John Paul II. Amen
FIRST PART: So we are made in God's image. That means we have to be good. JP2 points out here that the only comparisons in these biblical passages are between God and man. First, that means that we cannot just compare man to other animals. We can only get so far, and any picture would be incomplete.
It's funny... remember how I got really academic a few posts ago and blamed it on my Psychology class? Well, in this same psychology class I just turned in another paper of behaviorism and psychoanalysis. For those of you who don't know what those are... google psychoanalysis. But behaviorism is a science where, for the most part, you observe animals and draw conclusions from this. As I wrote in this paper, it sounds interesting but it does not completely make sense. As JP2 says, if we are made in the image and likeness of God, and we can never completely understand God, doesn't it make sense that we wouldn't understand everything about humanity either much less learn about it from animals.
Also, the Bible does not compare humans to the earth but it does say that we were put in dominion over it. This gives us a degree of superiority that the other animals do not have.
The most important thing, the thing I think most people struggle with, is that we are good. Because God made us, we are good. Yes, there is the fall so there is definitely some not good stuff with humanity. But our bodies are a gift. We need to respect them. How? As a female, the first thing that comes to mind is how we dress. Do our outfits reflect the dignity of our bodies or are they practically "grab here" signs. On the other hand, we need to be careful about how we treat our bodies. What sort of stress do we put them under? What sort of fuel do we put in them? Do we eat too much? Do we eat enough? Do we hurt ourselves. People, we need to respect this wonderful gift that God has given us.
SECOND PART... and I think a lot of extreme left-side feminists would scream at me right now, but at least wait.
JP2 says that the Bible is very objective in this point. It's not gloating or anything... it's just stating a fact that anybody above the age of 2 should know. Boys and girls are different. When I was little (according to my mother) I was in a class when she was pregnant with my little brother. I argued with the teacher because "the only difference between boys and girls is that girls have long hair and boys have short hair".
Haha. So I think we all know that 4-year-old me was not quite right, so what is different? Men tend to be bigger than women, but women have bigger hips. It's true. In 7th grade I learned from a classmate's father that you could tell if the person in an x-ray was male or female based on the hips. Clearly there's some other bodily differences that I just don't feel like going into, and I think we should all start thinking about what that means for gender roles.
One last thing: human beings were created last according to creation story. So God created the animals, created man, and then created woman ( :D ). Okay in all seriousness, that means that we human beings are the high points of God's creation. Even high than the angels. Isn't that amazing?
Dear Lord, I would like to thank you for all your gifts to me! I would like to thank you for my body and my life, as well as making me a (guy or girl depending on the reader's gender). Please continue to bless us as we try to learn more about you through the words of your Servant Bl. John Paul II. Amen
Nov 27, 2011
"In the Beginning..."
" "Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator created them male and female and said, for this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and unite with his wife, and the two will be one flesh?" So it is that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined let man not separate." They objected, "Why then did Moses order to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?" Jesus answered, "Because of the hardness of your heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so." Mt 19: 3 - 8
Clearly Jesus is saying a lot here. But JP2 focuses on "the beginning". In the beginning, before sin was in the world, everything was perfect. Everything was how God made it to be. What can we learn from this?
I took the verse directly from the book because I thought the italics were Jesus quoting Genesis. That may be true for the first part, but I'd have to check my Bible. Or leave you wondering in suspense until you pick up your own Bibles to find out? Yeah, I think I'll do the second.
But can you picture Jesus talking to people of today, people in a society where about half of marriages end in divorce? His words, the words from 2000 years ago, still apply to us today. There will be more talk on divorce later, but for now I'll just say this. Jesus tells us that the man and his wife become one flesh. And when the flesh is severed through a divorce, what happens? Intense pain. Pain in the family. Pain between the former lovers. Any of you who have been through or know someone who has gone through divorce knows this. Even if the other person is not good, it's hard to leave.
Jesus tells us that "what God has joined let man not separate". For college kids, my age group, how does that apply? We need to be careful who we date. At this point, we need to think "this man (or woman) is someone I could potentially marry." Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Is the person you're with going to love you through sick and suffering? While there is no way to know, if you cannot see yourself marrying the person you're with, get out. Don't date just to date. It's not worth it.
Alright, so I'm done there. Back to the beginning. I'd recommend reading the book of Genesis sometime this week. Time to go all the way back and see what God created... and see how JP2 says it reflects our relationship with God and others.
Lord, help us all have an amazing week. Bless us as we begin our reading, and help us to learn a little more how to truly be human! I'd like to offer a prayer for all those who are victims of divorce, and all those marriages that are really struggling. Bless them, Lord and please help them to discover and want to do your will. Amen
Happy Advent Ya'll!!!
Clearly Jesus is saying a lot here. But JP2 focuses on "the beginning". In the beginning, before sin was in the world, everything was perfect. Everything was how God made it to be. What can we learn from this?
I took the verse directly from the book because I thought the italics were Jesus quoting Genesis. That may be true for the first part, but I'd have to check my Bible. Or leave you wondering in suspense until you pick up your own Bibles to find out? Yeah, I think I'll do the second.
But can you picture Jesus talking to people of today, people in a society where about half of marriages end in divorce? His words, the words from 2000 years ago, still apply to us today. There will be more talk on divorce later, but for now I'll just say this. Jesus tells us that the man and his wife become one flesh. And when the flesh is severed through a divorce, what happens? Intense pain. Pain in the family. Pain between the former lovers. Any of you who have been through or know someone who has gone through divorce knows this. Even if the other person is not good, it's hard to leave.
Jesus tells us that "what God has joined let man not separate". For college kids, my age group, how does that apply? We need to be careful who we date. At this point, we need to think "this man (or woman) is someone I could potentially marry." Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Is the person you're with going to love you through sick and suffering? While there is no way to know, if you cannot see yourself marrying the person you're with, get out. Don't date just to date. It's not worth it.
Alright, so I'm done there. Back to the beginning. I'd recommend reading the book of Genesis sometime this week. Time to go all the way back and see what God created... and see how JP2 says it reflects our relationship with God and others.
Lord, help us all have an amazing week. Bless us as we begin our reading, and help us to learn a little more how to truly be human! I'd like to offer a prayer for all those who are victims of divorce, and all those marriages that are really struggling. Bless them, Lord and please help them to discover and want to do your will. Amen
Happy Advent Ya'll!!!
Nov 20, 2011
Why Theology of the Body?
You know what, I'm just going to quote straight from the book here. I think Michael Waldstein says it better than I ever could: "To conclude, the purpose of theology of the body is to defend the body against its alienation from the person in Cartesian rationalism. Put positively, the purpose is to show the divine plan for human spousal love, to show the goodness and the beauty of the whole sexual sphere against its cheapening in the "objective, scientific" way of looking at nature" (page 105). Waldstein also talks about how only through doing God's will are we happy.
What does this mean for humanity, specifically for me and my age group? First of all, our bodies and sex are amazing things. I mean, wow! We are able to work with members of the opposite gender to make a baby. Think about it. We could reproduce asexually. God could have put Adam and Eve in the garden and said: "Alright guys, now if you want to continue the human race you need to chop off a part of the body, so get going!" But no, a married man and a married woman can come together and have a baby, a visible sign of their love.
Now, I know most college kids don't see things this way. Lots of times, sex just becomes something that two people do when they love each other. Or even worse, something to do for fun. To fling around at parties after the alcohol is served. But that's not God's plan for us. God's plan is for man and woman to unite through the sacrament or marriage, and then have sex, bringing them together on a whole new level. Then have babies! :)
And you know what? God's plan is what will make you happy. Like really happy. I can't say I'm the best Catholic. I can't say that I've always had admirable faith in God. But for a long time, I've known that God has a plan. And following that plan is what will bring us joy. True joy.
And now, unless I say otherwise, I'm going to read the actual Theology of the Body all the way through from cover to cover. I'm going to go in whatever order the book has.
Just a note (which you will know if you have the same book I have), there is a section in the introduction I'm not going to blog on. But it's basically about the structure of the book, and I don't see the necessity. That said, I hold the right to completely change my mind and have a 100,000 page summary of that next week.
Lord, please bless us all in this week! And please help us accept your will. More than that, please give us the desire to do whatever you want. If we're not ready for that, give us the desire to want to do your will. Amen
What does this mean for humanity, specifically for me and my age group? First of all, our bodies and sex are amazing things. I mean, wow! We are able to work with members of the opposite gender to make a baby. Think about it. We could reproduce asexually. God could have put Adam and Eve in the garden and said: "Alright guys, now if you want to continue the human race you need to chop off a part of the body, so get going!" But no, a married man and a married woman can come together and have a baby, a visible sign of their love.
Now, I know most college kids don't see things this way. Lots of times, sex just becomes something that two people do when they love each other. Or even worse, something to do for fun. To fling around at parties after the alcohol is served. But that's not God's plan for us. God's plan is for man and woman to unite through the sacrament or marriage, and then have sex, bringing them together on a whole new level. Then have babies! :)
And you know what? God's plan is what will make you happy. Like really happy. I can't say I'm the best Catholic. I can't say that I've always had admirable faith in God. But for a long time, I've known that God has a plan. And following that plan is what will bring us joy. True joy.
And now, unless I say otherwise, I'm going to read the actual Theology of the Body all the way through from cover to cover. I'm going to go in whatever order the book has.
Just a note (which you will know if you have the same book I have), there is a section in the introduction I'm not going to blog on. But it's basically about the structure of the book, and I don't see the necessity. That said, I hold the right to completely change my mind and have a 100,000 page summary of that next week.
Lord, please bless us all in this week! And please help us accept your will. More than that, please give us the desire to do whatever you want. If we're not ready for that, give us the desire to want to do your will. Amen
Nov 13, 2011
Day... Let's call this -10
Well, after a long day, I'm finally posting! What can I say? I got busy. But I guess that happens a lot in life. You get busy and have to choose: am I too busy for God or will I make time for him? Today, I choose to make time for God. It's a resolution that we all really have to renew each day.
Well, there's a lot in here, but what this part of the book talked most about was faith. We all need it, but what is it based on? This sort of reminds me of the part of the Gospel when St. Thomas told his fellow apostles that unless he touched the wounds of Jesus, and put his hand in Jesus's side, he would not believe. A week later, Jesus appeared and told him to touch his wounds. Thomas knelt down and said "my Lord and my God." Jesus then told him (and this is NOT a direct quote): "You believe because you have seen. But Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe."
I feel like Jesus is talking directly to us. From two-thousand years ago, Jesus is speaking directly to his church today. None of us have seen him directly, but we believe. But even with us, is our faith based on experience? Have we had something happen, and now we say "I believe". Honestly, that can go away. But deep faith, internalized faith, it won't just leave when things are tough. Does this mean we have blind faith? No. But at a certain point we do have to acknowledge that we do, in fact, believe.
This section also mentioned works of Bl. John Paul II, one of which being Love and Responsibility. I can say that I read somebody's summary of it, the book by Edward Sri. Basically, it goes a lot into how love is a gift, and for love to be real you have to be able to give and receive it. But that's not just in a marriage. Any relationship.
God, please help us learn how to love like you! You want us to be perfect in love, so give us that grace! And help us believe. For those of us who struggle, give us the grace to continue in the easy times as well as the difficult. For those who do not, give the grace and reveal your love to them!
Well, there's a lot in here, but what this part of the book talked most about was faith. We all need it, but what is it based on? This sort of reminds me of the part of the Gospel when St. Thomas told his fellow apostles that unless he touched the wounds of Jesus, and put his hand in Jesus's side, he would not believe. A week later, Jesus appeared and told him to touch his wounds. Thomas knelt down and said "my Lord and my God." Jesus then told him (and this is NOT a direct quote): "You believe because you have seen. But Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe."
I feel like Jesus is talking directly to us. From two-thousand years ago, Jesus is speaking directly to his church today. None of us have seen him directly, but we believe. But even with us, is our faith based on experience? Have we had something happen, and now we say "I believe". Honestly, that can go away. But deep faith, internalized faith, it won't just leave when things are tough. Does this mean we have blind faith? No. But at a certain point we do have to acknowledge that we do, in fact, believe.
This section also mentioned works of Bl. John Paul II, one of which being Love and Responsibility. I can say that I read somebody's summary of it, the book by Edward Sri. Basically, it goes a lot into how love is a gift, and for love to be real you have to be able to give and receive it. But that's not just in a marriage. Any relationship.
God, please help us learn how to love like you! You want us to be perfect in love, so give us that grace! And help us believe. For those of us who struggle, give us the grace to continue in the easy times as well as the difficult. For those who do not, give the grace and reveal your love to them!
Nov 6, 2011
special announcement and day -14
Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know that for November (and perhaps the beginning of December) I will only be posting on Sundays. I just have a lot going on right now with school and NaNoWrimo, so I'm going to stick with once a week for a while.
Now... about Scheler....
From what I understand, JP2 liked him in some aspects. He was different than Kant. But there are two problems with Scheler's philosophy:
1. It says that religious acts are done because they make you feel good.
2. It objectifies humans.
Hopefully, you all reading this see the problems without me going into them.
Objectifying humans if one of the basic "no no's" of theology of the body. We were made in the image and likeness of God himself. That means all of our bodies are beautiful and deserve respect. That's one of the biggest issues with pornography. It makes the human body just a sex object. It does not make that woman (or man) beautiful and respected. It does not glorify the human body.
The glory of the human body is actually seen through the Sistine Chapel. For anyone who does not know, that's where Michelangelo painted the famous Creation. And Adam and Eve were naked. For years they covered the private parts with fig leaves, but JP2 actually said not to. He said that it brings out the beauty and glorifies the human body. We'll all see that later in this blog, whenever I get to the part where he talks about "naked without shame".
As for the happiness, that reminds me of a retreat I went on my freshman year of high school. It was called "More Than a Feeling". I don't remember much, but I do remember the basic message was that a relationship with God is based on more than feelings. And how true it is! Think about it: how many people would be Christian if it was just based on how happy you were? I mean, in the first few centuries I could get capital punishment for being Christian. Even now, Christians (especially Catholics) seemed to be mocked by the media. It's hard! But we know we can do it because Jesus warned us. He told us that we need to learn to pick up our cross. Yes, sometimes it feels amazing to go to mass. Sometimes you're happiest when serving the poor. But not all the time. There are definitely days that I don't want to act like a Christian. But I choose to, even if it doesn't feel good.
Dear Jesus, please bless us all! Please give us all the strength to respect each others' bodies as well as our own. And teach us that the path to Heaven is the same path you took: the path to the cross.
Now... about Scheler....
From what I understand, JP2 liked him in some aspects. He was different than Kant. But there are two problems with Scheler's philosophy:
1. It says that religious acts are done because they make you feel good.
2. It objectifies humans.
Hopefully, you all reading this see the problems without me going into them.
Objectifying humans if one of the basic "no no's" of theology of the body. We were made in the image and likeness of God himself. That means all of our bodies are beautiful and deserve respect. That's one of the biggest issues with pornography. It makes the human body just a sex object. It does not make that woman (or man) beautiful and respected. It does not glorify the human body.
The glory of the human body is actually seen through the Sistine Chapel. For anyone who does not know, that's where Michelangelo painted the famous Creation. And Adam and Eve were naked. For years they covered the private parts with fig leaves, but JP2 actually said not to. He said that it brings out the beauty and glorifies the human body. We'll all see that later in this blog, whenever I get to the part where he talks about "naked without shame".
As for the happiness, that reminds me of a retreat I went on my freshman year of high school. It was called "More Than a Feeling". I don't remember much, but I do remember the basic message was that a relationship with God is based on more than feelings. And how true it is! Think about it: how many people would be Christian if it was just based on how happy you were? I mean, in the first few centuries I could get capital punishment for being Christian. Even now, Christians (especially Catholics) seemed to be mocked by the media. It's hard! But we know we can do it because Jesus warned us. He told us that we need to learn to pick up our cross. Yes, sometimes it feels amazing to go to mass. Sometimes you're happiest when serving the poor. But not all the time. There are definitely days that I don't want to act like a Christian. But I choose to, even if it doesn't feel good.
Dear Jesus, please bless us all! Please give us all the strength to respect each others' bodies as well as our own. And teach us that the path to Heaven is the same path you took: the path to the cross.
Nov 4, 2011
"Wojtyla and Kant" part 2
Okay, I finished. And it was interesting to say the least.
The two main points I remember are how Kant believed in total autonomy, which meant not needing a connection with a person much less a God. I don't think I really need to go into how Christianity in general is different here, but it's funny. This is actually one of the topics for an essay I'm working on right now. In order for religious worship to be real, you have to put yourself into it. You NEED to relationship with God. Kant just does not see that.
Then sex (gasp!). It's funny, both Kant and JP2 say that 1) sex should not be just using the other person and 2) it is a total gift of self. But it's interesting to see how the two completely diverge from there. Kant says that there is no way to not use the other person in sex. Not to use them for pleasure. But John Paul II says that it does not have to be that way. Sex can be a beautiful thing that not only images God's love, but also makes babies. It's special, and not necessarily useful of the other person.
But it's interesting that both philosophers agreed that using another person for personal pleasure is just wrong. But think. How often do I do that? Not just in a sexual way, but do I use another person for his or her abilities? Do I have this one friend that I really only talk to when I need something? I think we all need to think about this, and make a commitment to love each other not for what we do, but who we are. Not for what we get, but for the sake of that other person.
The two main points I remember are how Kant believed in total autonomy, which meant not needing a connection with a person much less a God. I don't think I really need to go into how Christianity in general is different here, but it's funny. This is actually one of the topics for an essay I'm working on right now. In order for religious worship to be real, you have to put yourself into it. You NEED to relationship with God. Kant just does not see that.
Then sex (gasp!). It's funny, both Kant and JP2 say that 1) sex should not be just using the other person and 2) it is a total gift of self. But it's interesting to see how the two completely diverge from there. Kant says that there is no way to not use the other person in sex. Not to use them for pleasure. But John Paul II says that it does not have to be that way. Sex can be a beautiful thing that not only images God's love, but also makes babies. It's special, and not necessarily useful of the other person.
But it's interesting that both philosophers agreed that using another person for personal pleasure is just wrong. But think. How often do I do that? Not just in a sexual way, but do I use another person for his or her abilities? Do I have this one friend that I really only talk to when I need something? I think we all need to think about this, and make a commitment to love each other not for what we do, but who we are. Not for what we get, but for the sake of that other person.
Nov 3, 2011
"Wojtyla and Kant" part 1
Just before I read, I want to say this: I'll be very interested to see the comparisons between JP2 and theology of the body and Immanuel Kant. I remember learning briefly about him in history of psychology. And you know, when you're in college and still learning about the social sciences, you can be very... what's the world I want... moldable I guess? You're just soaking in a whole lot. That's how I felt, and sometimes feel about my psychology class. This is what these people teach, but what is truth?
Well, I have now reached the half-way point (?) in the section, and I'm ready for bed. Which I guess is good int he way of there's a lot to take in. First of all: what I know. Descartes, who was a philosopher who had a lot of influence on Kant's ideas, believed in mechanism and dualism. Mechanism is where the body is pretty much completely mechanical. Dualism is where the body and soul are separate, but sometimes interact. Now there are a few things here, some of which I read and some of which I just don't think I've gotten to yet. First of all, humans are body and spirit. We were never meant to be separated, but a certain person had to eat a certain apple and now we're in a fallen world. In fact, if you look at a dead person at a funeral, they look strange. It's as if something important is missing. Also with mechanism: that can often lead to reductionism which is a person is just blood and tissue and bones. It really demeans the human person. And that can lead to Eugenics (I am skipping a few steps), which is more or less breeding people like you would breed dogs. On the less severe side, you get rewards for marrying someone "genetically superior". On the severe side, you get Nazi Germany and concentration camps.
And with Kant, one big thing I have is that he said that he had to abandon his reason to keep his faith. I have not gotten to what JP2 says on that yet, but I know that's not necessary. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote on logical faith, and I have been in several religion classes and youth group sessions where we have gone over it. Here's my thing: God created the world. So science and religion should be compatible. If there is something that seems to deny God, either you don't understand it completely or it is wrong. And honestly, there is nothing wrong with admitting that you will never understand everything. But that's the beauty of life, and I think specifically the Catholic Church. I could spend my whole life studying the Bible, church doctrine, and Theology of the Body and never finish. It's because God is so immense... so real that we just can't wrap our little minds on him. We can't just put him in a box and label him. God is just way too big for that.
Yeah, I guess this sounds a little more academic... I think I'm going to blame the 10 page paper on philosophy and physiology that I had to write for History of Psychology. Anyway, hopefully I'll finish up on Kant tomorrow and we'll get to see what JP2 says about Kant's philosophies.
Well, I have now reached the half-way point (?) in the section, and I'm ready for bed. Which I guess is good int he way of there's a lot to take in. First of all: what I know. Descartes, who was a philosopher who had a lot of influence on Kant's ideas, believed in mechanism and dualism. Mechanism is where the body is pretty much completely mechanical. Dualism is where the body and soul are separate, but sometimes interact. Now there are a few things here, some of which I read and some of which I just don't think I've gotten to yet. First of all, humans are body and spirit. We were never meant to be separated, but a certain person had to eat a certain apple and now we're in a fallen world. In fact, if you look at a dead person at a funeral, they look strange. It's as if something important is missing. Also with mechanism: that can often lead to reductionism which is a person is just blood and tissue and bones. It really demeans the human person. And that can lead to Eugenics (I am skipping a few steps), which is more or less breeding people like you would breed dogs. On the less severe side, you get rewards for marrying someone "genetically superior". On the severe side, you get Nazi Germany and concentration camps.
And with Kant, one big thing I have is that he said that he had to abandon his reason to keep his faith. I have not gotten to what JP2 says on that yet, but I know that's not necessary. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote on logical faith, and I have been in several religion classes and youth group sessions where we have gone over it. Here's my thing: God created the world. So science and religion should be compatible. If there is something that seems to deny God, either you don't understand it completely or it is wrong. And honestly, there is nothing wrong with admitting that you will never understand everything. But that's the beauty of life, and I think specifically the Catholic Church. I could spend my whole life studying the Bible, church doctrine, and Theology of the Body and never finish. It's because God is so immense... so real that we just can't wrap our little minds on him. We can't just put him in a box and label him. God is just way too big for that.
Yeah, I guess this sounds a little more academic... I think I'm going to blame the 10 page paper on philosophy and physiology that I had to write for History of Psychology. Anyway, hopefully I'll finish up on Kant tomorrow and we'll get to see what JP2 says about Kant's philosophies.
Oct 29, 2011
Bl. JP2 and St. John of the Cross - still intro
Yes, I'm still in the introduction of this book. But it's funny... I really want to read St. John of the Cross now. Apparently, JP2 was greatly inspired by him and his ideas in relation to love and faith.
They talk about this love cycle, which is the mutual giving and mutual receiving of love. If one is only taking, and one is only giving, it's not love. That's use, and works directly against the dignity of a human being.
Then there's parts of what's called the "Sanjuanist Triangle" which I will list briefly:
1. Love and the gift of self: To receive love, you need to give it. This reminds me most of what Jesus said: there is no greater love than this: laying down one's life for a friend (NOT a direct quote).
2. The paradigmatic role of love between man and woman: when you think about it, there's a lot of comparison to Jesus as the bridegroom in the gospels (either directly or through parables). If I understand this concept correctly, this point is referring to how the sexual union of a man and a woman reflects how love is supposed to be. If you don't know why... as either your mom or your biology/health teacher.
3. Trinitarian Root of the Gift: In respect of the "mutual total giving", the trinity shows this love. The Father gives all to the Son, the Son gives all to the Father, and we get the Holy Spirit.
The next section in the book is about JP2 and Kant, which I'm personally excited about. We learned about Kant in my History of Psychology class... so I think it'll be interesting to see the differences.
On a side note, guess what we talked about today in my New Testament Class? Yeah, the mutual giving and mutual receiving of love and about how femininity and masculinity complement each other. Think God's trying to give me some encouragement here! :)
They talk about this love cycle, which is the mutual giving and mutual receiving of love. If one is only taking, and one is only giving, it's not love. That's use, and works directly against the dignity of a human being.
Then there's parts of what's called the "Sanjuanist Triangle" which I will list briefly:
1. Love and the gift of self: To receive love, you need to give it. This reminds me most of what Jesus said: there is no greater love than this: laying down one's life for a friend (NOT a direct quote).
2. The paradigmatic role of love between man and woman: when you think about it, there's a lot of comparison to Jesus as the bridegroom in the gospels (either directly or through parables). If I understand this concept correctly, this point is referring to how the sexual union of a man and a woman reflects how love is supposed to be. If you don't know why... as either your mom or your biology/health teacher.
3. Trinitarian Root of the Gift: In respect of the "mutual total giving", the trinity shows this love. The Father gives all to the Son, the Son gives all to the Father, and we get the Holy Spirit.
The next section in the book is about JP2 and Kant, which I'm personally excited about. We learned about Kant in my History of Psychology class... so I think it'll be interesting to see the differences.
On a side note, guess what we talked about today in my New Testament Class? Yeah, the mutual giving and mutual receiving of love and about how femininity and masculinity complement each other. Think God's trying to give me some encouragement here! :)
Oct 25, 2011
Day -3
Well I'm still in the introduction. Fun fact: did you know it's about 100 pages long? :o
Anyway, I'm planning on finishing the background for JP2's teachings tonight (wish me luck), and it looks like there'll be interesting things worth posting later. This part is how the message is for all to here. Hence they published the book. Hence I'm putting a blog on the Internet.
But something funny happened today. I like reading scripture with my prayer, and this is what came up in my daily devotion:
"Everything in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not from the Father." 1 Jn 2:16
Does anybody else think it's ironic that I get a verse that repeats lust twice right before I go into an intense Theology of the Body study? But here's what I got from the verse. First, if lust (both types) is not from God, that means it's not good. Yeah. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. But here's the second, more important thing: if it's not from God, we are capable of fighting it. So Lord, please give us all the strength and grace to turn away from evil in the world!
Anyway, I'm planning on finishing the background for JP2's teachings tonight (wish me luck), and it looks like there'll be interesting things worth posting later. This part is how the message is for all to here. Hence they published the book. Hence I'm putting a blog on the Internet.
But something funny happened today. I like reading scripture with my prayer, and this is what came up in my daily devotion:
"Everything in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not from the Father." 1 Jn 2:16
Does anybody else think it's ironic that I get a verse that repeats lust twice right before I go into an intense Theology of the Body study? But here's what I got from the verse. First, if lust (both types) is not from God, that means it's not good. Yeah. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. But here's the second, more important thing: if it's not from God, we are capable of fighting it. So Lord, please give us all the strength and grace to turn away from evil in the world!
Oct 24, 2011
Preface/Foward/Intro
Yes, you read right. I am starting with the stuff before the actual book.
Why? Well, I just figured that they might have good information. I'm not gonna lie... reading this book will be a challenge. Not just because it's a giant (663 pages of text), but also because it's so deep. There are probably going to be times when I won't understand and I know and accept that. But I'm going to try to prevent that if possible.
Ok, so what did I learn before the actual teaching part? Basically, there are two ideas of progress:
1. Progress as defined by people such as Margaret Sanger. That people will only be free when they are able to control our sexuality. Basically, control when we want to have babies, and that true freedom only comes from when we are free from the "fear of pregnancy" (Sanger). This almost seems to downgrade the role and importance of the family. Or maybe that's just me.
2. Progress comes through understanding. Yes, control does have a factor, but do we really understand what we're doing? Do we really understand how to love?
Both want the same thing, but which one actually works. So far, the world seems to lean more towards the first approach. And do you know what, it extends to more than just sexuality. We want to do whatever and not face the consequences. Oh, and we want it now. We want to be able to eat as much as we want whenever we want. Hence, people eat at McDonald's (which I'm sorry, I'm just not convinced that stuff is real food).
And another interesting thing. Like I said before, I'm a Criminal Justice major so I was interested in looking at the crime rates since the United States seemed to adopt this view. According to the chart I found on http://www.jrsa.org/programs/Historical.pdf (just scroll down if you want to look), crime started to spike around the late 50's/early 60's. Do I think it's a coincidence that crime increased around the same time as the sexual revolution? I know... all my teachers tell me that "correlation does not imply causation", or there could be some other unknown factor in there but still. But you've got to admit... it's interesting.
The funny thing is... I'm not even finished reading the introduction! But I think the rest of it is more "here's how to read this book" than extra information. So anyway! Day one complete!
Why? Well, I just figured that they might have good information. I'm not gonna lie... reading this book will be a challenge. Not just because it's a giant (663 pages of text), but also because it's so deep. There are probably going to be times when I won't understand and I know and accept that. But I'm going to try to prevent that if possible.
Ok, so what did I learn before the actual teaching part? Basically, there are two ideas of progress:
1. Progress as defined by people such as Margaret Sanger. That people will only be free when they are able to control our sexuality. Basically, control when we want to have babies, and that true freedom only comes from when we are free from the "fear of pregnancy" (Sanger). This almost seems to downgrade the role and importance of the family. Or maybe that's just me.
2. Progress comes through understanding. Yes, control does have a factor, but do we really understand what we're doing? Do we really understand how to love?
Both want the same thing, but which one actually works. So far, the world seems to lean more towards the first approach. And do you know what, it extends to more than just sexuality. We want to do whatever and not face the consequences. Oh, and we want it now. We want to be able to eat as much as we want whenever we want. Hence, people eat at McDonald's (which I'm sorry, I'm just not convinced that stuff is real food).
And another interesting thing. Like I said before, I'm a Criminal Justice major so I was interested in looking at the crime rates since the United States seemed to adopt this view. According to the chart I found on http://www.jrsa.org/programs/Historical.pdf (just scroll down if you want to look), crime started to spike around the late 50's/early 60's. Do I think it's a coincidence that crime increased around the same time as the sexual revolution? I know... all my teachers tell me that "correlation does not imply causation", or there could be some other unknown factor in there but still. But you've got to admit... it's interesting.
The funny thing is... I'm not even finished reading the introduction! But I think the rest of it is more "here's how to read this book" than extra information. So anyway! Day one complete!
Oct 23, 2011
Why I want to do this....
So I'm a freshman in college and everything has changed. It's a new place with new people. And these new people have different values from my friends back home. One of these is sexuality.
Last year in high school, I studied Bl. John Paul II's Theology of the Body, and it definitely changed my perspective on almost everything. I can say it effects how I dress, the music I listen to, and even how I think about myself.
And I really have not changed since coming to college (I know... a whole 3 months). But I'm hearing and seeing things for the first time that pretty much contradict what I learned. For a lot of people, "going out" means wearing short skirts and tank tops and going to the local club. In and of itself, the club isn't bad... until people are all over each other. Honestly, it's pretty disgusting. Then parties can get much worse. People get drunk and sometimes out of control. One of my friends told me that it's like you don't care too much who touches you. But for me... I'm still like "wait. No, you aren't going to get too close."
I want guys to respect me. I'd rather be called beautiful than sexy. I'd rather be pursued and mysterious than throwing myself at random guys. Then someday, when I meet my prince charming, I would rather have him cherish me than want me (although I would not mind if he found me super attractive :P). And a lot of these views are influenced directly from theology of the body.
Now, I want to learn more. I don't want to forget what I learned about last year. And more than that... I want to share this message. I believe that it's for everyone. Catholic of not. Christian or not. Boy and girl. This is for the older generations. This is for College students. This is for High School students. This is for Middle School students. Hey, you could even share the ideas with younger kids who have not had "the talk" yet!
So I am going to spend every day (at least once a week) reading bits of the Pope's Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body and blogging my thoughts, and how I think it relates to me and other young people. Wish me luck!
Last year in high school, I studied Bl. John Paul II's Theology of the Body, and it definitely changed my perspective on almost everything. I can say it effects how I dress, the music I listen to, and even how I think about myself.
And I really have not changed since coming to college (I know... a whole 3 months). But I'm hearing and seeing things for the first time that pretty much contradict what I learned. For a lot of people, "going out" means wearing short skirts and tank tops and going to the local club. In and of itself, the club isn't bad... until people are all over each other. Honestly, it's pretty disgusting. Then parties can get much worse. People get drunk and sometimes out of control. One of my friends told me that it's like you don't care too much who touches you. But for me... I'm still like "wait. No, you aren't going to get too close."
I want guys to respect me. I'd rather be called beautiful than sexy. I'd rather be pursued and mysterious than throwing myself at random guys. Then someday, when I meet my prince charming, I would rather have him cherish me than want me (although I would not mind if he found me super attractive :P). And a lot of these views are influenced directly from theology of the body.
Now, I want to learn more. I don't want to forget what I learned about last year. And more than that... I want to share this message. I believe that it's for everyone. Catholic of not. Christian or not. Boy and girl. This is for the older generations. This is for College students. This is for High School students. This is for Middle School students. Hey, you could even share the ideas with younger kids who have not had "the talk" yet!
So I am going to spend every day (at least once a week) reading bits of the Pope's Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body and blogging my thoughts, and how I think it relates to me and other young people. Wish me luck!
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