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! :)
Love
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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