TOB for Home Schooling Moms

TOB for Home Schooling Moms By Annie Vining MTh, President TOBET The Theology of the Body for Home Schooling moms is a reflection given to around 10 mothers at St. Basil's Church in Irving TX on October 14, 2004. © 2004 Talk for Home schooling Moms in Irving, October 2004

1. The TOB
   1. the response to the sexual revolution
   2. prepared in Karol Woytila from the time of the Srodovisco
   3. answers the question what does it mean to be a human being
   4. through the Wednesday audiences
   5. we are going to focus on holiness in marriage for women
2. The dignity of the body
   1. the body reveals the person
   2. as an image of God, it also reveals God
   3. it is a sign of God's plan for His relationship with us
   4. in its physical makeup it shows that we are to be a gift to one another, that we were made for one another…and for God
3. The gift of self: God's plan for the body
   1. a way to explain love based on trinity
   2. revealed fully by Jesus on the cross
   3. characterized by the four F's
   4. establishes the union of Christ and the Church
4. The union of Christ and the Church
   1. sums up the "sacrament" of creation, in which God shows what He has in mind regarding His relationship with us, written into our very bodies
   2. adds to it the grace needed to live it out, adds a forgiving element to this love
   3. remember, we were made to give ourselves to form a communion of life giving love
   4. when we give ourselves through the sacrament of marriage, we participate in the love of Christ for the Church
   5. we make it sacramentally present, in our bodies we make it visible, particularly when we have sex
   6. sex is a form of worshiping God, a means of sacramental grace, when it truly images His gift of self that is FFFF
   7. to be holy in the married life means to live a sacramental life, by visiting the sacraments, by renewing our covenant with our spouse, and by imaging that giving in all areas of life so that we become configured to the image of Christ who "gave Himself up"…
   8. We have been "consecrated for [this] love."
5. Holiness is measured by the gift of self, for humans, in and through the body
   1. this is what we must prepare our children for
   2. what if they are called to be celibate? no problem since they makea gift of self through their body in anticipation of the union of Christ and the Church, the principle is the same
   3. the first step in teaching them is to be a living image of that which we want to teach, for actions speak louder than words.
   4. then by treating them according to the principle's that God relates to us with, we will lay the foundation for them to be ready to make a gift of self that is FFFF ex) freedom when putting your kids to bed… We are the image of God for them!!!!!
   5. when the time comes, we can put the gift of self into sexual terms so that they come to understand that sexual desire is given to us to motivate us to give ourselves as Jesus did on the cross.
   6. the final crowning of this education is when we put the ultimate gift of self, sex, into the context of a participation and a making present of the love that unites Christ and the Church, (cf. Eph 5)
6. There is so much to learn!!!
   1. a short talk is not adequate preparation for this task
   2. we must first learn about our vocation by reading, study, and seeking the Truth (recommended: CCC, Good News, Explained, GS and LG)
   3. we must try to live holiness, the gift of self, according to our state in life
   4. we must meditate and pray that God would show us how to relate to our children as He does in each particular situation (I am writing a book on this to help)
   5. when the time comes, we must be ready with an understanding of the magnitude of the holiness of our bodies, sex, and the marriage as sacraments of God's work in the world.
   6. This will enable us to prepare the words that will help them understand God's plan for their sexuality.

Annie Vining can be contacted at avining@tobet.org

The Theology of the Body Evangelization Team can be reached at info@tobet.org