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The Theology of the Body Evangelization Team's Lenten Series at Our Lady of Lebanon: Wrap Up Talk Notes

By Annie Vining MTh, President TOBET

© 2006

  1. This talk will wrap up our series by taking a step back and looking at a synthesis of the whole TOB
    1. We will take a look at the themes which build the TOB, to get the big picture in mind
    2. and to see how each part interrelates
  2. We were made in the image of God-body and soul
    1. The spiritual builds upon the natural (St. Thomas Aquinas)
    2. If we want to find our greatest happiness, we must live according to the image of God in our bodies AND our souls
  3. The natural foundation
    1. In Genesis, we find out aspects of what it means to be made in the image of God, with a focus on the foundational aspects (NOTE: these aspects are analogous with the 'natural' foundation upon which the spiritual builds, even though it is not really possible to separate the natural and the spiritual so easily, since they are two parts of one whole, like heat and water are essential parts of the phenomenon called boiling water. I am making this analogy to simplify the topic for the sake of this talk.)
    2. John Paul points out that in the beginning of the Genesis account, we see man living the way God intended (he is always quick to point out that through Jesus, we can once again live in this way)
    3. If we understand how they lived, we can help the process, which is partly natural
    4. The foundational elements of living a fully human life, in the image of God include:
      1. integrity: man was originally well formed at a natural level-all the parts of him were appropriately integrated into a unified whole
      2. self possession which leads to true freedom: when we have the virtue (spiritual manliness) to be in control of all the various aspects of our personality and they are all well formed at a natural level, then I am truly in charge of myself: I am free
      3. (If I find myself lacking in any one of these underlined words, I can seek help from a Catholic therapist who understands the natural aspects of people, who knows how they are supposed to function together, and who can help me put them back together so that my spiritual life can blossom.)
      4. self possession and integrity meant that sexual desire was a particularly important aspect of man's being made in God's image because it lead him to become the image of Love ("God is love" 1 John, and "Be fruitful and multiply." Gen)
  4. The spiritual building
    1. The spiritual is the flowering of the natural. It is in the soul that we find the fullness of living in the image of God
    2. Jesus shows us the fullness of living in the image of God: it is a gift of self that is full, free, faithful, and fruitful. He "unveils" the inner working of the Trinity by His greatest act of love: dying on the cross.
    3. When we make a gift of self in every action, and particularly in those actions that unite us in one flesh with out spouse (where we come to image God as Love most deeply), we find the flowering of that natural foundation: the communion of persons
    4. The gift of self leads to the communion of persons which is a reflection of the kind of life that exists in the Trinity (and this is a foretaste of heaven)
    5. If we find that we have difficulty actually living this way because of sin, the first question to ask is: is this being caused by a flaw in my natural formation (since nobody has perfect parents or a perfect past!) and the second to ask is: is there sin which is binding me, and making me so weak that I cannot live this gift of self to the full? If so, then confession, and frequent confession is the key! (it is like a painless purgatory, if the natural is already in order)
    6. Sin destroys the image of God by turning us in on ourselves: what can I get rather than what can I give. It enslaves us by making us too weak to make difficult gifts of self, and it ultimately leads us to separate ourselves from communion with others, which is preparation for the "communion of communions" (JP II, TOB) which is heaven.
  5. Conclusion: Heaven is the goal of the TOB
    1. Heaven, being in union with God, is impossible with regaining the image of God in which we were made from the very beginning- This is why Jesus' greatest commandment is "Love one another as I have loved you." (He said this because "God is love," the kind of love Jesus showed on the cross)
    2. With Jesus' help, it is difficult to regain the image of God, but entirely possible.
    3. Heaven is our ultimate happiness, and since it is union with God, we don't have to wait until we die to begin to experience it!


Annie Vining can be contacted at avining@tobet.org

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

© 2005
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