© 2003

Psst!! You are a woman. – you might not thing of yourselves of women but you are young women.

• Body has a nuptial meaning – we are called to union
• If we live according to the meaning of our bodies, we live to our fulfillment. If we don’t, we destroy ourselves.
• God loves us. He made us a certain way to be happy - if we live according to it – we will be happy.
• Your feminine body speaks to you about your dignity.
• Womanhood expresses the “human” as much as manhood does, but in a different and complimentarily way”
• What is the meaning of my body?

The body expresses the person- what we see in our flesh will tell us something about our souls.

• Remember - God loves us. He made us a certain way to be happy - if we live according to it – we will be happy.
• See the complementarily of male and female:
  • Male body is outwardly directed (initiator). Women are inwardly directed (the receiver) & receives in order to give back.
  • The feminine body – different than the male body – created with an empty space with in – to be receptive – to be life giver.
• Your feminine body reveals to everyone that humankind is called to be Bride.
  • Jesus came as a man because he is Bridegroom & humanity is bride – all are called to receive God’s life into us and bear it forth.
• Women’s bodies embody God’s plan.

Women as Arc-type of Humanity (Model humanity’s role)

• God always reveals himself as Bridegroom – God is imitator and Humanity is fundamentally feminine (plays the part of the female) – that is, receiving God’s Love. We are called to give ourselves back to God
• Women are the arc-type of humanity. – the model what all humanity is called to.
• Just as women are made in our beings to receive husbands’ love – all humans are created to receive God’s love.

Women as Helper – Relation to Man (AKA, Companion)

• Women’s first presence in the world is as gift—given to man.
• Alone, man does not completely realize his purpose – being a helper means the woman helps the man discover his own humanity.
  • If he needs to make a gift of self to find fulfillment, he needs someone to make a gift of self for.
  • She shows the man how to make the sincere the gift of self. Without her, he can’t understand fully the meaning of his existence. (Without her, he was alone)
• With her, men learn the meaning of life of union and communion through a sincere gift of self.
  Union expresses physical aspect (2 persons)(man/wife, God/person) – Communion expresses spiritual aspect (one Body in Christ)

Motherhood & Spiritual Motherhood

• How we are built as females tells us that we were meant for motherhood
  • “Empty space within” (womb)
    • interior readiness to receive others into our lives -to be available to receive others and to nurture them into wholeness and holiness
  • We long for to be united – it is the way that God made us so (different than men)…Sometimes it feels like loneliness or barrenness because we long for others.
• Every women is called to be a wife and a mother – and bring life to the world
• 1 Corinthians 6:20 - “..glorify God in your body!” be Christ-bearers
• Nurturing the emotional, cultural, moral, physical and spiritual life of another.
  • Emotional: Smile at someone, call a friend, give time, attention, compassion
  • Cultural: Teach you’re your siblings about literature, art, drama (my sister Regina) or with their homework.
  • Physical: Volunteer at soup-kitchen, give clothes to clothing drive, collect food for can drive.
  • Moral: Call one another on to holiness, “instruct the uniformed”
  • Spiritual: Try to be another hand of God – be generous with time and love – be there when someone needs you, pray with one another.

  Corporal

  Feed the hungry
  Give drink to the thirsty
  Clothe the naked
  Shelter the homeless
  Comfort the imprisoned
  Visit the sick
  Bury the dead
  

  Spiritual

  Admonish the sinner
  Instruct the uniformed
  Counsel the doubtful
  Comfort the sorrowful
  Be patient with those in error
  Forgive offenses
  Pray for the living and the dead.
  
  
• Ask the Holy Spirit you can welcome others into your life and be spiritually fruitful

• For in giving themselves to others each day women fulfill their deepest vocation. Perhaps more than men, women acknowledge the person, because they see persons with their hearts…They see them independently of various ideological or political sequence. Letter to Women

  Receptivity

  • We are talking about receiving a lot – but this is not passive but active receptivity. We receive in order to give back.
    • Receive, bear God’s life and bring it forth to the world!
  • The very way that our being is structured is for relationality.
    • We only find ourselves in making a gift of ourselves – we need someone to relate to.
  • Faith: The openness & receptivity of the human heart to God’s gift. John Paul II
  • (Maybe this is why women sometime have an easier time with faith than men.)

  Mary – Our Model (receptive…gift…mother)

  • Receptive, Gift, Mother - “Let it be done according to your will” Mary placed herself in the hands of God – and brought the Savior into the world.
    • Mary is the perfect example of fruitfulness & received God’s love in her womb and brought it to the world.

  The Attack on Women

  More temptations-
  • If enemy wants to keep us from God’s mystery – he will attack the union and women.
    • That is why the attack on women is so great.
    • Distorting women will stop life and love from coming into the world.
  • Women’s vulnerability is her need to receive and when what is offered to her isn’t love, she clams up – her reaction to the domination of man. (example: Kyle, soccer-jerk)
  • Result of sin – makes it hard to be like God
    The gift of fruitfulness became painful “in pain you shall bring forth your children” (now its painful – labor pains, PMS –physically motherhood// hard to volunteer, selfish spiritual motherhood)
    • “Your desire will be for your husband and he will dominate you.” (example: how guys treat women like they are in charge
  • Feminists reacted, rightly, to male domination
    • Equality in dignity does NOT mean sameness. WE don’t need to become like men to have dignity – we have our own dignity.
    • Reject their femininity – see their motherhood as chains instead of fruitfulness When women try to deny this truth it leads to depression, barrenness. Remember, God loves us – being fruitful/gift is the key to happiness
  • The women’s body is degraded.
    • Used to sell, to entertain, for pleasure.
    • Society suffers and becomes culture of death – no life being brought into the world.

  Chastity

  • Women experience their falleness as emotional gratification at the expense of a man and Men experience their falleness as physical gratification at the expense of a woman.
    • Women use men to give themselves emotional pleasure (feel loved & wanted) & Men use women to give themselves physical pleasure.
    • This is why modesty is so important – guys are fighting to remain pure –help them be holy! Let them be real men!
  • When Eve was tempted…where was Adam? He was supposed to guard & protect his wife.
    • Eve rejected her call to be a woman (She rejected God’s love for her)– and he rejected his call to be a man.
  • We know that we are never, never to be used as an object to give a man pleasure.
    • When we dress immodestly, we allow ourselves to be used by man
    • The world tells says that dating means use and let yourself be used.
    • The desire to be loved and close to someone can be so overwhelming
      • You may feel it – don’t be ashamed, or reject it.
      • Thank God for the gift of womanhood – thank God for the gift of wanting to love as God loves –
      • Ask for the help to be a real woman and show the man how to be a real man.
    • Annie: Reflections on your future spouse
  • Don’t say yes to the lies of the Enemy.
    • You need to look, dress, weigh, be ______ to be a real woman.
    • Your body is for a man’s pleasure
    • To be equal to a man, you need to just like a man – free from biological motherhood.
    • Your emotions make you weak and inferior
  
  The Church desires to give thanks to the Most Holy Trinity for the mystery of women and for every women - for all that constitutes the eternal measure of her feminine dignity, for the great works of God which throughout history have been accomplished in and through her. (Letter to Women)
  
  Jessica Doman can be contacted at jdoman@tobet.org
  
  The Theology of the Body Evangelization Team can be reached at info@tobet.org