“Jesus Christ revealed the fullness of love—a love that is free, total, faithful, and fruitful. In marriage, we reflect Christ’s fullness of love "
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If you click the bell in the top right corner of this email (next to the list name "Catholic Faith Explained" you can select if you would like to receive an email or text when someone leaves a public comment. This will help us all to DISCUSS the topic.
WEEK Eight: A Love that Lasts - God's Plan for Sexuality
Check out the yellow box at the bottom of this email for supplemental resources!
The Catholic view of human sexuality is that it is a great gift to humanity. It is part of God’s beautiful and transformative plan to bring a husband and wife
into the deepest possible union within the Sacrament of Matrimony—when a man and woman unite their very selves in a total gift of self, a gift of self that is open to creating new life. In the Catholic view, all love, but especially marital love, is supposed to be
self-giving, and the sexual embrace is when spouses give themselves totally to the other—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Sex is not just a physical act but the outward expression of what God means when he says that two shall become one.
The reality is that God wants to transform our lives—every aspect of our lives including our sexuality—so that we can live the abundant life Jesus promised to
his followers. That’s why the Church proclaims the truth about the proper use of our sexuality. The Church’s teachings on sexuality are intended to help us say “yes” to God’s plan for love so that our sexuality can become the great gift of self that it was created to be. Just as the banks of a river channel the water so that it can be a powerful force instead of a wasteful flood, so, too, the Church’s teaching on marriage
and sex helps channel our sexuality into a life-giving, creative force that brings the love of Christ more into the world.
into the deepest possible union within the Sacrament of Matrimony—when a man and woman unite their very selves in a total gift of self, a gift of self that is open to creating new life. In the Catholic view, all love, but especially marital love, is supposed to be
self-giving, and the sexual embrace is when spouses give themselves totally to the other—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Sex is not just a physical act but the outward expression of what God means when he says that two shall become one.
The reality is that God wants to transform our lives—every aspect of our lives including our sexuality—so that we can live the abundant life Jesus promised to
his followers. That’s why the Church proclaims the truth about the proper use of our sexuality. The Church’s teachings on sexuality are intended to help us say “yes” to God’s plan for love so that our sexuality can become the great gift of self that it was created to be. Just as the banks of a river channel the water so that it can be a powerful force instead of a wasteful flood, so, too, the Church’s teaching on marriage
and sex helps channel our sexuality into a life-giving, creative force that brings the love of Christ more into the world.
1. You may view the Participant Guide below. Session One appears on pages 60-64.
2. Watch the video below - You will need a free FORMED account to access the videos. See the instructions at the bottom of this email if you have not set one up already.
- Watch the full video at once: 20 min.
A Love that Lasts: Discovering Authentic Love
Symbolon: The Catholic Faith Explained | Season 2 | Episode 8 | 38m
Understanding God's truth about human sexuality can transform our lives. But are we ready to rebel against our culture's view to take sexual intimacy to its true level?
3. After watching the video, take 5-10 min to reflect on the questions on page 112-113 of your participant guide.
I encourage all to clicking "reply" at the bottom of this email and share questions and comments. You may also send me a private question or comment by clicking the box for "private". An "add your thoughts" box will appear. Type your question or comment and hit enter. If you would like to send me a private question or comment, type in the same box but check "private" and hit enter.
If you click the bell in the top right corner of this email (next to the list name "Catholic Faith Explained" you can select if you would like to receive an email or text when someone leaves a public comment. This will help us all to DISCUSS the topic.
4. Page 116 in the participant guide contains 3 questions designed to Call us to Conversion. Take 15 minutes to pray and answer these questions.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCE LINKS:
Encyclical Letter, Deus Caritas Est by Pope Benedict XVI
Men, Women and the Mystery of Love by Dr. Edward Sri - In today's culture, we're constantly bombarded with the secular notion of love and intimacy, instead of the kind of love that God intended for his children. In this presentation, Dr. Edward Sri explains how Pope St. John Paul II's teachings of the Theology of the Body can help us prepare for marriage, by showing us how to live as selfless, authentic men and women.
In our session I mentioned there is reference in the leader's guide to Leah's story in the Y Disciple series, session 4.