Human Sexuality
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UNIT 4 Human Sexuality Lessons in This Unit Scripture Studied ӹ Lesson 1: Exploring Human in This Unit Sexuality with Sacred Art ӹ Genesis 1:26-27 ӹ Lesson 2: Male and ӹ Genesis 2:18-24 Female: The Imago Dei ӹ Psalm 8:4-9 ӹ Lesson 3: Theology of the Body ӹ Matthew 5:8 ӹ Lesson 4: The Proper Use ӹ Matthew 5:27-28 of Human Sexuality ӹ Matthew 19:3-8 ӹ Lesson 5: Holy Matrimony ӹ Matthew 19:9-12 ӹ Lesson 6: Offenses against ӹ Luke 1:26-38 Chastity and Marital Love, Part 1 ӹ Luke 1:39-45 ӹ Lesson 7: Offenses against Chastity and Marital Love, Part 2 ӹ Luke 22:19 ӹ Lesson 8: Growing in Sexual ӹ John 2:1-11 Maturity: Friendship and ӹ John 15:11-13 Protecting against Lust ӹ Colossians 1:24-27; 2:2 ӹ Lesson 9: Growing in ӹ 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7 Sexual Maturity: Resisting ӹ 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Temptation and Relying ӹ 1 Peter 2:24 on God and His Grace ӹ 1 John 3:16 ӹ Revelation 19:6-9 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS 757 Connection to the Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 1 Lesson 5 ӹ 42, 341, 359 ӹ 1601-1617, 1640, 1643-1655 Lesson 2 Lesson 6 ӹ 200-202, 218-221, 234, 237, ӹ 1643-1654, 2332, 2337, 253-260, 298, 355-373, 990-991, 2352-2353, 2380-2381 1004, 1605, 2331-2335, 2393 Lesson 7 Lesson 3 ӹ 2270-2275, 2354- ӹ 234, 237, 355-373, 1605, 2356, 2366-2372 1610, 1614, 1644, 2331- 2336, 2364, 2382 Lesson 8 ӹ 609, 1878-1879, 2347, 2351 Lesson 4 ӹ 238-267, 364, 369-373, Lesson 9 1762-1775, 2331-2345, ӹ 369, 384, 1784, 1802- 2360-2361, 2345 1829, 2013, 2221-2224, 2207, 2331-2345, 2558- 2561, 2848-2849, 2863 758 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS Introduction he truth about human sexuality is His being, in His very identity, is love itself. Tinseparable from the truth of man being And God sent His only Son into the world made in God’s image and likeness. Both are to give His life for us by dying on the Cross, fundamental reflections of God Himself to show us the greatest meaning of love — and His intimate love for His creation. The to give oneself to another. Because God is mystery and wonder of God’s creation leads love and we are made in His image, we are man to the contemplation of the beauty and made with the capacity to love, to give and goodness of his own body and of the beauty to receive love. This fundamental truth of and goodness of God Himself. God draws humanity is written into our bodies in the us into the mystery of His love and calls us complementarity of male and female. In to love as He loves. This requires us to care fact, this essential truth is revealed to us on for our own bodies responsibly and manage the first pages of Scripture: “God created our sexuality in accordance with the moral mankind in his image; in the image of law of God. God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). It is precisely in human sexuality, as men and women, The Imago Dei that we are the imago Dei and become signs God made man in His image and likeness: of God’s very life and love. the imago Dei. This means that we are made in the image of the Blessed Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, a Theology of the Body communion of Persons bound in an eternal Pope St. John Paul II reflected on these exchange of love. God, at the very core of truths of God and man in his seminal work, Therefore, each of us is called to chastity, that is, the true integration of a person’s sexuality within a person’s bodily and spiritual being. The Woman Taken in Adultery, by Guercino (c. 1621), Dulwich Picture Gallery UNIT 4 OVERVIEW 759 Theology of the Body. In this series of talks Separated from that purpose, sexual desire given over many months of Wednesday can easily become lust and lead to other audiences, the pope proposed that “the sexual sin that disrespects the dignity body, in fact, and only the body, is capable of both persons who are made in God’s of making visible what is invisible: the image. Therefore, each of us is called to spiritual and divine. It has been created chastity, that is, the true integration of a to transfer into the visible reality of the person’s sexuality within a person’s bodily world the mystery hidden from eternity in and spiritual being. In other words, chastity God, and thus to be a sign of it” (Theology means to control our sexual feelings and of the Body 19:4). He further developed this reserve sexual acts for the context of thesis by reflecting on the original state of marriage, in order to make our sexuality a mankind, who was first made in solitude to true and full gift to our spouses. recognize his personhood and relationship Marriage, the primordial sacrament of to God, and then made in unity to discover union between one man and one woman, is the gift of sexuality and to respond to capable of fully reflecting the love of God, God’s call to love as He loves. The original which is free, faithful, total self-giving, and nakedness of the first man and woman fruitful. These goods of marital love are revealed that they saw each other for who found in the two purposes of marriage: they were, man and woman, human persons the unitive purpose or the good of the made in God’s image with equal dignity couple and the procreative purpose or the and the capacity to love. They were free of generation (procreation) and education of defenses, barriers, and masks. They were children. The two purposes of marriage are completely vulnerable. They were able to essential for a marriage to be a marriage. In be themselves freely and choose to love fact, anything that prevents or diminishes without any fear of harm or shame. these purposes is contrary to God’s plan for marriage. By this standard, then, we To Love as God Loves can evaluate a moral act related to human Human sexuality, then, was the original sexuality to the degree that it upholds blueprint for love. The marital union of one or disrespects the goods of marital love man and one woman giving themselves and the virtue of chastity. Some of the completely to one another in marital love is offenses against chastity and marital love an icon of the Trinity and a sign of Christ’s include adultery, fornication, masturbation, love for His Church. Sexual desire, the homosexual activity, transgenderism, rape, normal feelings or passions that are part of prostitution, pornography, contraception, the human experience, are meant to point and abortion. Each uniquely offends and us toward and move us in the direction of disrespects God’s plan for marital love, our marriage between a man and a woman. call to chastity, and our dignity as human persons. 760 © SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS Learning to resist temptation is a necessary part of Christian living. The Temptation of Christ by the Devil, by Félix Joseph Barrias (c. 1860), Philbrook Musem of Art Overcoming Temptation person as an object to be used, but rather While marital love is the original blueprint, to uphold the goodness and dignity of that we are capable of loving as God loves in our person. friendships and in our families; we can love Sexual temptations can be a particularly the poor, the sick, and the outcast. Some of seductive form of temptation. Learning us are not called by God to marriage, but to resist temptation is a necessary are called to ordained and religious life as part of Christian living. By cultivating a priests, sisters, brothers, and consecrated life of prayer, frequently receiving the virgins. Regardless of our vocation, we are Sacraments, especially Holy Communion called to love as God loves, to make a gift of and Reconciliation, strengthening our will self to others. In fact, the virtue of chastity through self-denial, and seeking holiness blossoms in friendship and shows us how not only for ourselves, but for our friends, to follow and imitate Christ. When some those we are dating, and spouses, we can friendships bring about romantic feelings, become the best person God made us to be we have the responsibility to avoid the and authentically respond to His call to love sin of lust so that we do not see the other as He loves. UNIT 4 OVERVIEW 761 Connections to New York Religion Guidelines Theme Content Sexuality is a gift from God. It embraces ӹ Sexuality in the plan of God psychological, spiritual and physical Gift from God characteristics of men and women. We Adolescence and the lifelong process human beings need to integrate our of becoming mature sexual persons sexuality into our total personality in order ӹ Sexuality and the dignity of the human to develop into the persons God has called person us to be. ӹ Proper uses of the gift of human sexuality Objectives Sexual feelings To help the young adolescent appreciate ӹ Relationships the gift of sexuality. Sexual union in marriage ӹ To assist the young adolescent in ӹ Abuses of the gift of sexuality developing correct and positive attitudes concerning sexuality.