Well, it is kind of a double entendre any way if you are familiar with John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. I wanted to share with y’all (I’m back in Texas so I’m allowed) one of the irons I have had in the fire (which is one reason I have been slacking with my posts). I will be doing an 8 part series on the theology of the body on local Catholic TV and Radio, the latter of which unfortunately for you, is also streamed. This first series will take John Paul’s work from a little different perspective. A short description of the series is found below. The CTSA program description and resources will be found here. The streaming can be found here (runs at 8pm Central on the Wednesdays noted below; select “listen in English” and then choose “South Texas”).
The popular treatment of Theology of the Body has been focused around the most obvious areas, the promotion of chastity and purity, and to a lesser extent, marriage but I would argue that John Paul II’s theology of the body is a new, complete synthesis of Catholic teaching in the manner of what St. Thomas Aquinas did with his Summa theologiae. This first series will approach John Paul II’s insights in a manner of a mini-catechism in order to try to illustrate its wide reaching implications. Here is a summary of the series:
Episode 1 (Mar 10): “Theology of the Mystical Body”
This first episode explains the purpose of the series and how it will progress to include a brief overview of John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and its significance for the Church.
Episode 2 (Mar 24): “Know Thyself”
This episode discusses the meaning of man as made in the image of God, emphasizing why understanding the Trinity is essential for understanding what makes us tick and how we ultimately will find our happiness.
Episode 3 (Apr 14): “This Valley of Tears”
This episode explores creation and the Fall and what this means for our personal experience of goodness and of sin. It looks at how the Fall affects our relationship with God and with others, and what the challenges are for having a fully Christian life of joy.
Episode 4 (Apr 28): “Jesus’ Body”
This episode looks at the Incarnation Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ from a fresh perspective. It explains these events in order to highlight their universal significance while at the same time providing insights into the human condition and the meaning of life.
Episode 5 (May 12): “Christ’s Body”
This episode investigates various doctrines concerning the Church from the perspective of marriage based upon John Paul II’s analysis of Ephesians 5.
Episode 6 (May 26): “Offer It Up”
This episode explores the significance of the liturgy & the Sacraments from the perspective of the human person and his place in the cosmos.
Episode 7 (Jun 9): “It’s Not Hard, But It Is Humanly Impossible”
This episode discusses the moral life by looking at the interplay of grace and human action in achieving self-mastery and joy in this life in order to prepare for the next.
Episode 8 (Jun 23): “Earth in Heaven”
This last episode of the series explains the Last Things from the perspective of what it means to be human; i.e. what the Last Things mean with respect to a body as well as a soul.
.jpg)
