Theology of the Body: Dudes, We Gotta Step it Up.

When I started this blog I stated that the basic reason was for me to work out some of the things going on in my life through the lens of my Catholic identity. We guys have a lot of battles in this life as husbands, fathers, Christians and Americans. One of the biggest battles I think we dudes face is living out our lives in a world where we are constantly exposed to vice and the things that encourage vice. One of the most prolific vices for men is without a doubt what the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls "offenses against chastity."    

Most guys seem to have been raised in a society where, especially if you grew up in public school with sex ed, you were taught that sex is natural and beautiful (which it is, of course, but in the proper context-more on that later). You were also taught that because sex is natural, all thoughts and actions related to it are not only normal and natural, but healthy. You grow up and hear guys reminisce about when they lost their virginity (hint: not to their wife), or the pure excitement and nostalgia of finding their fathers' porn stash when they were kids. They look back with fondness on those moments and yet make no connection to their addiction to porn now. They don't notice that they can't look at a woman and see her as anything more than a pleasure object. 

We guys who didn't have a right understanding of our sexuality and our faith growing up are numb to dignity of other human beings. I think this also translates to how we are numb to violence. We are trained to see other people in terms of what they can do for us or how they can make us feel and not as brothers and sisters in Christ with inherent dignity and worth. I certainly feel this has been my experience to a certain extent. Not only has the secular world affected the way I look at women, but also how I look at other people in my life as a Peace Officer. In my job I am constantly around murders, rapists, child molesters and other criminals who, upon seeing their crimes most would question whether they even count as human. It's a constant struggle for me as a Catholic to see Christ in these people and to treat them with Christian love and compassion. 

Enter Blessed Pope John Paul II, the namesake of my youngest son, and his Theology of the Body. For those who aren't familiar, Theology of the Body (TOB) was the title of a series of talks the Holy Father gave during his Wednesday audiences. The talks are about the Church's biblical teachings on human sexuality. My plan is to study these teachings and try to incorporate them more into my life and my faith. As I'm learning more I'll post about important or interesting teachings and hopefully get some dudes out there to study with me (or at least read my posts) and share some of their thoughts on TOB or some or their struggles with this topic.

Pretty much all my reading will be done online. I will be using the following links. Guys (or gals) can read along and post discussion and comments on the blog or on my  Facebook page .

Theology of the Body found on EWTN

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Chistopher West's Blog

I really look forward to reading TOB and hope you all will join me and add your own thoughts or share your experiences with me.