9th Grade Religious Education
During the 9th grade year, youth of Sacred Heart Religious Education receive sexuality training with a direct connection to their Catholic faith through the use of Theology of the Body for Teens.
The Theology of the Body speaks to the deepest meaning of why we were created, the purpose of love and sexuality, and the meaning of life. These topics are important for all persons, especially for teens. Teens crave the Theology of the Body—even though they may not know it at a cognitive level. They are yearning for answers to life’s deepest questions, as well as a positive portrayal of their sexuality. John Paul II’s vision for the meaning of our bodies and our sexual desires is a topic that will connect with teens in a way that speaks to the deepest desires of their hearts.
Human beings were made for greatness. We were made to know God, know truth, and live life in a way that brings us peace and happiness. These pursuits are often difficult to reflect upon and come by in today’s distracting and permissive culture. As a result, it is perhaps harder to live as a teenager today than any other time before. The wounds our teenagers experience are deep and manifold. Due to our culture’s focus on immediate gratification, many teens have lost their way, and in the process have lost hope of attaining the greatness they desire. The Theology of the Body will help restore their hope because it reveals for our teenagers a road map to real love and authentic happiness.
Theology of the Body for Teens will help them to unlearn the misguided teachings of the modern culture and provide them with the very key to life—the key to happiness and peace. It will help them discover the ultimate purpose for which God created them—communion with him.
What is the Theology of the Body?The Theology of the Body refers to a series of 129 lectures given by Pope John Paul II during his Wednesday audiences in Rome between September 1979 and November 1984. These addresses were later compiled and published as a single work entitled The Theology of the Body According to John Paul II. The Theology of the Body covers such topics as the bodily dimension of the human person, the nature of human sexuality, the human need for communion, and the nature of marriage.
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Christ’s mission, according to the spousal analogy of the Scriptures, is to “marry” us. He invites us to live with him in an eternal life-giving union of love. This is what the union of the sexes is meant to proclaim and foreshadow – the eternal union of Christ and the Church. As St. Paul says, quoting from Genesis:
“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the church” (Eph 5:31-32).
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By helping us understand this profound interconnection between sex and the Christian mystery, John Paul II's theology of the body not only paves the way for lasting renewal of marriage and the family; it enables everyone to rediscover “the meaning of the whole of existence, the meaning of life” (Oct 29, 80).
John Paul II's Theology of the Body is especially important for teens who are surrounded by messages that challenge their faith and encourage permissive attitudes. The Theology of the Body is a new understanding of the human person that takes one beyond the "thou shall nots" often associated with Christianity to a fresh, new approach to the gift of love and human sexuality. As John Paul II says, "Love demands a personal commitment to the will of God" (October 1, 1979).
http://www.tobforteens.com/page.asp?pid=1
