notes in REED 4
second semester - finals
LOVE AS THE IMAGE OF GOD
Scriptural basis on the establishment of family
Scripture
- Provides us with many insights to teach us what a
happy and healthy family is (cf. AL 8)
- 1 John 4:7-19
7
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love
comes from God. Everyone who loves has been
born of God and knows God. Whoever does not
love does not know God, because God is love. 9
This is how God showed his love among us: He
sent his one and only Son into the world that
we might live through him. 13 This is how we
know that we live in him and he in us: He has
given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and
testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the
Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges
that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them
and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on
the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever
lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
- Matthew 19:4
- Genesis 1:27
On the first page of the bible, we see that God created
man and woman for each other, and their love for one
another is the foundation of the family. (cf. AL 9)
GOD CREATES OUT OF LOVE AND CONTINUES TO
CREATE
"Let there be" – God's free will-Creation is a free act of
God.
"Everything comes from LOVE; all is ordained for the
salvation of all." (St. Catherine of Siena)
"The beginning of the world is not a result of 'chaos' but
comes directly from a Supreme Principle that creates
out of love." (Pope Francis)
Gen 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image, in
the image of God he created them; male and female he
created them.
Matthew 19:4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at
the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,
'[a] 5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his
father and mother and be united to his wife, and the
two will become one flesh'[b]? 6 So they are no longer
two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined
together, let no one separate."
Amoris Laetitia: of love and marriage
 Then God said,
"Let us make man in our image, in our likeness...
So God created man in his own image, in the image
of God he created him; male and female be created
them. – Gel: 26-27
 Man and Woman = Imago Dei (images the
CREATIVITY OF GOD = procreators)
o The FRUITFULNESS of man and woman
together images the creativity of God (cf. AL
10)
GOD CREATES US IN HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS.
"God created (hu)man in his image, in the divine image
he created him; male and female he created them."
(Gen. 1:27)
ORIGINAL DESIGN:
THE SACRED HUMAN PERSON
 BEFORE ORIGINAL SIN, THERE WAS ORIGINAL
BLESSING
 WE WERE ALREADY GOD'S IMAGE AND
LIKENESS BEFORE WE WERE SEDUCED INTO
ASPIRING TO BE GODLIKE IN THE WRONG WAY
 GOD'S ORIGINAL DESIGN – "HOMO AMANS" =
THE LOVING HUMANKIND, A FAR MORE
ADVANCED SPECIES THAN HOMO SAPIENS =
THINKING HUMANKIND
"HOMO AMANS"
(SACREDNESS OF THE HUMAN PERSON)
POINT 1
 THE WILLFUL ABUSE OR DESTRUCTION OF
CREATION (whole of creation including human
beings) IS BLASPHEMY.
 BLASPHEMY IS AN ACT OF INSULTING OR
SHOWING CONTEMPT OR LACK OF REVERENCE
FOR GOD
 THE WORLD IS IN A CONTINUOUS PROCESS OF
EVOLUTION- NOT A MERE ACCIDENT. IT IS A
WILLFUL DESIGN OF AN OMNIPOTENT CREATOR
WHOM WE CALL GOD, YAHWEH, ELOHIM, TRIUNE
GOD, ALLAH
 IT IS A WORK IN PROGRESS IN WHICH WE ARE
INVOLVED IN TO
How are we valuing life in our own families?
POINT 2
In human beings, love is a quality, a high-prized virtue; in
God, love is His identity.
 HUMAN BEINGS ARE INNATELY ENDOWED WITH
THE CREATIVE QUALITIES OF THE CREATOR:
 INTELLIGENCE, FREE WILL, AND THE CAPACITY
FOR LOVE AND SELF-GIVING
 HUMANKIND IS CREATED IN THE IMAGE AND
LIKENESS OF GOD-WE SHARE IN THE CREATIVE
QUALITIES OF OUR CREATOR
 PROMOTING EQUALITY IN DIGNITY AND RESPECT
FOR ALL, FOR ALL!
Families are to be breeding place of respect and
dignity.
POINT 3
 ALL HUMAN BEINGS SHARE IN THE DIGNITY OF
GOD, OUR CREATOR
 WE HAVE FUNDAMETAL RIGHTS AND SHOULD BE
RESPECTED
 RIGHT TO FOOD, SHELTER, EDUCATION, HEALTH
CARE, EMPLOYMENT, DECENT WAGES, THE RIGHT
TO ORGANIZE LABOR UNIONS,
 BASIC RIGHTS AGAINST HARASSMENT, TORTURE,
SLAVERY, FORCED MARRIAGES, FORCED LABOR,
WARRANTLESS SEARCHES AND ARRESTS
POINT 4
 WE WERE CREATED BY GOD ΤΟ ACT AS STEWARDS
OF CREATION AND THAT WE ARE ACCOUNTABLE
TO OUR CREATOR AND TO ONE ANOTHER.
POINT 5
The poor will never cease from the land (Deuteronomy
15:11)
 BEING HUMAN DEMANDS BEING HUMANE
 TO THE WEAK, THE POOR, THE SICK, THE
VULNERABLE, THE AGED, THE CHILDREN, THOSE
SUFFERING FROM DISABILITIES, ETC.
 ALSO, TO ANIMALS AND OTHER FELLOW
CREATURES WITH WHOM WE SHARE A COMMON
HOME
POINT 6
 WE ARE EXPECTED TO BE JUST AND MERCIFUL
JUST AS OUR GOD-WHO BREATHED HIS LIFE INTO
US-IS JUST AND MERCIFUL
 PRINCIPLES OF STWEARDSHIP AND
ACCOUNTABILITY
POINT 7
 "ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH WILL FIND
BLESSING".
 BLESSED=SHARE
 "GIFTED TO GIVE"
THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY
Scripture and Tradition give us US access to a
knowledge of the Trinity, which is revealed with the
features of a family. The FAMILY is the IMAGE OF GOD
who is a COMMUNION PERSONS. (cf. AL 71)
Their (man and woman) bringing forth of new life in
love also images the triune nature of God, which is an
ETERNAL COMMUNION OF LOVE (cf. AL 11)
TRIUNE GOD: FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT
ETERNAL COMMUNION OF LOVE
The spousal relationship of man and woman is also an
image of God's love for his people. (cf. AL 12) The union
of man and woman in marital love is both physical and
spiritual. (cf. AL 13)
MARRIAGE -> PHYSICAL & SPIRITUAL
CHRIST, THE BRIDEGROOM WHO LOVES THE CHURCH
(PEOPLE), HIS BRIDE
MATRIMONY
 is a celebration of the union of at least a baptized
man and/or a baptized woman who freely give
themselves to each other in a lifelong COVENANT
OF LOVE.
 The Sacrament of Matrimony is usually celebrated
during the mass.
Can. 1055 §1. The matrimonial covenant, by which a
man and a woman establish between themselves a
partnership of the whole of life and which is ordered by
its nature to the good of the spouses and the
procreation and education of offspring, has been raised
by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament
between the baptized.
EFFECTS OF THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY
1. A RELATIONSHIP OF INDISSOLUBLE LOVE.
- Indissoluble - only death can break the marital bond
of either the husband or the wife
2. INCREASE OF SANCTIFYING GRACE
3. PROCREATE AND RAISE NEW PEOPLE IN THE
CHURCH COMMUNITY.
- Divorce - legal termination of marriage (civil law)
by Susan K. Rowland, Franciscan Media
ON DIVORCE
The Church-the institution as well as the individuals-
needs to minister to the millions of divorced Catholics
by both changing ingrained attitudes and reaching out
in love. Yes, the Church is and should be pro-marriage,
but, like its Lord, it must also love and support those
whose marriages have failed. It's a fine line to walk, but
it is necessary.
TESTIMONY
Non-divorced Catholics often come across as
judgmental of the divorced. Perhaps they don't mean
to. But there is a definite, although largely unconscious,
attitude in the Church that the divorced are less
spiritual, less committed to marriage and/or less
forgiving than the long-term married.
"Let me assure you, the divorced Catholics I know are
spiritual, forgiving people who are committed to family
and to the institution of marriage. And they did all they
could to save their marriages. It is time for all of us in
the Church to stop judging the divorced."
Not every marriage was 'joined by God' even if it took
place in a church. This may seem like a rationalization,
but Jesus' statement in Matthew 19:6 ("Therefore, what
God has joined together, no human being must
separate") does not apply to all marriages. Many of us,
looking back, realize that God was simply not a part of
our decision to marry. In my case, I never asked God,
never gave God the chance to stop my headlong (and
headstrong) determination to get married. And God was
trying to get my attention.
There are a variety of reasons why marriages fail. The
"big three" most of us think of are adultery, addiction
and abuse, but the real reason behind most failed
marriages is simple indifference, often on the part of
one spouse. There is no way a husband or wife can save
a marriage single- handedly. When a marriage fails, no
amount of effort, enabling or denial will save it.
Divorce has changed my life for the better. Many other
divorced Catholics can say the same. Divorce has
released spiritually, mentally me and emotionally to
become the person God created me to be. I have been
able to move on to a life that is fuller, happier and more
creative.
The most important change is this: My relationship with
God is better today than it ever has been. When I was
freed from an impossible, dysfunctional marriage, my
relationship with God blossomed. I had some initial
worries about my spiritual status when I began the
process, but God quickly reassured and comforted me
as I went through and beyond my divorce.
A divorced or separated person is not excommunicated
and is still a Catholic in good standing. The only reason
for excommunication after divorce is remarriage
without going through the annulment process.
Before a divorced person can remarry in the Catholic
Church, he or she must obtain an annulment by a
Catholic diocesan tribunal. Obtaining such a decree
does not mean that the marriage never took place; it is
a determination that a sacramental marriage did not - §2. The conference of bishops is free to establish a
take place higher age for the licit celebration of marriage.

SYMBOLISM IN A WEDDING CEREMONY AND THEIR 4) Blood Relationship

MEANINGS: - Can. 1091 §1. In the direct line of consanguinity
 Exchange of Rings marriage is invalid between all ancestors and
 is a sign of love, faithfulness and commitment descendants, both legitimate and natural.
of the couple for/to each other - §2. In the collateral line marriage is invalid up to and
including the fourth degree.
 Giving of Arrhae
 symbolizes the stewardship of earthly 5) Close affinity
possessions - Can. 1092 Affinity in the direct line in any degree
invalidates a marriage.
 Veil
 Symbolizes the oneness of marriage, symbol of 6) Sacred Vows
the faithful love the couple have for each other - priests and/or nuns (people who have taken the
vows of purity, celibacy and virginity) cannot
 Cord contract a valid marriage.
 symbolizes the unbreakable bond of marriage - A vow is a free and deliberate promise made to
God. It is a voluntary act of religion by which we
 Bible deliberately bind ourselves to something better.
 Serves as the couple's guide to a happy married - It is a sign of self-offering. As religious, we bind
life ourselves with vows in total self-giving to God. They
bind us in conscience and must be lived in a spirit of
 Candle generosity and love.
 Symbolizes Jesus in the center of their marriage
Presence of friends and relatives 7) Legal Relationship
- this refers to those who, by civil law, are incapable
of contracting marriage because of legal a
 Presence of friends and relatives
relationship arising from adoption
 symbolizes the loving support the community
will give to the couple in their married life
8) Other impediments
- ex. Unresolved Crimes(Circumstantial)
IMPEDIMENTS TO MARRIAGE
1) An Existing Marriage
CAN INMATES ENJOY WEDDINGS? YES.
- one who is married already cannot marry again
o Even a jailed inmate can have a fairytale, Catholic
while the other party is still alive.
wedding.
2) Coercion o Further proof that with God's love and human's
- forcing either party to marry against his/her will. genuine love, love knows boundaries. no
o The face of Christ...the face of mercy and
3) Below Age Requirement forgiveness.
- Can. 1083 §1. A man before he has completed his
sixteenth year of age and a woman before she has BASIC REQUIREMENTS (CODE OF CANON)
completed her fourteenth year of age cannot enter 1) At least one of the spouses is a baptized Catholic as
into a valid marriage. evidenced by a baptismal certificate. The Catholic
Church allows mixed marriages where one of the
 spouses is a non-Catholic. This must be discussed - A valid marriage between Christian and non-
with the parish priest of the Catholic spouse Christian was sacramental in nature
beforehand. - Rite of marriage outside of mass
2) The couple must be a woman and a man who are - Love is a gift from GOD, and if they want to
free of any impediment (e.g. no prior valid celebrate it =, it should be honored
marriages) that would prevent marriage;
3) The couple must be psychologically mature and LOVE IN THE SCRIPTURES
capable to consent to the marriage, knowing and
understanding the nature of Catholic; NEW AMERICAN
KING JAMES VERSION
4) The couple must freely express their resolve to get STANDARD VERSION
married and irrevocably give and accept one LOVE IS MENTIONED LOVE IS MENTIONED
another in marriage; 310 TIMES 348 TIMES
5) The wedding must be held in a Catholic church in OLD NEW OLD NEW
the presence of a Catholic deacon/priest/bishop not TESTAMENT TESTAMENT TESTAMENT TESTAMENT
impeded/censured by the Church and in the
131 times 179 times 133 times 215 times
presence of two other witnesses.

CAN MARRIAGE CEREMONIES TAKE PLACE OUTSIDE THE
CHURCH?
- Marriage is a sacrament that requires a respect for
the sacrament itself and not the scenery around it.
A marriage could technically take place anywhere,
as could any sacrament. However, there needs to
be an appropriate reason why marriage, or any
sacrament, needs to take place outside of a sacred
space.
- The sacrament of marriage is not a social
convention, an empty ritual or merely the outward
sign of a commitment. The sacrament is a GIFT
given for sanctification and salvation of the spouses,
since their mutual belongings is a real God's Love
representation, through the sacramental sign, of
the same RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHRIST AND THE
CHURCH. (cf AL 72)
First law of our jewish brothers n sisters
Listen Israel
Live the lord god with ur heart n mind
"Song of Songs gives us a series of pictures of the
relationship between a man & a woman- the joy, the
struggle, the complexity."
LOVE IS SACRED, BEAUTIFUL AND MYSTERIOUS
"Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all
your heart and with all your soul, and with all your
strength" (Deut. 6:4-9)
For these ancient Israelites, "fear of the Lord" and "Love
of God" were one of the same. Love of God includes
both obedience and service.

Mixed Marriage (notes from video, unsure btaw ni)
- Unless agree to be Christian
- Mixed marriages are rarely happy
- Catholics = act of tremendous faith
- The primary end of marriage is the procreation of
children
- In the church and in the context of the mass
- Proper dispensation from the bishop
- Automatic excommunication
- Mantrimonii sacramentum – allows mixed
marriages under the catholic church
"A life for a life!...Limb for limb, eye for eye, tooth for
tooth" (Lv. 24:18, 20)
- If u love the lord, this is the rule you will follow
"Lex Talionis" – Law of Retaliation (In the Old
Testament)
In the New Testament, Jesus changed it in Matthew 5
and made a law based on love saying that if someone
slaps you on the right cheek, offer him the left;

He adds on Matthew 6 saying, “Love your enemies.”
Love is challenging
LOVE IN GREEK
1. Epithemia - for sexual love, for that desire with
the connotation of LUST.
- A-marital Intercourse; it is done outside
marriage, should be done in the context of
Marriage
2. Eros - designated passionate love, a drive
toward union which brings about personal
fulfillment; its object can be a person, or even a
thing or idea.
3. Philia - signifies the affectionate inclination that
exists between siblings and friends.
4. Storge - means "affection" in ancient and
modern Greek. It is natural affection, like that
felt by parents for offspring.
5. Agape - describes the total dedication to
another's welfare regardless of sacrifice or
personal cost, it is a total movement of the will
independent of sentiment or feeling. Such is the
love that revealed on the cross.
LOVE AND LIFE OF MARTYRS – St Pedro Calungsod
The primacy of Love – letter of Paul to the Corinthians
So faith, hope, love remain, these three; But the
greatest of these is Love. (1 Cor 13:13)
"Love of God and Love of one's neighbor, then, are the
greatest commandments. Scripture teaches us that love
of God cannot be separated from love of one's
neighbor" (Mt
Christian love is not founded on on emotional bond or
on feeling rather it is a matter of will that reaches out to
everyone in need II is truly Agape.
Christian love has its roots in our intimate participation
in the life of God who is love.
In the Johannine writings this new spiritual reality of
sharing life in Christ means bearing fruit in love like
branches on a vine and following his example of self-
emptying service.
Love is the law of discipleship: "This is my
commandment: Love one another as l Love you"
AMORIS LAETITIA CH. 4
Love in Marriage
1 Cor 13:4-7 “The Way of Love”
In the fourth chapter of his apostolic exhortation
Amoris Laetitia, on Love in the Family, Pope Francis sets
out to "speak of love" between husband and wife in a
chapter entitled "Love in Marriage" (Amoris Laetitia,
89). Beginning with profound and practical meditations
on the verses of Saint Paul's renowned Hymn to Love in
1 Corinthians 13, Pope Francis outlines all the various
dimensions and manifestations of love in order to
provide concrete advice for loving in daily life.
Love is experienced and nurtured in the daily life of
couples and their children. It is helpful to think more
deeply about the meaning of this Pauline text and its
relevance for the concrete situation of every family. (cf
AL90)
1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-7
"Love is PATIENT, love is KIND;
love is NOT JEALOUS or BOASTFUL;
it is NOT ARROGANT or RUDE.
Love is GENEROUS, DOES NOT INSIST ON ITS WAY.
It is NOT IRRITABLE or RESENTFUL; It FORGIVES,
it DOES NOT REJOICE AT WRONG,
but rejoices in the right.
Love BEARS ALL THINGS,
BELIEVES ALL THINGS,
HOPES ALL THINGS
ENDURES ALL THINGS"
LOVE IS PATIENT
 It refers to the quality of one who does not act on
impulse and avoids giving offense.
 Being patient does not mean letting Ourselves be
constantly mistreated, tolerating physical
aggression or allowing other people to use us.
 Patience takes root when you recognize that other
people also have a right to live in this world, just as
they are.
 Love always has an aspect of deep compassion that
leads to accepting the other person as part of this
world, even when he or she acts differently than
you would like. (cf AL90)
LOVE IS KIND
AT THE SERVICE OF OTHERS
 Love is ever ready to be of assistance.
 "to love" - it is "to do good".
 As Saint Ignatius of Loyola said, "Love is shown
more by deeds than by words".
 shows its fruitfulness and allows us to experience
the happiness of giving, the nobility and grandeur of
spending ourselves unstintingly, without asking to
be repaid, purely for the pleasure of giving and
serving. (cf AL93)
LOVE IS NOT JEALOUS
 This means that love has no room for discomfiture
at another person's good fortune.
 Envy is a form of sadness provoked by another's
prosperity; it shows that we are not concerned for
the happiness of others but only with our own well-
being. Whereas love makes us rise above ourselves,
envy closes us in on ourselves. True love values the
other person's achievements.
 Love inspires a sincere esteem for every human
being and the recognition of his or her own right to
happiness. (cf AL95)
LOVE IS NOT BOASTFUL
 Those who love not only refrain from speaking too
much about themselves, but are focused on others;
they do not need to be the center of attention.
 It means that we do not become "puffed up" before
others; rather, builds up on others.
 Love is marked by humility; if we are to understand,
forgive and serve others from the heart, our pride
has to be healed and our humility must increase. (cf
AL97)
LOVE IS NOT ARROGANT OR RUDE
 To love is also to be gentle and thoughtful.
 love is not rude or impolite; it is not harsh. Its
actions, words and gestures are pleasing and not
abrasive or rigid. Love abhors making others suffer.
 This is incompatible with a negative attitude that
readily points out other people's shortcomings
while overlooking one's own. A kind look helps us to
see beyond our own limitations, to be patient and
to cooperate with others, despite our differences.
 Loving kindness builds bonds, cultivates
relationships, creates new networks of integration
and knits a firm social fabric. (cf AL97)
LOVE IS GENEROUS
 The Bible makes it clear that generously serving
others is far more noble than loving ourselves.
 Saint Thomas Aquinas explains that "it is more
proper to charity to desire to love than to desire to
be loved".
 love can transcend and overflow the demands of
justice, "expecting nothing in return" (Luke 6:35),
and the greatest of loves can lead to "laying down
one's life" for another (John 15:13). [Agape]
 Love in Latin is Caritas, Charity in English. Therefore,
Love is giving. (cf AL 101)
LOVE IS NOT IRRITABLE OR RESENTFUL
 The Gospel tells us to look to the log in our own eye
(cf. Mt 7:5).
 "Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down
on your anger" (Eph 4:26).
 Anger is a natural feeling, but hatred is the sin.
 Never to let the day end without making peace.
 If we must fight evil, so be it; but we must always
say "no" to violence. (cf AL 103)
LOVE FORGIVES
 Once we allow ill will to take root in our hearts, it
leads to deep resentment.
 The opposite of resentment is forgiveness, which is
rooted in a positive attitude that seeks to
understand other people's weaknesses and to
excuse them. As Jesus said, "Father, forgive them;
for they know not what they do" (Lk 23:34).
 Today we recognize that being able to forgive
others implies the liberating experience of
understanding and forgiving ourselves. (cf AL 105)
LOVE REJOICES WITH OTHERS
 When a loving person can do good for others, or
sees that others are happy, they themselves live
happily and in this way give glory to God, for "God
loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor 9:7).
 Our Lord especially appreciates those who find joy
in the happiness of others. If we fail to learn how to
rejoice in the well-being of others, and focus
primarily on our own needs, we condemn ourselves
to a joyless existence, for, as Jesus said, "it is more
blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). (cf AL
109)
LOVE BEARS ALL THINGS
 Paul says that love "bears all things" (panta stégei).
This is about more than simply putting up with evil;
it has to do with the use of the tongue.
 It implies limiting judgment, checking the impulse to
issue a firm and ruthless condemnation: "Judge not
and you will not be judged" (Lk 6:37).
 slander can be quite sinful; it is a grave offense
against God when it seriously harms another
person's good name and causes damage that is hard
to repair.
 Love cherishes the good name of others, even one's
enemies. (cf AL 111)
LOVE BELIEVES ALL THINGS
 Trust enables a relationship to be free. It means we
do not have to control the other person, to follow
their every step lest they escape our grip.
 Love trusts, it sets free, it does not try to control,
possess and dominate everything.
 This freedom makes for sincerity and transparency,
for those who know that they are trusted and
appreciated can be open and hide nothing. (cf AL
114)
LOVE HOPES ALL THINGS
 Love does not despair of the future.
 This speaks of the hope of one who knows that
others can change, mature and radiate unexpected
beauty and untold potential.
 This realization helps us, amid the aggravations of
this present life, to see each person from a
supernatural perspective, in the light of hope, and
await the fullness that he or she will receive in the
heavenly kingdom, even if it is not yet visible. (cf AL
116- 117)
LOVE ENDURES ALL THINGS
 This means that love bears every trial with a
positive attitude.
 This "endurance" involves not only the ability to
tolerate certain aggravations, but something
greater: a constant readiness to confront any
challenge.
 It is a love that never gives up, even in the
darkest hour.
 The strong person is the person who can cut off
the chain of hate, the chain of evil... (cf AL 118)
HUMAN SEXUALITY
GOD CREATED HUMANKIND IN HIS IMAGE; IN THE
IMAGE OF GOD, HE CREATED THEM; MALE AND FEMALE
HE CREATED THEM. (GN 1:27)
GOD IS LOVE, AND WHOEVER REMAINS IN LOVE
REMAINS IN GOD AND GOD IN HIM. ( (1 JN 4:16)
"THE JOY OF LOVE EXPERIENCED BY FAMILIES IS ALSO
THE JOY OF THE CHURCH." (Amoris Laetitia, 1)
JESUS CHRIST FULLY REVEALS WHO GOD IS AS A TRIUNE
COMMUNION LOVE-FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT
CATHOLIC TEACHINGS ON LOVE AND SEXUALITY ARE
FOUNDED ON GOD'S REVELATION OF HIMSELF IN
CHRIST JESUS-AS HANDED ON THROUGH SACRED
SCRIPTURE AND SACRED TRADITION, ACCESSIBLE TO
THE LIGHT OF FAITH; AND, ON THE NATURE OF THE
HUMAN PERSON AND THE NATURAL MORAL LAW,
ACCESSIBLE TO RIGHT REASON AND ILLUMINATED BY
FAITH. HERE WE WILL CONSIDER WHAT IT MEANS TO
BE MADE IN GOD'S IMAGE, WHY MALE AND FEMALE
ARE FOUNDATIONAL TO GOD'S DESIGN, THE GIFT OF
LOVE, THE NATURE OF MARRIAGE, AND WHY CHASTITY
IS ESSENTIAL TO LOVE RIGHTLY.
Sexuality is God’s gift to us
God commanded us to go and procreate
the ones nga naka dash kay ang gipang yaw2 sa speaker sa
vid, the ones nga naka arrow gkan sa iya ppt
HUMAN SEXUALITY notes (video)
- Sexually is more than just engaging in sex, it is our
way of being, man and woman
- Man is more logical, women are more emotional
- Human sexuality is more than the sexual act
- Human sexuality is part of our nature as human
beings
- Sexuality is calling us to love
- No man is an island, we are all social beings
- Man is not just in the world, man is also being with
others, Longing to relate with others, is all part of
human sexuality
- It plays a role in how we relate with others
- Our longing for God comes from sexuality
- Unlike animals, we humans can control our urge
- Instinct is a natural reaction, smth we can control
because of our rational nature
- Persons must not be used as objects
- Chastity serves as our light in loving
- What Is happening in our heart = chastity
- Chastity redirects us to love
- Chastity speaks of the purity of our hearts
- Sin distorted the conception if the body, bc of sin,
the body loses its character as a sign, objectively
- These verses talk ab God’s love for humanity (the
Isaiah one under spousal analogy)
- However, we r wounded by sin, But there is hope
- Friendship is love without the erotic dimension
HUMAN SEXUALITY notes (video)
 Sexuality refers to all the dimensions of our human
nature: psychological, social, intellectual and
physical. It is our way of living out our nature as
men or women.
 Sex which is a part of sexuality, refers mainly to the
genital organs and their use.
 Sexuality is our way of living out our nature as man
or woman
 Human sexuality is not something purely biological,
rather it concerns the intimate nucleus of the
person
 Human sexuality is a fundamental component of
personality, one of its modes of being, of
manifestation, of communicating with others, of
feeling, of expressing, and of living human love
 Biological Dimension of Human Sexuality
 Chromosomal sex: human being has 46
chromosomes
 Genital sex: Different sexual organs of man and
woman
 Personal Dimension of Human Sexuality
 Human person is a unity of body and spirit
 "Human Sexuality is a fundamental component of
personality, one of its modes of being, of
manifestation, of communicating with others, of
feeling, of expressing and of living human love."
 (book) Love and Responsibility – Karol Wojtyla
 Is the sexual drive of a human being an instinct
or an urge?
 An instinct is merely a "reflex mode of action,"
not dependent on conscious thought. Since
man, however, is a being who is by nature
"capable of rising above instinct in his actions,"
and can do so in the sexual sphere as well as
elsewhere, it is far better to speak of the sexual
"urge."
 The sexual urge in this conception is a natural
drive born in all human beings, a vector of
aspiration along which their whole existence
develops and perfects itself from within
 In man, sexual urge is subordinate to the will.
In animals, it is an instinct.
 Sexual urge as self-giving urge
 Sexual urge is there for man's use but it must
never be used in absence or in a way that it
contradicts love.
 Sexual urge is there to direct is to others (love)
and not to ourselves (lust)
 “A person is an entity of a sort to which the
only proper and adequate way to relate is love”
– The virtue of chastity, whose function it is to
free love from utilitarian attitudes, must
control not only sensuality and carnal
concupiscence, as such, but perhaps more
important-- those centres deep within the
human being in which the utilitarian attitude is
hatched and grows. (JP 2)
 “A person’s rightful due is to be treated as an
object of love, not as an object for use” –
 Chastity is the virtue enabling a person to come
into possession of his sexual desires and
feelings, not to be possessed by them, so that
he can give himself away in love to others,
particularly to persons of the other sex. (Cf JP
2)
 JP II’s Theology of the body
 The entire catechesis of JP II seeks to answer
these two main questions:
1) What does it mean to become a person
- a male and female? - a question of
identity.
2) How can I live my life in a way that I
can become truly happy and whole? - a
question of vocation.
 The body is not only biological. The body is also
theological.
 The body, in fact and only the body is capable
of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual
and divine. (TOB 19:4)
 The Spousal Analogy
 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. - Ephesians 5:31-32
 For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall
your Maker marry you; and as the bridegroom
rejoices over his bride, so shall your God
rejoice over you. - Isaiah 62:5
 In the spousal analogy God is always the
Bridegroom and humanity is always the Bride.
Why? Because humanity is first receptive to
the love of God: "In this is love, not that we
loved God but that he first loved us" (1
John4:10) The woman's body primarily tells the
story of receiving divine love while the man's
body primarily tells the story of offering that
love, of pouring it out. - Christopher West,
Theology of Body, 28
 The very word used in Scripture to describe
marital union "to cleave" or "to be joined" is
used to describe our union with God: My soul
clings to you. (Psalm 63:8) - Cf Pope Francis,
Amoris Laetitia, 13
 The true solution to pornographic distortions of
the body is not the rejection of the body, but
the redemption of the body - the untwisting of
what sin has twisted so we can recover the
true glory, splendour and inestimable value of
the body. - Christopher West
 CHRISTIAN VIEW OF SEXUALITY
 Body and sexuality are created by God.
Body and sexuality are therefore good.
However we are wounded by sin.
The whole person (sexuality) is redeemed by
Christ and renewed by Holy Spirit.
 CHRISTIAN SEXUAL ETHICS
1) Sex is good. It is created by God.
2) Sex is a gift from God and a task for man and
woman. The task is to love.
3) Sex is relational and heterosexual. A "thou"
relationship with the opposite sex.
4) Sex is ordered to love and to marriage. Marriage
safeguards true love.
5) The end of sexuality is procreation. The unitive
and procreative aspects of marriage.
6) The actuations of sex are proper only within
marriage. Mutual self-giving and human
procreation in the context of true love.
7) Husband and wife are obliged to practice
responsible parenthood. Married love requires
responsible parenthood. Humanae Vitae 10
 The ethical actuation of sex: the
"complementing each other" is ethically
realized by man and woman only in a human,
relational, heterosexual, marital, faithful and
open to life relationship.
 SEXUALITY & FRIENDSHIP
 We all need friends, a few close friends. - "A
faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds
one finds a treasure. A faithful friend is beyond
price, no sum can balance his worth. A faithful
friend is a life-saving remedy.” (Sirach 6:14-16)
 Who is a true friend? - "A true friend is one
who knows you as you are, understands where
you have been, accepts who you have become,
and still gently invites you to grow."
(Anonymous)
 Friendship is love without the erotic dimension
and the deeply religious dimension of “agape."
 "Without friends who would want to live?" -
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, VIII, Chap 1
 "Friendship is the most needed thing." –
Aristotle
 Do not be anxious or jealous over a friend. - "If
you love something... set it free. If it comes
back, it is yours. If it doesn't, it never was."
(Anonymous)
 In priestly and religious life, spiritual friendship
is important! - "The man who is to be happy
will therefore need virtuous friends." -
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book IX, 1170b
19