Why did God create us male and female?

What will lead me to ultimate fulfillment?

What am I made for?

What is the Church’s reasoning behind its teachings on sex?

If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions or are curious to know the answers, this series is for you. Our Young Professionals are meeting on Tuesdays throughout October to walk through Theology of the Body For Beginners together. This 4 week series will include weekly reflections by Jen Messing (see about Jen Messing below), reading Theology of the Body For Beginners by Christopher West, small group table conversation and big group discussion. You won’t want to miss this series - register below now to secure your spot!

Details

When: Tuesdays October 4, 11, 18, 25, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Where: Upper Commons - New Building - Our Lady of Grace

What to Bring: Theology of the Body For Beginners by Christopher West (to be handed out at the first session), a pen, and a notebook.

Contact: Tyler McCollum or Kory LaCroix.

Cost: $20. This cost includes your Theology of the Body For Beginners book as well as snacks and drinks throughout the series.

Background of Theology of the Body

If you asked the average person to summarize the Church’s teaching on sex, they might say, “The Church says, ‘Don’t do it.’”. In this series, we look at what the Church actually teaches about sex: Specifically, what the late great Pope, Saint John Paul II has shared on the matter. You might be surprised.

Saint John Paul II spoke on Theology of the Body 129 times during his Wednesday audiences in St. Peter's Square and the Paul VI Audience Hall between September 5, 1979, and November 28, 1984. We do not have the time to read through all his lectures in a 4-week series (or at least not at my reading pace), so we will read through a summary of his teachings, written by Christopher West in his book titled, Theology of the Body For Beginners.

Joining Us

Leading our sessions: Jen Messing (pictured to the right)

We will be joined by Jen Messing, founder of Into the Deep. Into the Deep is an organization that specializes in giving presentations and leading theology of the body-based retreats in both outdoor and traditional settings around the United States, led by Jen.  Her particular gift is to inject the universal language of the theology of the body into a wide range of ages, populations, and subject matter, showing how applicable it is in everyday life and in every aspect of the Catholic faith.

A personal note about Jen’s experience with Theology of the Body: My first exposure to the Theology of the Body involved cassette tapes of Christopher West on a road trip to North Dakota.  I listened to them twice (and many times after that) knowing immediately – like so many others – that this language held the core answers to all the big questions in life.  When I started studying the book for the first time, it took me a year to pronounce “eschatological” without stopping midstream.  I owe much to those who explained all the big theological and philosophical terms to me – people with much greater degrees than I – and so I now put myself at the service of those who want the heart of the message in everyday, applicable language.