Our catalog of courses is complete. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
In order to live the “abundant life” that Jesus said He came to bring, we need to know who we are, made in God’s image and likeness. A new vision of such anthropology has been given to us by God through (soon-to-be) Saint Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (TOB). A deep, proper study of this work brings with it a renewal of the person who embraces such teachings. The late Holy Father’s biographer, George Weigel, called it a “time bomb” set to go off sometime after the Pope’s death. Angelo Cardinal Scola remarks that every area of Catholic thought can be undergirded by the Theology of the Body; thus, this course will not only offer an opportunity for ongoing renewal for the student but also a basis to explore other areas of his/her faith with TOB as a foundation.
Total classes: 11
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th
Suggested credit: 1 full semester credit in Theology
Description
Course Rationale: In order to live the “abundant life” that Jesus said He came to bring, we need to know who we are, made in God’s image and likeness. A new vision of such anthropology has been given to us by God through (soon-to-be) Saint Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (TOB). A deep, proper study of this work brings with it a renewal of the person who embraces such teachings. The late Holy Father’s biographer, George Weigel, called it a “time bomb” set to go off sometime after the Pope’s death. Angelo Cardinal Scola remarks that every area of Catholic thought can be undergirded by the Theology of the Body; thus, this course will not only offer an opportunity for ongoing renewal for the student but also a basis to explore other areas of his/her faith with TOB as a foundation.
Pope John Paul himself said about his work: “And this theology of the body is the basis of the most appropriate method of the pedagogy of the body, that is, of man’s education (or rather, self-education)….Here [In wrong view of science in seeing the body only as an object of manipulation] we touch problems that often need fundamental solutions, which are impossible without an integral vision of man” –St. John Paul II (TOB 59:3) (emphases his).
Course Description: This 12-week course overview of Pope John Paul’s Theology of the Body will give a “bird’s eye” perspective of the whole of TOB. Far from relegating TOB to the area of sex and sexuality, TOB provides meaningful tools to see one’s life in the context of Jesus’ love for His Church and the life and love of the Blessed Trinity. A special emphasis will be made regarding the vocational call to the priesthood, religious life, and married life, and how both “celibacy for the Kingdom” (JPII’s words) and marriage mirror and inform each other. Then, we will move to more specifics in Part Two of TOB.
Caveat: Coursework subject to change based on the discretion of the online instructor’s assessment.
Course Reading: The reading will assist the student in delving into a deep understanding of the human person, especially in the area of vocational discernment, sexuality, and self-mastery. Most of the reading is intended to help the student understand the mind of the Church. Most will not be discussed in class. For the first day’s class: Please read the required reading from the Bible and “Letter to Families”
Materials and Homework
Required Reading:
- The Bible—Genesis 1-3 and Ephesians 5
- The Catechism of the Catholic Church #’s 355-682 (Read 47 paragraphs a week)
- The Documents of Vatican II, especially Gaudium et Spes 47-62 (2 paragraphs a week)
- “Letter to Families” (Pope John Paul) (This gives a good TOB outlook in abbreviated form)
- The short essay “The Weight of Glory” in the longer collection with the same name: The Weight of Glory and short essay “Man or Rabbit”, both by CS Lewis.
- Optional Reading for those who want to earn extra credit:
- Peter Kreeft’s Heaven: The Heart’s Deepest Longing (his best book), Ignatius Press
- Jason Evert’s The Theology of His Body; The Theology of Her Body, Ascension Press (Parents may want to read this first, but my homeschooled nephew of 15 years old said it really helped him).
Course Work:
- Weekly Online Computer – graded Quizzes (25%)
- Major Project (Grading Rubric will be posted) (25%)
- Major Grade of Weekly Reflections (30%)
- Assigned Reading (Honor policy—Read and fill out the form provided for that week of assigned reading. (20%).
- Extra Credit—Parent can give extra credit for their student reading Jason Evert’s and Dr. Kreeft’s book. (3 points per book added to final grade)
- Time Commitment to Study: A minimum of 3 hours a week (30 minutes a day) for reading, study, doing quizzes, working on and completing the project, and writing the weekly reflection.
