Come with me to the Theology of the Body Congress!
Okay, it's too late for you to actually get here, but I'm posting daily reviews of my experiences there for anyone who's interested but didn't have the resources to actually get here. (I think this is called live blogging?) Today's should be fairly short and sweet, as (a) I'd rather not bore you too much and (b) I have about 15 minutes to type this before I leave for it this morning!
The Congress started with a keynote by Rev. J. Brian Bransfield entitled "The Anthrolopology of the Theology of the Body." He discussed how people's identity has changed to revolve around acquiring pleasure quickly, whereas we are really meant to be a gift and to give beauty slowly.
Next I attended a workshop by Fr. Thomas J. Loya called "An Antidote for Lust and Pornography." Father Loya was a great speaker and he discussed how we need to be able to see the human figure sacramentally. In his opinion, the antidote to porn and lust is "an ethos of seeing" in which we take a truly Catholic view (which he maintains is nearly impossible in the US) and see the glory of God in the (naked) human body; to learn to see both incarnationally and integrationally. It was a very interesting talk, during which he promoted both breastfeeding in church and modest dress, maintaining that the body is holy and it's the context that makes it impure.
After that I went to a panel discussion about Humanae Vitae and TOB with Drs. Peter Colosi, Pia de Solenni, and Michael Waldstein. This was pretty much over my head and I think the whole thing was supposed to be some sort of philosophical debate. I just came away feeling like the Church's stance on contraception and the unitive/procreative meanings of sex were merely a new articulation of previous Church teaching.
Finally, Dr. Janet Smith (of Contraception: Why Not? fame) finished the night with a talk on TOB and spousal imagery in the Bible. She was a good speaker as well. My favorite part was when she noted that when you're in love, you're a little bit like a stalker... and Christ is like that for each one of us!
The evening went on to include a screening of the movie There Be Dragons, but by that time my bottom was really sore (is that a common pregnancy symptom? because I definitely have it!) and I still had to drive home.
Looking forward to another enlightening day today!