Love is Love: The Personalistic Vision of Human Love and Sexuality

Description

1. The personalistic vision of love

1.1 Introduction:

If we can talk so much in today’s world about healthy eating habits, why is it so unacceptable culturally to open up conversation about healthy sexual habits. What is true happiness and how can we find it? What is love? What is intimacy? What is the path to true fulfillment?

1.2 Personalism:

Personalism means seeking always the integral good of every human person. It means never reducing someone to the level of a disposable instrument or a mere service provider. It means moving beyond utilitarianism and liberalism. 

1.3 The Integration of Love

Romantic love is not only a feeling, nor is it only self-giving. It is a combination of both. It is a spontaneous experience and it is a virtue. It means falling in love and also learning to love. The integration of love means integrating the enjoyment of the love experience with the virtue and commitment to the integral good of one another.

2. The personalistic vision of sexuality

2.1 The Spousal System of the Human Person

Our sexuality is so much more than a question of biology. On a biological level most would reduce it to a mere ‘reproductive system’ meant for perpetuating the species, others would reduce it to a mere ‘orgasmic system’ meant for sexual arousal and orgasm. On a personal level, it is truly a ‘spousal system’ meant to lead us to spousal love and fulfillment.

2.2 Spousal Love and Sexuality

How can we live our sexuality in a way the reflects and deepens spousal love? How to integrate the biological impulse toward pleasure and reproduction toward true spousal self-giving as gift, communion and creator?

2.3 Sexual Self-Gift vs. Sexual Instrumentalization

The path to true sexual intimacy is through total mutual self-giving. The sexual act is not just a nice way to express affection, or a like a flower you give as a present to someone you have feeling for. The sexual act is when YOU are the gift.