In his encyclical, Laudato Si, Pope Francis writes, “Acceptance of our bodies . . . is vital for welcoming and accepting the entire world as a gift. . . , whereas thinking that we enjoy absolute power over our own bodies turns, often subtly, into thinking that we enjoy absolute power over creation. Learning to accept our body, to care for it and to respect its fullest meaning, is an essential element of any genuine human ecology.” The Pope’s words speak to one of the key ways the human person can live out the universal call to Holiness and discover how to be good stewards.
How does this lesson help inoculate students against gender ideology?
Gender ideology asserts that we own our bodies, and that they are ours to do with as we wish. But the truth is that being good stewards of creation begins with accepting the gift of our own bodies and taking care of them. Our bodies, like all of creation, should be received as a gift and not manipulated, dominated and controlled.
Connection to the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Begin by calling on/asking different volunteers to read the following passages from the book of Genesis. Whenever possible, have students look these up and read them from their own Bibles. If Bibles are not available, the verses are printed on the Genesis Verses handout.
Genesis 1: 26-30: Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth. God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.* Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth. God also said: See, I give you every seed-bearing plant on all the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food; and to all the wild animals, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the earth, I give all the green plants for food. And so it happened. God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.
Genesis 2: 4-7: This is the story of the heavens and the earth at their creation. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens—there was no field shrub on earth and no grass of the field had sprouted, for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth and there was no man* to till the ground, but a stream* was welling up out of the earth and watering all the surface of the ground—then the LORD God formed the man* out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Genesis 1: 15-20: The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it. The LORD God gave the man this order: You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From that tree you shall not eat; when you eat from it you shall die. The LORD God said: It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him. So the LORD God formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each living creature was then its name. The man gave names to all the tame animals, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be a helper suited to the man.
Genesis 2: 21-25: The LORD God then built the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman. When he brought her to the man, the man said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man this one has been taken.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body. The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.
Have the students raise their hands and share what truths these passages tell us about human beings. Accept reasoned answers. If needed, prompt them with ideas such as: human beings need companionship; we are made in the image and likeness of God; God gives human beings dominion over creation; He tells us to be fruitful and multiply; God settled man in a Garden; human beings are created with a body; there is a difference between men’s and women’s bodies.
Explain that after reading Genesis, we can conclude that men and women have bodies, which are part of God’s design for each of us and are a gift we are to take care of.
Show a video of Olympic couples’ ice dancing such as the one available at SophiaOnline.org/IceDancing and watch the video together. While or after you watch, discuss how many of the movements the pair did seemed designed to highlight the strength and stability of the man, alongside the grace and beauty of the woman. Of course, they are both strong and graceful to be able to skate in the Olympics. But their bodies complement each other in this ice dancing routine.
Distribute the handout The Power and Gift of the Human Body. Have students complete this handout with a partner.
Go over the answers to the handout as a large group. After going over the answers to the handout refer back to the video and point out that what we saw in the video reveals the results of years of discipline, dedication, and hard work. It shows the awesomeness of how God has designed us. While many of us can’t do those specific things, we have all been uniquely designed by God and have been given our bodies as an incredible gift. Conclude by emphasizing that we can know our bodies are a good gift simply because they exist. God gave us our bodies as a gift and so they are good in and of themselves. We should recognize our bodies, like all of creation, are a precious gift to care for lovingly.
Answer Key
The Power and Gift of the Human Body
Accept reasoned answers.
Many of the movements they made were the same, such as when they would skate in a particular direction or spin; other times, the man would lift the woman, providing a stable base and showing men’s greater strength. Many of the movements highlight the strength and stability of the man, alongside the grace and beauty of the woman. None of this is to say that women cannot be strong and men cannot be graceful. Of course, men and women can both be strong and graceful. But their bodies are designed to complement each other, as shown in couples ice dancing.
They may dislike their facial features, or hair, they may think they are too skinny, too fat, not coordinated or athletic enough; accept additional reasoned answers.
Allow discussion. Some may say a body is thought of as good if it is attractive to others; Others may say each individual decides for themselves if it is good.
Simply that it exists. God gave us our bodies as a gift and so they are good in and of themselves.
Exercise, a healthy diet, adequate sleep, drinking plenty of fluids, brushing our teeth, practicing good hygiene, getting fresh air and sunshine, getting glasses if we need help seeing; accept additional reasoned answers.
Allow discussion depending on student maturity. Possible answers include drug use, excessive alcohol intake, excessive plastic surgeries, puberty blockers or high-dose, cross-sex hormones, “gender-affirming care” surgeries; accept additional reasoned answers.
A. That we have absolute power over all of creation. B. Viewing it as a precious gift to care for lovingly.
Activity
A. Begin by arranging your students into pairs or trios and have them create a list on their own paper of ten amazing things the human body can do.
B. When they have finished, call on groups to share their responses and keep a list on the board. Accept reasoned and appropriate responses. Consider sharing the following amazing world records related to the human body:
The longest mustache on a living person belongs to Paul Slosar of the United States (as of November 2022) and measures 2 feet 1 inch long.
In November 2023, Irfan Mehsood of Pakistan recorded the world record for the heaviest weight lifted with toes: 138.89 lbs.
Miguel Ballesteros and José Francisco Dopcio de Pablo of Spain together threw a washing machine weighing 103.61 lbs. a distance of 20 feet 10.6 inches, a world record as of October 2001.
In August of 2017, Davinder Singh of India earned the world record for fastest typing with the nose by typing a prescribed 103-character statement on a standard keyboard in 40.19 seconds.
American Florence Griffith-Joyner set the women’s world record for the 100-metersprint in 1988, running it 10.49 seconds.
C. Next, explain that the human body is capable of amazing things! From everyday activities and endurances to world records that are the results of years of discipline, dedication, and hard work, the amazing things our bodies can do show the awesomeness of how God has designed us. While most of us will never set nose typing world records, or be the fastest or strongest man or woman on the planet, we have all been uniquely designed by God and have been given our bodies as an incredible gift.
E. When finished viewing the video, conduct a class discussion using the following questions:
What did you see in the video? A male ice skater and female ice skater performed together an ice dancing routine at the Olympics.
What are some things the skaters did in the same way? What were some ways they skated differently? How do those differences relate to the differences between men’s and women’s bodies? Many of the movements they made were the same, such as when they would skate in a particular direction or spin; other times the man would lift the woman, providing a stable base and showing the man's greater strength. Many of the movements highlight the strength and stability of the man alongside the grace and beauty of the woman. None of this is to say that women can’t be strong and men can’t be graceful. But their bodies are designed to complement each other, as shown in the couples’ ice dancing. Accept additional reasoned answers.
How did the couple’s costumes enhance their performance? The man wore a plainer costume with more muted colors that tended to showcase the woman’s more colorful and more visually interesting costume. Their costumes complemented the role they played in the ice dancing routine and drew the viewers eye towards the beautiful movements of the woman, who was supported by the movements of the man. Accept additional reasoned answers. You may wish to add that admiring a person’s beauty when it is displayed in a modest way is good and normal — even a person of the same sex. It does not mean, as the culture often wants to say, that someone is gay. People of the same sex can admire one another, and even the movements of their bodies, without it meaning they have homosexual inclinations. Modesty highlights beauty — think of a beautiful bride. Her veil enhances, rather than detracts from, her beauty. The bride’s veil doesn’t make you want to look away — quite the opposite, it makes you want to look closer and see beyond the veil.
Why might some people not like their bodies? They may not like their facial features or hair, they may think they are too skinny, overweight, not coordinated or athletic enough, not muscular enough, not pretty enough, and so forth. Accept additional reasoned answers.
What are the culture’s standards for determining what makes a body “good”? What does God tell us makes our bodies good? Allow for reasoned discussion. Some may say that a body is thought of as good if it is attractive to others; others may say each individual decides for themselves if the body is good. On the other hand, God tells us that our bodies are good simply because they exist. God gave us our bodies as a gift, so they, along with their design, are good in and of themselves.
What are some examples of things that are good for us to do that can keep our bodies healthy? Exercise, eating a healthy diet, adequate sleep, drinking plenty of fluids, brushing our teeth, practicing good hygiene, getting fresh air and sunshine, and so forth. Accept additional reasoned answers.
What are some examples of things that our culture tells us are good to do to our bodies, but which are actually harmful? Allow for reasoned and appropriate discussion. Possible answers include drug use, excessive alcohol intake, excessive plastic surgeries, puberty-blockers or high-dose cross-sex hormones, “gender-affirming” surgeries, and so forth. Accept additional reasoned answers.
F. Next, explain that we can know our bodies are a good gift simply because they exist. God gave us our bodies as a gift and so they and their design are good in and of themselves. We should recognize our bodies, like all of creation, are a precious gift to care for lovingly and use them to honor and praise God, our Creator, who gifted them to us. Today, the transgender movement has pushed a false narrative that, rather than being a gift to cherish, our bodies are ours to shape as we see fit because they are unfairly assigned to us against our wills and without our choice. There is no design to the human body, says gender ideology, rather, we just happen to have “parts.” For those suffering from body and identity-related distress, that can mean taking drastic steps to change parts on their bodies to fit the sex they feel they really are.
G. Continue to explain that, in 2015, Pope Francis issued an encyclical titled Laudato Si about care for the environment. In it, he emphasized that proper care for the environment begins with properly accepting and caring for our bodies, writing, “Acceptance of our bodies ... is vital for welcoming and accepting the entire world as a gift.” (Laudato Si 155). Let’s now take a closer at Pope Francis’ teaching regarding the importance of accepting our bodies.
H. Distribute The Human Ecology of Laudato Si and have students work independently to read about Pope Francis’ teaching about accepting our bodies as gifts from God and answer the critical thinking questions.
I. When they have finished, call on students to share and discuss their answers to the critical thinking questions.
J. Conclude by inviting your students to close their eyes and prayerfully reflect on St. Fran- cis of Assisi’s song of praise to God, our Creator, The Canticle of the Sun:
Most High, all-powerful, good Lord, Yours are the praises, the glory, the honor, and all blessings.
To You alone, Most High, do they belong, and no man is worthy to mention Your name.
Praised be You, my Lord, with all your creatures; especially Brother Sun, who is the day, and through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor, and bears a likeness to You, Most High One.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather through which You give sustenance to Your creatures.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water, which is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom You light the night; and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Mother Earth, who sustains us and governs us and who produces varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs.
Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love, and bear infirmity and tribulation. Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, they shall be crowned.
Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whom no living man can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin. Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm.
Praise and bless my Lord, and give Him thanks, and serve Him with great humility. Amen.
