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.

D. Then show the video of an Olympic couples’ ice dancing found at SophiaOnline.org/IceDancing.

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.