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True Love... How Will I Know? study guide
Summaries, study questions, and reflection questions for "True Love. . . How Will I Know?" CD and DVD
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True Love. . . How Will I Know?
Study Guide
True Love. . . How Will I Know? is a talk
designed specifically for high school teens. Patty Schneier
invites teens to learn the meaning of real love, using four
words: Free, Faithful, Total and Fruitful. With Christ as the
supreme example, Patty explains how we are called to love
one another as Christ loved us, in and through our bodies!
True love, the "real thing," speaks to the deepest desires of
our hearts. We want it; we were created for this authentic
love. But it is only when we know what true love is—and
what true love communicates—that we can recognize a
counterfeit. In discussing the many counterfeits that abound in
our culture, Patty demonstrates how they pale in
comparison with true love. She also shows how they lead directly
to abortion and a culture of death. This talk is filled
with personal stories and real-life examples. It directly
addresses the many pressures that teens face, and equips them
with the knowledge and tools needed to withstand these
pressures. But most of all, this talk will help teens decide
for themselves that the "real thing" is worth the wait!
Section I: True love is FREE
It is a freely given gift. Christ modeled this perfectly
on the cross when he willingly gave his life for us. He
could have come down from the cross, but he didn't: "I am
the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. No
one takes it from me. I lay it down on my own." We are
called to live this type of love in and through our bodies when
we desire to be a gift to our beloved. With freely given
love, there is no pressure, no manipulation, no grasping,
no underlying motive to "get something" from the other
person. True love desires to give, to lay down one's life, rather
than to take. Counterfeits: Rape, any pressure/manipulation
to engage in sexual activity, the pressure many girls face
to perform oral sex. In order to withstand these
pressures, teens must remember that NO ONE was ever, ever,
ever meant to be used for anyone's selfish gratification!
Section II: True love is FAITHFUL
It is a love that lasts forever—until death and
beyond! Christ loved us unconditionally to his death, and he
continues to love us into eternity. He never abandons us,
but remains with us always through the gift of the Eucharist
and the Holy Spirit. "Behold, I am with you always until the
end of the age." Faithful love remains unconditional in
good times and in bad, in sickness and in health . . . until
death. We can physically express these marriage vows in
the sexual union of husband and wife. Real love
communicates TRUTH when it renews the marriage vows and
confirms the marriage covenant: "I will love you and only you
`til death do us part!" Counterfeits: Having an affair,
living together before marriage, any sex outside of
marriage. None of these involve permanence of marriage,
trust, faithfulness, or covenant. The meaning of any sexual union
is distorted when no marriage vows exist. Deciding
NOW whether or not to engage in any sexual activity outside
of marriage is one of the most important decision teens
can make regarding their body, their moral values, and
their overall health and well-being.
Section III: True love is TOTAL
Love involves a total gift of self. When Christ died
on the cross, his ENTIRE body was crucified. At the
Last Supper, he explained what real love demands: "This is
my body, given for you." Husband and wife are called to
mirror these exact words: "This is my body, given for you.
Take it." This includes good days, bad days, our past,
present, and future, eyes, ears, nose, heart, lungs, and soul, etc.
It includes our fertility— which is a HUGE part of who
we are! That is what makes us a man or woman! With a
total gift of self, nothing is held back or omitted. Nothing is
left out. We give all that we are. We receive and accept
the total gift of our beloved as well. Counterfeits: All forms
of contraception. WHY?!!!!! They speak: "I will have sex
with you. . . . but not all of you." With contraception, there
can never be a total gift of self—never—because the
reproductive organs have been rendered null and void. They are
no longer "part of the package." All forms of
contraception violate total giving in love.
Section IV: True love is FRUITFUL
Christ said, "I came that you might have LIFE
and have it to the full." He also said, "Anyone who remains
in me will bear great FRUIT!" God's love is
contagious, infectious, and life giving. It grows and lasts into eternity!
It is never sterile or stagnant. The same can be said of
authentic human love: Fruitful love is so beautiful, so powerful,
so passionate, that it invites the Holy Spirit to be part of
that union—the Lord, the Giver of Life! With fruitful love,
the incredible power of fertility is appreciated and seen as a
gift from God. Fruitful love is open to the possibility of new
life. It is not afraid of the moment of conception. Scripture
says: "True love casts out all fear." Counterfeits: all forms
of contraception, as well as surgeries that sterilize our
fertility. Vasectomies and tubal ligations violate the dignity of
our own bodies, deny the possibility of new life, and prohibit
the creative power of God to be present in that union.
Ideas for Further Discussion
This talk only begins to uncover some of the
counterfeits that are so prevalent in our culture. Within the
context of free, faithful, total and fruitful love, it is easy to
expose homosexual acts, masturbation, pornography,
prostitution, and pedophilia as counterfeits and distortions of real
love as well. Students may wish to discuss these issues.
For further information, I recommend the following
resources from One More Soul:
Sex Has a Price Tag by Pam Stenzel
video/audio 55 minutes
Veteran chastity speaker Pam Stenzel persuasively
discusses the many reasons to avoid sex before marriage.
If You Really Loved Me by Jason Evert
book 211 pages
Jason Evert takes 100 common questions from high
school teens—and gives straightforward, moving answers to them.
Romance Without Regret by Jason and Crystalina Evert
video 90 minutes
Jason and his wife Crystalina enthusiastically
demonstrate the value of chastity to a high school audience.
A Case for Chastity by Heather Gallagher and Peter
Vlahutin
book 168 pages
Drawing on many personal experiences, Heather
Gallagher and Peter Vlahutin clearly explain what is gained by
chastity and what is lost by the misuse of sex.
The Theology of the Body for
Beginners by Christopher West
book 149 pages
Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body is
revolutionizing our world with a new understanding of God's design
for sexuality. This teaching is, in many ways, the heart of
the New Evangelization. Christopher West opens this
treasure for us with clear, concise language that speaks to our hearts.
See Discussion Questions on the next page.
Discussion Questions:
Section I: True love is FREE
1. How did Christ model freely given love?
2. What does freely given love communicate?
3. What are some common distortions of freely given love?
4. How do these distortions lead to abortion?
5. Why is it so important to recognize pressure as
a counterfeit of love?
Reflection question
6. How can I prepare myself to resist pressures and
train myself not to pressure others?
Section II: True love is FAITHFUL
1. How did Christ model faithful love?
2. What is communicated in a sexual union that is faithful?
3. What is the difference in meaning between sex
outside of marriage and sex within marriage?
4. How do we know that God intended sex for marriage?
5. What are some common distortions that violate
the faithfulness of love?
6. How does sex outside of marriage lead to abortion?
Reflection question
7. What can I do to prepare myself for faithful love?
Section III: True love is TOTAL
1. How did Christ on the cross model for us the
meaning of total love?
2. Which words of Christ, said at every Mass, reflect
his total gift of self?
3. How can we love another person TOTALLY, as
Christ loved us?
4. What is included in the total package of a "one
flesh union?" Why is this important?
5. What violates the aspect of a total gift of self? What
do these counterfeits communicate?
6. How does contraception lead to abortion?
7. How did we become a society that could regard a
child as a "mistake" rather than a blessing?
Reflection question
8. How can I prepare to give my whole self in love?
Section IV: True love is FRUITFUL
1. How did Christ model fruitful love?
2. How are we "created in the image and likeness of God"?
3. What does fruitful love desire and communicate?
4. How is fruitful love pro-life?
5. What are some distortions that violate the
fruitfulness of love?
6. How does sterilization lead to a culture of death?
Reflection questions
7. God's fruitful love means more than just having
children. How can people in all stages of life bear fruit for God?
8. How do priests and religious bear fruit for God?
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