Every Catholic revert has a story to tell, and for Tomasz Juszczak it was St John Paul II’s Theology of the Body that sparked his journey back to the church.
The past pope’s teaching on how the body reveals God made clear to the father of four that only God can truly satisfy human desire and must be kept at the heart of marriage and family life.
It was such a transformative experience for Tomasz that he not only credits the teaching for changing the way he lived his life but for his marriage to his wife and their subsequent young family.
“We had been in a relationship before we started learning about St John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and his book Love and Responsibility, and we were on the fast track to disaster,” said the Liverpool local.
“We eventually broke up, went on our own journeys of transformation instigated by these teachings, and God eventually brought us back together in a way that was completely new.
“Our marriage is really a testament to the Mercy of God and the truth of these teachings—and the fact that they are not merely idealism.
“We are two very broken human beings who have at times made a huge mess of things. But by God’s grace and allowing what we have learned to form us, we have seen such incredible fruit in our lives and our marriage so far.”
After the impact that St John Paul II’s teachings had on his faith and life, Tomasz wanted the same for all those teenagers and young adults who are in need of the same hope-filled message.
With his wife Sarah he has founded Donum Ministries in response to this call, through which they offer talks and reflection days that draw from Theology of the Body.
Earlier this month, Tomasz gave an introduction to the Theology of the Body and its philosophical foundation, Love and Responsibility, to more than 50 young adults preparing to embark on guided study at St Joseph’s church in Moorebank.
Love and Responsibility, a book published by the then-Bishop Karol Wojtyla in 1960, can be considered a philosophical defence of the Church’s teachings on sex and marriage.
It was influenced by his time spent as a university professor in Lublin teaching ethics, and as a young priest discussing love, relationships and sexuality with young people while on hiking trips.
The book explores authentic human love from a mainly philosophical perspective and its foundation hinges on the dignity of the human person. It looks at our call to be a gift of self to the other and explores the practicalities of living chastity and responsibility in relationships.
“So many young people are crying out for authentic love and want to know how to practically live it in today’s world,” said Tomasz.
“They struggle to find their sense of purpose and know they are created for much more than the world offers.
“These works lay out the beauty of the Church’s vision for love and life that their hearts ache for and reveal truths that are written into our very beings.
“When people first encounter these teachings they often comment on how deeply it resonated with them, as if they already knew it in their heart.”
This was Tomasz’s experience at World Youth Day in Sydney. What he heard from a number of American speakers “pierced his heart” and Tomasz instantly recognised it as truth which was already written in him.
Somascan Young Adult Marielle Boutros, who is participating in the fortnightly formation series, said it is exceeding her expectations and that Tomasz’s talk was “truly inspiring.”
“I also have a deep desire to explore this human longing for love through the Catholic lens, a desire that I find so beautiful yet incredibly complex to understand and navigate in our current world,” the high school teacher said.
“After listening to Tomasz’s introduction, I was confident that I would learn something new and that it would enhance my understanding of this teaching.
“I have found the content of this formation series to be very interesting and insightful in helping me understand the value of our bodies and the meaning behind our human desire for love and attraction.”
As this group of young adults make their way through Love and Responsibility, Tomasz emphasises that as a foundation for the Theology of the Body, its not ultimately just about marriage and sexuality.
“It is about what it means to be fully human, and how to live toward our ultimate destiny.” said Tomasz.
“It shows how all our deepest desires will find satisfaction in God and how living a gift of self allows us to participate in the very life of the Trinity.”
This formation series at St Joseph’s Moorebank uses the resource In Men, Women and the Mystery of Love by Dr Edward Sri to unpack the contents of JPII’s great work and make it more accessible to every reader.
Assistant priest of St Joseph’s Moorebank and St Christopher’s Holsworthy Fr David Romero CRS takes the young adults through a new chapter each session, giving them his own reflection on the content and guiding them through the relevant questions.
To book a talk on Theology of the Body with Donum Ministries see www.donumministries.com/ or contact them via contact@donumministries.com
