5.1A How DO I Look?

The Fifth Commandment “You shall not kill” Teaches us that all human life is sacred. From beginning, each human life involves the creative action of God and is a relationship with God. We are called to respect our own life and the lives of others.

The Fifth commandment calls us to show an appreciation of the precious gift of life and health. It calls us to avoid every kind of excess that will damage our health and life (cigarettes, high fat diet, drinking, drugs, reckless lifestyle). Our life comes from God and we have been entrusted with its safe keeping.

Incarnation The Son of God came down to Earth “in the flesh”. Jesus became fully human while still being fully God. Jesus is born into a human experience. Jesus was however born without original sin and did not sin, just as Mary was born without sin (Immaculate Conception) and lived without sin.

“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?” 1 Corinthians 6:15 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19

Temples of the Holy Spirit The Temple in Jerusalem was the house of God and so too are our bodies. The Holy Spirit dwells inside each of us. We have to be careful of how we treat our bodies since God is inside of us. If two people own a house, each person has to consult the other before doing anything to that house. We cannot just do whatever we want with our bodies since they also belong to God.

“We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus for the good works which God has already designated to make up our way of life” Ephesians 2:10 We are all made in God’s image but we are all unique and original like a work of art. We all have unique gifts from God that can be used to contribute to the good God has planned.

How has the media affected our ideas of body image? Discussion Question: How has the media affected our ideas of body image? In your assigned groups discuss question above and record your answers on the chart paper provided.

Things Remember About Body Image God has made us each unique and in his image. Our bodies are gifts from God. It is important to eat healthy and exercise regularly to take care of our bodies. While it is important to maintain a healthy body weight, people also do come in all shapes and sizes. Beauty is often in the eye of the beholder. True beauty lies within a person – connecting with this inner beauty should be the basis of our relationships with one another, not our outer looks.