In Praise of Woman-Man Woman Relationship: Friendship(Volume 5)

There is a wide variety of love: parental love, filial love, brotherly love, platonic love, friendly love, tender love, celibate love, conjugal love, homosexual love, heterosexual love, to name a few. However, man-woman love seems to be the most central to human existence. This volume is all about such heterosexual love because the experience of joy is by far more intense in heterosexual friendships than in others. Elaborating the theme, the author enters one of the most controversial areas to announce that there is room for heterosexual love in consecrated celibacy. The impression that there is no scope for warm heterosexual love outside marriage is far from sound. No celibate needs to consider his intense desire for heterosexual love as an imperfection and be apologetic about it. The greater the desire, the nobler he is. DrFelix Podimattam is one of the best-known moral theologians in India and outside. Besides his full time job as a professor, he finds time to write books at an amazing rate. He has authored 85 books. Besides his Master's degree in Political Science from the University of Mysore, he holds a Licentiate in Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and subsequently a Doctorate in Moral Theology from the Alphosian Academy, Rome, His post-doctoral studies were pursued in Washington, DC, U.S.A. At Present he is professor of moral theology at St. Francis Theological College, Kottayam, Kerala. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE. PSYCHOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS ON MAN-WOMAN FRIENDSHIP 1. The Phenomenon of Sexual Attraction 2. Psychology of Mutual Sexual Attraction 2.1. Proximity and Sexual Attraction 2.2. Bodily Chemistry and Sexual Attraction 2.3. Physical Attractiveness and Sexual Attraction 2.4. Need Satisfaction and Sexual Attraction 2.5. Attitudinal Similarity and Sexual Attraction 2.6. Unpleasant Emotional States as Facilitators of Sexual Attraction 2.7. Pleasant Emotional States as Facilitators of Sexual Attraction 2.8. Other Factors in Sexual Attraction 3. Falling in Love 4. Partner Selection in Man-Woman Love 5. Feelings and Love CHAPTER TWO. THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS ON MAN-WOMAN FRIENDSHIP 1. Basis of Man-Woman Friendship 70 1.1. Intersubjectivity and Self-Fulfillment 1.2 Relationality as Fundamental to Human Existence 1.3. Relationality as Fundamental to Divine Existence 1.4. Divine Eros 2. What is Man-Woman Friendship? 2.1. What Love is Not 2.2. What Love Is 2.2.1. Love as Affirmation of Existence 2.2.2. Love as Affirmation of Good 2.2.3. Love as the Will to Promote a Person 2.2.4. Love as the Will to Extend One's Self for Spiritual Growth 2.2.5. Love as the Principle that Unites 2.2.6. Love asBenevolence and Appreciation 2.2.7. Love as Exemplified in Jesus 2.2.8. Tests of Love 2.3. What is Man-Woman Love? 2.3.1.Man-Woman Love is Mysterious Love 2.3.2. Man-Woman Love is Sexual Love 2.3.3. Additional Insight into Sexual Love 2.3.3.1. Bible on Sexual Love 2.3.3.2. Tradition on Sexual Love 2.3.3.3. Experts on Sexual Love 2.3.3.4. Theology on Sexual Love 2.4. Sexual Love is Not Blind 2.5. All Love is "Interested" 3. Excellence of Man-Woman Friendship 4. Characteristics of Man-Woman Friendship 5. Prerequisites for Man-Woman Friendship 6. Celibate Man-Woman Friendship CHAPTER THREE. SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS ON MAN-WOMAN FRIENDSHIP 1. Spiritual Value of Man-Woman Friendship 2. Transcendent Dimension of Man-Woman Friendship 3. Sacramental Value of Man-Woman Friendship 186 4. Man-Woman Friendship as Remedy against Selfishness 5. Man-Woman Friendship as Powerful Aid to Prayer 6. Man-Woman Friendship as Incentive to Fraternal Charity 7. Man-Worn an Friendship as Aid to Celibate Living 8. Apostolic Relevance of Man-Woman Friendship 9. Ascetical Aspects of Man-Woman Friendship 10. Man-Woman Friendship as Agape CHAPTER FOUR. PASTORAL REFLECTIONS ON MAN-WOMAN FRIENDSHIP 1. Friendship is not to Be Renounced 2. Every Friendship is Particular 3. Sexual Attraction is to Be Appreciated 4. Over-Protectiveness is to Be Eschewed 5. Every So-Called "Scandal" is not to Be Avoided 6. Sexual Temptation is not to Be Feared 7. Anti-Feminism is to Be Shunned 8. Equality of Man and Woman is to Be Recognized 9. Man-Woman Interdependence is to Be Cultivated 10. Man-Woman Partnership is to Be Fostered 11. Value of All Genuine Complementary Love is to Be Acknowledged CONCLUSION END NOTES INDEX 283