Description

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