Ask Christopher West

Questions answered this episode: What’s going on with the blessing of same sex unions? Does the TOB have anything to say about consummating your marriage on the wedding night? How do Christopher and Wendy live their intimacy with Jesus in parallel with their intimacy as husband and wife? Ask Christopher West is a weekly podcast in which Theology of the Body Institute President Christopher West and...

Questions answered this episode: Why are our parishes only run by fathers if the domestic church (the family) is run by fathers and mothers? I’m not “stunning” compared to the standards of beauty that society has. I know I’m “beautifully and wonderfully made” but I understand this only with my mind, not my heart. Do you have any advice? I’ve heard that as married couples, we need to be intimate to...

Questions answered this episode: I’m getting married soon and I know that there will be no marriage in heaven. Recently the thought of spending such a short life with my future husband and then eternity alone has crept in. Can the TOB speak into this? I have a genetical disease that has a 50% probability of being passed on. Can the Theology of the Body provide help to discern if I should take the...

Questions answered this episode: I’m a 40 year old husband and father. I grew up in a family dynamic where porn and masturbation was normal. I quitted porn after 7 years of marriage but now I’m really struggling with intrusive thoughts. Do you have any advice? I recently heard that circumcision is mutilation. Should I confess this? I’m a mid-wife accompanying a couple that’s pregnant with a child...

Questions answered this episode: My son wants to change his name to a gender neutral name. What do I call him? I’ve developed a friendship with a woman that’s several years older than I am. As our friendship grows, the possibility of a romantic relationship has come up but I don’t feel “butterflies” in my stomach. Would it be irresponsible to enter a relationship without those romantic feelings? T...

Questions answered this episode: Should I invite a girl out even though she might not share the same values and faith I do? How can I explain to a 3rd grader that consuming the Eucharist is not the same as vampirism? How can I let my girlfriend know that other men might look at the way she dresses impurely while honoring her God given beauty? Ask Christopher West is a weekly podcast in which Theol...

Questions answered this episode: My current parish has a radically liberal priest and LGBTQ ministries. Should I speak to my parish priest or should I just look for another parish? I’ve struggled with pornography for a long time. Do you have any practical advice on how to overcome porn? I’m having difficulty accepting my place as the bride in the spousal analogy. How can I accept my receptive role...

Questions answered this episode: If death entered the world with the fall of man, what about all the other creatures on earth before man came into the scene? What is the disinterested gift that John Paul II talks about and how does it relate to eros? My wife does not want any more children and resists the idea of practicing NFP. How do I not destroy my marriage, not put my soul in jeopardy and sti...

Questions answered this episode: I grew up in a very painful and hurtful environment and fear that all my personality traits come from this broken past. How do I continue to trust God when it feels like I’m becoming a stranger to myself and everyone that knows me? Is it possible to talk to teens about the beauty of their sexuality in a way that won’t make them feel threatened or embarrassed? What...

Questions answered this episode: I have a hard time trying to determine if the way I look at women is sinful or not. Do you have any advice? Is there any difference between touching different parts of my body and masturbation? I don’t understand why the latter is sinful while the former is perfectly acceptable. Did you struggle with perfectionism when practicing NFP? Is the way I see NFP a contrac...

Questions answered this episode: When would it be appropriate to recommend living as brother and sister to couples who got a civil divorce, got remarried but are still in a sacramental marriage with a former spouse? What exactly does “living as brother and sister” entail? Where does the Church teach that mutual acts of intimacy which do not involve intercourse but which result in orgasm for one or...

Questions answered this episode: I’m a mother, and now that my children are in school and going through the social dynamics of popularity, memories from my own time in school and this unhealthy dynamic are welling up. Why do I have this need to feel like I’m “cool”? We are a married couple struggling with the trial of managing intimacy and aging. At this point, I’m struggling to maintain an erecti...

Questions answered this episode: I'm trying to read through the actual text of John Paul's Theology of the Body but I find it incredibly difficult to understand. Is there anything I could do? My best friend and her husband are practicing Natural Family Planing. She feels isolated, discouraged and frustrated. Meanwhile, I feel like NFP should be a team effort and a source of closeness to th...

Questions answered this episode: Can a wife bless her husband? My husband doesn’t understand the huge life change that motherhood has been for me. How can I prevent our difference in parenthood roles from affecting our relationship? I’m a Catholic young adult whom recently dated an Anglican. I enjoyed our time together but decided to not formalize the relationship. I’m uncertain if my decision was...

Questions answered this episode: My daughter & her fiancé are thinking about moving in together before getting married in the Church and she expects me to help with the move. What should I do? I struggled with porn addiction and I experience self-hatred towards my sexuality. How can I deal with my scarred sexuality in a practical way? My father has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and whenever...

Questions answered this episode: I was pregnant and developed a condition that led to an early delivery and the passing of my son within a few hours of delivery. Now I’m struggling to see my womb as a place of life instead of death. Can the Theology of the Body shine a light on this? Does one have to be in a state of grace in order to receive the sacramental benefits from marriage? What if one of...

Questions answered this episode: I recently watched the movie Sound of Freedom and I was deeply moved. What do you think is contributing to this horrific reality and why hasn't the Church addressed this crisis? Was Adam at fault when eating of the forbidden tree? Did John Paul II say anything about it in his Theology of the Body? My wife has been experiencing excessive bleeding and doctors hav...

Questions answered this episode: Do you have any tips for healing for someone that chose to be a stoic rather than an addict before he/she knew about the banquet that the Gospel offered? Should I share that I'm no longer a virgin with the next person I date? Can I become a virgin again? We are recent weds but discerned avoiding pregnancy for the beginning of our marriage. We are uncertain abou...

Questions answered this week: How has doing this podcast together impacted you as a couple? How can I balance intimacy in the context of dating without adopting a mentality of how far can we go? Should hormonal birth control always be avoided? Ask Christopher West is a weekly podcast in which Theology of the Body Institute President Christopher West and his beloved wife Wendy share their humor and...

Questions answered this episode: * I recently became a mother but now I feel like I lost a sense of my personhood. How can I embrace my life as a mother while still honoring my person? My wife went through medical procedures that made it impossible for her to have intercourse. What are our options for sexual intimacy as a couple? I’ve been married for 3 years but haven’t been able to conceive and...

I've been overwhelmed by the call to leadership as a husband, father, and professional. Do you have any advice? I'm going through a rough patch in my relationship with my boyfriend. I feel disappointed and anxious about the thought of losing this relationship. Could you offer some wisdom? I struggle with lust. I want to be honest with my wife, and whenever I bring these things up, she shut...

-Question 1: I'm a bodybuilder, and I see both the good and the bad in this pursuit. Is there a way to integrate my life of faith with my passion for bodybuilding? -Question 2: I went through a life-threatening condition during childbirth that is making my husband and me reconsider how we approach sexual intimacy. Do you have any advice? -Question 3: I recently started an intentional relations...

Sexual abuse is a punishment almost worse than death. How can TOB explain that Jesus truly understands the deep pain endured by people who have suffered sexual abuse? I'm a young adult man drawn to a friend. I am not as physically attracted to her. Is physical attraction less important than other aspects? Was woman punished more severly than man after the fall? Ask Christopher West is a weekly...

I want to honor my children’s gender while not imposing gender stereotypes on them. Are there any activities, clothes or toys that should be kept exclusively to a specific gender? I had sex with the woman I intend to marry. We’ve both repented and gone to confession. Is there still hope that our relationship will lead to a holy marriage? I’ve struggled with porn and lust since I was a teenager. I’...

Is there a bad type of eros or is this only a form of porneia? I had a vasectomy because my wife had a heart condition that would put her life at risk if she happened to get pregnant. I went to a priest and he left me feeling hopeless. Was the way he reacted consistent with gravity of the mistake we made as a couple? Sometimes painful memories from past relationships come to mind and I feel like I...