Fertility in Suffering | ACW73
05/25/20 • 37 min
What is the difference between attraction and lust? My friend is considering using IVF to try to conceive. How can I help her? My son is going through marriage prep and has asked me for reading recommendations. What do you recommend?
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 wisdom, answering questions about marriage, relationships, life, and the Catholic faith, all in light of John Paul II’s beautiful teachings on the Theology of the Body.
Check out all the great content of our [online conference](tobvirtualconference.com).
Want to support the Theology of the Body Institute? Become a Patron!
Q1: I was recently reading a novel written from a Christian perspective with Christian characters. One of the characters mentions that his growing attraction for the girl "had only started with lust." This line was jarring to me and brought to my attention that many Christians have a mistaken idea that any attraction that is not immediately and obviously spousal must be sinful.
Q2: I'm writing because I found out my best friend (who is Catholic, mind you) is planning on turning to IVF after years of trying to conceive. She has had several miscarriages as well. What can I say to her that will encourage her that IVF is not the answer to the future full of hope that she is seeking?
Q3: My son is getting married in the fall. Both he and his fiance are Catholic. He recently asked me if I had any reading recommendations to supplement his marriage prep. I am looking at several of your books and looking for your guidance. I'm considering "Good News About Sex and Marriage" or "Theology of the Body for Beginners". Thoughts?
Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.
Resources mentioned this week:
TOB Virtual Conference - Premium passes are still available, also check our our offerings in Spanish.
The Good News about Sex and Marriage
Find Christopher West on Facebook and Instagram.
Discover the Theology of the Body Institute.
If you enjoy the podcast, help us out by writing a review. Thanks for listening!
Christopher and Wendy hope their advice is helpful to you, but they are not licensed counseling professionals. If you are dealing with serious issues, please consult our list of trusted professionals.
Featuring music by Mike Mangione.
Produced by Sounder and Key.
What is the difference between attraction and lust? My friend is considering using IVF to try to conceive. How can I help her? My son is going through marriage prep and has asked me for reading recommendations. What do you recommend?
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 wisdom, answering questions about marriage, relationships, life, and the Catholic faith, all in light of John Paul II’s beautiful teachings on the Theology of the Body.
Check out all the great content of our [online conference](tobvirtualconference.com).
Want to support the Theology of the Body Institute? Become a Patron!
Q1: I was recently reading a novel written from a Christian perspective with Christian characters. One of the characters mentions that his growing attraction for the girl "had only started with lust." This line was jarring to me and brought to my attention that many Christians have a mistaken idea that any attraction that is not immediately and obviously spousal must be sinful.
Q2: I'm writing because I found out my best friend (who is Catholic, mind you) is planning on turning to IVF after years of trying to conceive. She has had several miscarriages as well. What can I say to her that will encourage her that IVF is not the answer to the future full of hope that she is seeking?
Q3: My son is getting married in the fall. Both he and his fiance are Catholic. He recently asked me if I had any reading recommendations to supplement his marriage prep. I am looking at several of your books and looking for your guidance. I'm considering "Good News About Sex and Marriage" or "Theology of the Body for Beginners". Thoughts?
Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.
Resources mentioned this week:
TOB Virtual Conference - Premium passes are still available, also check our our offerings in Spanish.
The Good News about Sex and Marriage
Find Christopher West on Facebook and Instagram.
Discover the Theology of the Body Institute.
If you enjoy the podcast, help us out by writing a review. Thanks for listening!
Christopher and Wendy hope their advice is helpful to you, but they are not licensed counseling professionals. If you are dealing with serious issues, please consult our list of trusted professionals.
Featuring music by Mike Mangione.
Produced by Sounder and Key.
Previous Episode
Becoming Saintly | ACW72
I want to practice the spiritual disciplines of the saints and mystics, but they get in the way of my being a joyful wife and mother. How do I achieve balance here? I take pride in working out, but how do I keep this from straying into vanity?
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 wisdom, answering questions about marriage, relationships, life, and the Catholic faith, all in light of John Paul II’s beautiful teachings on the Theology of the Body.
Want to support the Theology of the Body Institute? Become a Patron!
Q1: For years, I have studied mystical theology and put what I have learned into practice, longing for Union with God. He is so good; I do not doubt that He offers this Union to us all! However, I have bumped into a brick wall. How does one distinguish between scrupulous puritanism and the renouncement of all created things for the love of God? I love God very much and want to love Him more, but when I attempt the bodily mortifications recommended by the Saints in books about Union, I feel less capable of being a joyful wife and mother, less connected to my family in the sharing of a meal or a game or some other fun activity; a beer with my husband, for example. The fruits of these endeavors make me more difficult to live with; not more saintly! I am certain God does not want this, but He does want Union--even more than I do. That's the good news! Is there a separate path to Union for the married than to deny oneself all pleasures but those found in prayer?
Q2: Could you offer any TOB perspective on working out? If I honestly look at my heart as a young husband when I workout - the cultural air I'm breathing has filled it with vanity and ego associated with the increase of my strength. But I do feel a deep good in working out. My mind is just polluted by the culture. How can we maintain a St Joseph heart, while also putting effort into stewarding the masculine body that God gave us?
Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.
Resources mentioned this week:
TOB Virtual Conference Premium Pass
TOB Virtual Conference in Spanish!
Jason Evert's Virtual Chastity Project Conference
Good News about Sex and Marriage
Find Christopher West on Facebook and Instagram.
Discover the Theology of the Body Institute.
If you enjoy the podcast, help us out by writing a review. Thanks for listening!
Christopher and Wendy hope their advice is helpful to you, but they are not licensed counseling professionals. If you are dealing with serious issues, please consult our list of trusted professionals.
Featuring music by Mike Mangione.
Produced by Sounder and Key.
Next Episode
A Beautiful Challenge | ACW74
Are humans fundamentally "not good"? My husband needs to be intimate to feel close, and I need to feel close to be intimate. How do we resolve this disparity in our marriage?
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 wisdom, answering questions about marriage, relationships, life, and the Catholic faith, all in light of John Paul II’s beautiful teachings on the Theology of the Body.
Want to support the Theology of the Body Institute? Become a Patron!
Q1: Recently I attended a Lutheran Free service with my parents. Their pastor, a very scholarly man who knows his Bible well, mentioned 3-4 times in his sermon that after the fall God sees us as 'not good'. How can I explain the Truth (Catholic teaching) to him in love?
Q2: My husband often needs to BE intimate to feel close, where I need to FEEL close to be intimate. The way we express and receive our love is just different. But for me, I am on guard about "always to love never to use" almost to a fault. I'm hesitant to give myself until we FEEL close (and I know that would be ideal), but with young kids we just don't realistically always have the time or energy to reach that point emotionally, and so therefore seldom reach the ability to be intimate physically either.
How can I shift my mindset to be open to intimacy even when I may not FEEL it, knowing that it ultimately is a way I AM showing my husband love in the way he can receive it? I don't want to be afraid that the act is somehow "letting myself be used" just because I may not 100% emotionally FEEL it in the moment. (Worth noting, my husband is also very on guard to "never use" so it's not like he is demanding sex, it just is his love language. )
Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.
Resources mentioned this week:
TOB Institute Courses - Including October's course centering on Mary
Find Christopher West on Facebook and Instagram.
Discover the Theology of the Body Institute.
If you enjoy the podcast, help us out by writing a review. Thanks for listening!
Christopher and Wendy hope their advice is helpful to you, but they are not licensed counseling professionals. If you are dealing with serious issues, please consult our list of trusted professionals.
Featuring music by Mike Mangione.
Produced by Sounder and Key.
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