The Cookie Analogy | ACW75

06/08/20 • 29 min

My wife works for Planned Parenthood; how do I talk to her about this? Is it possible to get too "into" books, movies, and music? How did the Fall happen if we already experienced the supreme love of God?

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.

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Q1: My wife works for Planned Parenthood. I keep telling her to quit her job because it's the worst place on the planet to work. How do I handle this?

Q2: I've been a follower of this podcast and many of Christopher's talks for a while now, and one aspect I've appreciated is your appreciation for movies and songs, even ones that are pop culture or not seemingly religious at face value. I, too, find myself drawn into certain songs or movies, and feel deep emotions toward them. However, I have noticed that I can be almost too engrossed in a compelling book or movie, particularly series such as Harry Potter or The Hunger Games, in which I feel a connection with the characters and their story, and feel almost devastated when the series is over. I have to remind myself that these fantasy series aren't real. What insight do you have regarding my attachment to these stories?

Q3: Hello Christopher & Wendy! I'm reading "TOB for Beginners", but I'm very confused about something. You write, "Before sin, the human heart conformed totally to God's will," and "In the beginning, man and woman were infused with grace; they were drunk on God's wine." I don't understand how we could have distrusted God's love for us when it seems we already had "the cookie" in our hands. Hoping you can shed some light! Thank you immensely for your ministry.

Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.

Resources mentioned this week:

Catholic Marriage Summit - June 11-13 - Featuring Christopher and Wendy West

VIrtual Eucharistic Conference - June 12-14 - Featuring Christopher West

TOB Spanish Virtual Conference - June 26-28 - Featuring Christopher West

Theology of the Body for Beginners book

Find Christopher West on Facebook and Instagram.

Discover 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.

Want to support Theology of the Body Institute? Become a Patron!

Q1: My wife works for Planned Parenthood. I keep telling her to quit her job because it's the worst place on the planet to work. How do I handle this?

Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.

Resources mentioned this week:

Catholic Marriage Summit - June 11-13 - Featuring Christopher and Wendy West

VIrtual Eucharistic Conference - June 12-14 - Featuring Christopher West

TOB Spanish Virtual Conference - June 26-28 - Featuring Christopher West

Theology of the Body for Beginners book

Find Christopher West on Facebook and Instagram.

Discover Theology of the Body Institute.

If you enjoy the podcast, help us out by writing a review. Thanks for listening!

Featuring music by Mike Mangione.

Produced by Sounder and Key.

Previous 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?

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!

Featuring music by Mike Mangione.

Produced by Sounder and Key.

Next Episode

Seeing Through the Window | ACW76

How do I forgive my perpetually dysfunctional family? What do you think about the Latin Mass? How do I understand the part of the Litany of Humility that says "from the desire of being loved, deliver me, O Jesus"? Aren't we made for love?

Want to support the Theology of the Body Institute? Become a Patron!

Q1: My question is about forgiveness. I live in a family with 5 adult kids and there are many dysfunctional patterns of expressing emotion and dealing with conflict. Many of my family members, myself included, have a difficult time forgiving. I know as Catholics, we are called to forgive the way Jesus forgave us; but I don't understand the difference between forgiveness and living in dysfunction. I feel that the dysfunction has to be solved before I can say, "I forgive you" and let things go; but that often leads to holding grudges and resentment, often for days on end. I don't know how to forgive while still addressing dysfunctional dynamics and not becoming a door mat.

Q2: I wanted to know your thoughts on the Traditional Latin mass? Do you believe it was necessary to change the mass in Vatican II? I believe so much of TOB aligns with the traditional Latin mass. I’m drawn to it and the reverence of it, what do you think and have you ever gone to the Latin mass regularly? Thank you for all you do!

Q3: I recently came across the Litany of Humility and I am wondering about how to reconcile this line “from the desire of being loved, deliver me, O Jesus” with marriage. My understanding is that the love of God is sufficient; however, if a marriage is a reflection of the marriage we will have with God in heaven (hopefully), then shouldn’t we desire our spouse to love us? Also, we were created to love and be loved; therefore, why should I pray to not desire love when that’s precisely what I was created for? Only God’s love?

Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.

Resources mentioned this week:

The Chosen TV Series

The Catholic Marriage Summit 2020

Love is Patient but I'm Not by Christopher West

Spirit of the Liturgy by Cardinal Ratzinger

TOB Institute Virtual Conference en Español