Since the early 90's, author and speaker Christopher West has devoted his life to spreading John Paul II's revolutionary teaching on human life, love, and sexuality: The Theology of the Body. His beloved wife Wendy, mother of their five children, has served as his confidante, friend, and support through these long years of ministry. In this podcast, Christopher and Wendy combine their wisdom to tackle the toughest questions dealing with vocation, sexuality, marriage, and the Catholic faith.
Helping kids stay rooted in faith after divorce, Is God sexual?, Overcoming degrading fantasies in marriage| ACW345
Questions answered this episode:
After divorcing my husband over his unhealed pornography addiction, my sons now stay with him and his civil wife. I’m seeking guidance on how to protect and mentor them spiritually amid confusing messages from their father.
If God made us sexual and romantic in His image, and intimacy reflects the Trinity, why do you say God is not sexual?
I struggle to be aroused with my wife without degrading fantasies. I know they’re sinful—how can I overcome them?
Resources:
JPII Legacy Foundation Website (https://www.jp2legacy.org/)
CCC 370 (https://www.catholiccrossreference.online/catechism/#!/search/370)
CCC 42 (https://www.catholiccrossreference.online/catechism/#!/search/42)
CCC 239 (https://www.catholiccrossreference.online/catechism/#!/search/239)
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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🔥 Get 3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on Theology of the Body (https://www.tobforfree.com/)
📕 Get a copy of Christopher's Eating the Sunrise: Meditations on the Liturgy & Our Hunger for Beauty (http://www.eatingthesunrise.com/)
⚡️ Want to support the Theology of the Body Institute and have a better chance of us answering your question? Join our Patron Community! (https://tobpatron.com/)
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Submit you question here! (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeJDRUXeN9Um6YVbKsFHJvucdAJih9ozu8r3ZaGjrhArAV3cA/viewform?embedded=true)
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🎥 Check out our YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/@TheologyoftheBodyInstitute)
📚 View our COURSE SCHEDULE (https://tobinstitute.org/programs/tobi-schedule/) to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
📘 GOOD NEWS ABOUT SEX & MARRIAGE (https://shop.corproject.com/collections/best-sellers/products/good-news-about-sex-and-marriage) by Christopher West. Use discount code MARRIAGE during checkout for 20% off one or multiple copies.
🏔️ Join us on one of our pilgrimages! (http://tobpilgrimages.com/)
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recommended on this podcast, contact: michele@tobinstitute.org (http://michele@tobinstitute.org/)
List of trusted counselors & psychologists (https://docs.google.com/document/d/11GI1XK7viPMV36eBBNjxoKqzCENSRVyR1IoLpX6lqrw/edit?usp=sharing)
4 Aug 2025TRANSCRIPT
Apophatic prayer, Longing for a same sex person from my past, Husband with a closed heart after porn addiction | ACW344
Questions answered this episode:
How does Theology of the Body relate to the apophatic tradition of imageless, silent prayer? If we're meant to go beyond concepts and detach even from meditation, how can a theology so rooted in the body inform contemplative prayer?
Though I'm happily married, I still feel haunted by a deep emotional bond with a female friend from my past. Why does this longing persist, and how can I find freedom from it?
My husband has been sober from porn for 8 years, but his heart remains closed off. After nearly 39 years of marriage, where can we find the outside help and healing we still need?
Resources:
JPII Legacy Foundation Website (https://www.jp2legacy.org/)
Freedom Coaching (https://freedom-coaching.net/)
Hope’s Garden (https://hopesgarden.com/)
Marriage Missionaries (https://marriagemissionaries.org/)
The Alexander House (https://www.thealexanderhouse.org/)
28 Jul 2025TRANSCRIPT
Sexual arousal in prayer, Did the Holy Spirit become a sperm?, Artist tempted by nude art | ACW343
Questions answered this episode:
I’ve broken free from porn and masturbation since returning to the Church, but now I experience arousal during deep prayer. It distracts and disturbs me—how can I pray through it without shame or confusion?
My kids ask: If Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit, did the Spirit become physical—like a sperm? How do I explain this?
As a virgin in an art class drawing nude figures, I feel shame, fear, and temptation. How can I see the body with purity and maturity without falling into lust or fantasy?
Resources:
COURSE SCHEDULE (https://tobinstitute.org/programs/tobi-schedule/)
JPII Legacy Foundation Website (https://www.jp2legacy.org/)
What to Do With Your Sexual Needs YouTube Video (https://youtu.be/vx_iMIqQPL4?si=jw3h6QSrksYzmBxI)
Sexual Needs Into Prayer YouTube Video (https://youtu.be/oMyK0A2hDUs?si=SAfbbj5tCTmrZREL)
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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.
---
🔥 Get 3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on Theology of the Body (https://www.tobforfree.com/)
📕 Get a copy of Christopher's Eating the Sunrise: Meditations on the Liturgy & Our Hunger for Beauty (http://www.eatingthesunrise.com/)
⚡️ Want to support the Theology of the Body Institute and have a better chance of us answering your question? Join our Patron Community! (https://tobpatron.com/)
---
Submit you question here! (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeJDRUXeN9Um6YVbKsFHJvucdAJih9ozu8r3ZaGjrhArAV3cA/viewform?embedded=true)
---
🎥 Check out our YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/@TheologyoftheBodyInstitute)
📚 View our COURSE SCHEDULE (https://tobinstitute.org/programs/tobi-schedule/) to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
📘 GOOD NEWS ABOUT SEX & MARRIAGE (https://shop.corproject.com/collections/best-sellers/products/good-news-about-sex-and-marriage) by Christopher West. Use discount code MARRIAGE during checkout for 20% off one or multiple copies.
🏔️ Join us on one of our pilgrimages! (http://tobpilgrimages.com/)
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recommended on this podcast, contact: michele@tobinstitute.org (http://michele@tobinstitute.org/)
List of trusted counselors & psychologists (https://docs.google.com/document/d/11GI1XK7viPMV36eBBNjxoKqzCENSRVyR1IoLpX6lqrw/edit?usp=sharing)
Inside a recent episode
Helping kids stay rooted in faith after divorce, Is God sexual?, Overcoming degrading fantasies in marriage| ACW345
Published 12 Aug 2025 · Transcript excerpt
[…] And in the long term, that is what will leave the impact, is your witness. Not that you navigated your life such that you could avoid the trauma of your children being in a fallen world. You can't. It's impossible. But your witness to living in this fallen world, uniting all that is broken, all that is painful with Jesus. You can teach them that way. You can teach them the way. You can say to them, this is very confusing. This is very painful that your dad and I are not together anymore. And I don't know the ages of your boys. So there's obviously at different ages and stages of life, things are more or less appropriate to share. […]
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