Questions answered this episode: I’m a teacher and the other day, one of my 5th graders walked up to me and told me he was “wearing his grandma.” He was wearing an ash necklace where he was holding the ashes of his deceased grandmother. What is the difference between the Catholic tradition of relics and keeping an “ash necklace” How can I tell the difference between loving someone and being afraid of being alone? What does intercourse in pregnancy say about the beauty and goodness of...

Questions answered this episode: I’m in my 30’s and I’ve been married for a few years. My past was full of addiction to porn. I’ve been able to heal and overcome those past but I find myself wanting to go back. I also find myself thinking life would’ve been easier if I had married someone else. Do you have any advice? What advice do you have for someone whose 1 year relationship just ended with her partner expressing doubts about life, work, relationships and feeling jealous of my...

Questions answered this episode: Soon after my husband and I got married I had cancer and needed to get a hysterectomy. My husband and I adopted our son a year ago. I notice that my husband didn’t bond with me like first time parents typically do. I have trouble sitting with the desire to want to be ministered to as a pregnant woman. Do you have any advice? I have been steeped in pornography for most of my life but I’ve been free for over a year now. My tendency towards lust is still...

Questions answered this episode: As a young man in my mid twenties, I long for a godly woman. However, I’ve questioned my intentions about this yearning and wondered if my ambitions to get in shape, make a good living and develop a closer relationship with God could just be a cover for worshipping an idol of attracting a certain kind of woman. How can I learn to integrate these ambitions with becoming the kind of man God wants me to be. I want to get married but I see many huge challenges...

Questions answered this episode: I’m struggling with the line between desire and lust in the context of marriage. Can I watch my wife shower and not fall into lust? What is it about marriage that makes desires and actions that, if otherwise took place outside of it would be sinful, not sinful? Will heaven get better after the end times? Will heaven be lacking something when only our souls are there awaiting our reunion with out glorified bodies? Ask Christopher West is a weekly podcast...

Questions answered this episode: I’m a single Catholic woman in my early 30’s. I’m normally drawn to things that are typically associated with men. A spiritual director from the past attempted to direct me to more traditionally feminine things. What does femininity and masculinity really mean? Can not having a feminine or masculine enough personality constitute an impediment to marriage or to religious life? Do you have any advice for single Catholics that are feeling a lack of Jesus’s...

Questions answered this episode: Do you think we’ll still have our excretory functions in the eschaton? I’m a new convert to the faith. My husband is still a non-catholic and had a vasectomy some time ago. I don’t think he will reverse it. Do you have any advice? Was there sex before original sin? Was marriage meant to last for eternity? Ask Christopher West is a weekly podcast in which Theology of the Body Institute President Christopher West and his beloved wife Wendy share their...

Questions answered this episode: I’ve been going deep into the TOB for a few years but after all this time has passed, I’ve noticed it’s difficult to hold on. Did you have a similar experience? Could you provide some encouragement? My wife and I are newly weds. We both would like to have children but she’s currently taking a medication that could be harmful for her pregnancy. There is an option to have a medical procedure that would get her off the medication but the surgery is also risky....

Questions answered this episode: My husband and I have 4 children 7 years old and under. We have unintentionally adopted an open door bathroom policy in our home. Is there an age where this would cease to be appropriate? I’m entering the Church this easter but my husband is not. I want to honor him but I also want to step into what I believe God wants for us and our fertility. How do I have this conversation with my husband? Do I just stop birth control “cold turkey”? What does idolizing...

Questions answered this episode: The word remain has been coming up in my prayer. Do you have deeper insights into this word? Has it ever come up for you in prayer? Where do you recommend that I go to learn more about the topic of contraception from an academic perspective? I’m a stay at home mom. The way the world, my family and friends think about motherhood saddens me. Do you have any advice? Ask Christopher West is a weekly podcast in which Theology of the Body Institute President...

Questions answered this episode: Will heaven be less spectacular until the day when souls get reunited with their bodies? How will the final judgement change the status of people already in heaven or in hell? How can I begin to enter into the deep emotional realities of art like music or movies? How can I know if my desire to live a single life is my calling? Ask Christopher West is a weekly podcast in which Theology of the Body Institute President Christopher West and his beloved wife...

Questions answered this episode: How can I know if God not only loves me but likes me? My husband and I recently married but I find that I’m resentful and defensive because of things that happened during our 5 years of dating. I continue to grow angrier and resentful as our marriage goes on. Do you have any advice? I’m a young woman and often find myself wanting to be desired by another man. Is looking for affirmation in this way a form of lust? Ask Christopher West is a weekly podcast...

Questions answered this episode: I’m engaged and looking forward to marriage but have struggled with body image and eating disorders. How can I prepare myself mentally, emotionally and/or physically for the marital embrace? How can I love my body more so that I can let my fiancé love it too? What does the Church say about medical infertility? Do you have any resources available to teach Theology of the Body for 7th graders? Ask Christopher West is a weekly podcast in which Theology of...

Questions answered this episode: Is it true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder? I become distant and irritable when abstaining from sexual intimacy with my wife. Do you have any advice? How can I accept an unwanted pregnancy? 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...

Questions answered this episode: Is there anything wrong with me for being attracted to someone only when she uses makeup? As a physician, is prescribing contraception a mortal sin? My husband thinks we should use NPF for the rest of our marriage but I long to continue having children. Do you have any thoughts? 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 answered this episode: How do we reorient what we find gross about the bodily functions? What is masturbation? As a pre-engaged couple, how do we heal from our sexual past? 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...

Questions answered this episode: Will I ever get over my first love? Is it okay date others while still attached to another? What story does the body of a person with same sex attraction tell? Why does the bride come in after the priest at a wedding? 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...

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 his beloved wife Wendy share their humor and wisdom, answering questions about marriage,...

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 show our love even if we’re not in the mood. If my bride is not in the mood, it would seem 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 risk? In my marriage, my husband seems to use sex like a drug. Can I refuse to engage in...

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 that possibly won’t be born alive; they long for their daughter to be baptized. Can you...

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? This is not a question but an affirmation of the wisdom and balance coming from Wendy and...

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 Theology of the Body Institute President Christopher West and his beloved wife Wendy share their...

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 as a man? Ask Christopher West is a weekly podcast in which Theology of the Body Institute...