Lived Experience and the Search for Truth: Revisiting Catholic Sexual Morality

Apr 5, 2025

Deborah Savage, a theology professor specializing in St. John Paul II's anthropology, teams up with Robert Fastiggi, an expert in ecclesiology and moral theology. Together, they delve into the tension between subjective and absolute truths in Catholic sexual morality. They analyze personal narratives of those who strayed from church teachings, emphasizing the Church's role in guiding individuals back to fulfillment. Highlighting the interplay of gender identity and morality, they advocate for compassionate discourse in understanding personal and ecclesiastical truths.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Seeking Truth in a Complex World

02:22 • 4min

Navigating Experience and Faith in Catholic Morality

05:56 • 27min

Navigating Gender Identity and Morality

32:36 • 14min

Reason, Experience, and Catholic Truth

46:53 • 23min

A Prayer for Divine Guidance and Strength

01:09:34 • 2min

Celebrating a Milestone: Reflections on 100 Episodes

01:11:40 • 2min

“What is truth?” Pontius Pilate scoffed at Jesus (Jn 18:38), and that’s how we think about matters today in our culture—subjectively: my truth, your truth, etc. To make the argument that there is a knowable Truth (with a capital T) that is written in the world and in our bones, theologians Deborah Savage and Robert Fastiggi examine a selection of autobiographical accounts of ‘lived experience.’ They take a number of personal essays written by those who have erred from the path of Catholic social teaching and sexual morality—in the dark forest of the world, to borrow from Dante—and their subsequent disappointments and suffering. They examine these narratives through the anthropology of John Paul II and the authority of the physical and social sciences, including medical doctors. So, there is Good News for all of us: if we find ourselves lost and unhappy in our errant meanderings, the Church can bring us home. We can always choose, as God reminded Cain gently (Gen 4:7), “sin is couching at the door; its desire is for you, but you may overcome it.”

Here is the book on the En Route Books website (which includes video links)here is the book on Amazon.com.
Deborah Savage’s website.
Robert Fastiggi’s website (as a theology professor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary).
The article we refer to by Leah Fessler, “A Lot of Women Don’t Enjoy Hookup Culture—So Why Do We Force Ourselves to Participate?” Quartz Online, May 17, 2016.
Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI on Wikipedia and on the Vatican website.

Robert Fastiggi’s previous appearance on Almost Good Catholics, three years ago (recorded in February of 2022, on the eve of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine):

Robert Fastiggi on Almost Good Catholics, episode 7: Mother of All Nations: Immaculate Conception, Virgin Birth, Assumption, and Coronation of Mary

An episode of Almost Good Catholics on the same theme:

Garrett Johnson on Almost Good Catholics, episode 42: Who Do You Think You Are? Thorny Questions about Sex, Identity, and Catholic Doctrine.

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