

Ask Christopher West
Theology of the Body Institute
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 12, 2024 • 1h 5min
TOB & Racism, Kissing & Arousal, Temptation While Sleeping | ACW293
Questions answered this episode:
Can TOB shed any light on the sin of racism?
Is it wrong to give a kiss if there’s even the slightest bit of arousal present as a dating couple?
I’ve struggled with the sin of masturbation for the past 10 years. It comes and goes in seasons. Recently, I’ve experienced great temptations while I’m asleep. I awaken in the night with urges I can’t control. Do you have any advice?
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
📕 Get a copy of Christopher's [Eating the Sunrise: Meditations on the Liturgy & Our Hunger for Beauty](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!
Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.
Resources mentioned this week:
COURSE SCHEDULE
🎥 Check out our YouTube Channel
📚 View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
📘 GOOD NEWS ABOUT SEX & MARRIAGE by Christopher West. Use discount code MARRIAGE during checkout for 20% off one or multiple copies.
🏔️ Want to join us on one of our pilgrimages? Click here
🌟 For professional Catholic Life Coaching, including Porn Recovery: https://www.stevemotylcoaching.com/
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recommended on this podcast, contact: michele@tobinstitute.org
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.

Aug 5, 2024 • 51min
Anything Goes In the Marriage Bed?, Morality of Boudoir Photoshoots and Chastity Book Recommendations | ACW292
Questions answered this episode:
I’ve always heard that as long as the sexual union ends in intercourse anything goes but I’ve never heard any guidance on what happens next and what could be considered masturbation in marriage. Do you have any guidance?
Are boudoir photoshoots immoral?
I’d like to go deeper into the topic of chastity. Which book would 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.
🔥 Get 3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on Theology of the Body
📕 Get a copy of Christopher's [Eating the Sunrise: Meditations on the Liturgy & Our Hunger for Beauty](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!
Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.
Resources mentioned this week:
COURSE SCHEDULE
The Man with 1000 Kids | Official Trailer | Netflix
Good News About Sex & Marriage
🎥 Check out our YouTube Channel
📚 View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
📘 GOOD NEWS ABOUT SEX & MARRIAGE by Christopher West. Use discount code MARRIAGE during checkout for 20% off one or multiple copies.
🏔️ Want to join us on one of our pilgrimages? Click here
🌟 For professional Catholic Life Coaching, including Porn Recovery: https://www.stevemotylcoaching.com/
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recommended on this podcast, contact: michele@tobinstitute.org
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.

Jul 29, 2024 • 47min
Dating Before the Fall, Secrecy of Past Sexual Encounters, and Josephs & Mary’s Virginity | ACW291
Questions answered this episode:
Would there have been dating and discernment of marriage in the garden before the fall?
I’m a young woman soon to be engaged. Before I started dating the man I’m currently with, I had sexual encounters with 2 other guys. He is aware of the first but not the second. Do you have any advice?
Why is the word “until” in the verse “He had no relations with her until she bore a son and he named him Jesus” in the Gospel of Matthew?
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
📕 Get a copy of Christopher's [Eating the Sunrise: Meditations on the Liturgy & Our Hunger for Beauty](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!
Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.
Resources mentioned this week:
Are you ready for marriage? Check out Next Step: A Course for Discerning Marriage
🎥 Check out our YouTube Channel
📚 View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
📘 GOOD NEWS ABOUT SEX & MARRIAGE by Christopher West. Use discount code MARRIAGE during checkout for 20% off one or multiple copies.
🏔️ Want to join us on one of our pilgrimages? Click here
🌟 For professional Catholic Life Coaching, including Porn Recovery: https://www.stevemotylcoaching.com/
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recommended on this podcast, contact: michele@tobinstitute.org
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.

Jul 22, 2024 • 50min
Children and the Second Coming, Sexual Healing in Marriage, and Glorifying God Through Teaching | ACW290
Topics discussed include the fate of children in the Second Coming, healing sexual trauma in marriage, and glorifying God as a teacher. The hosts offer insights on balancing natural desires with divine grace, navigating marital intimacy challenges, and honoring the sacred duty of teaching with passion.

Jul 15, 2024 • 46min
Comparison, Original Sin and Pain & Work from Home Mama | ACW289
Questions answered this episode:
I struggle with comparison. I feel like I don’t have the joy that other christians have. This makes me wonder why I feel like I should have more than what the Lord has already given to me. Why do I think I’m so special as to receive more?
If there was no original sin, could we still feel pain in our bodies?
I’m a wife & mother. For a while I’ve been feeling resentful towards having to work and I’ve thought about turning a personal hobby into a small business so that I could work form home. How can I discern if this desire is God’s will for my family and not an expression of over tiredness and maybe even a struggle with laziness towards working?
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
📕 Get a copy of Christopher's [Eating the Sunrise: Meditations on the Liturgy & Our Hunger for Beauty](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!
Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.
Resources mentioned this week:
Pilgrimage Trailer
Switchfoot - Dare You To Move
THE CHRISTIAN MEANING OF HUMAN SUFFERING (SALVIFICI DOLORIS)
On Human Work (LABOREM EXERCENS)
🎥Check out our YouTube Channel
📚 View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
📘 GOOD NEWS ABOUT SEX & MARRIAGE by Christopher West. Use discount code MARRIAGE during checkout for 20% off one or multiple copies.
🏔️ Join Bill Donaghy on a pilgrimage to the UK to walk in the footsteps of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and G.K. Chesterton. July 16-25, 2024
Get details here
🌟 For professional Catholic Life Coaching, including Porn Recovery: https://www.stevemotylcoaching.com/
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recommended on this podcast, contact: michele@tobinstitute.org
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.

Jul 8, 2024 • 48min
Archetypes of Masculinity and Femininity, Dating Someone Recovering from Sex Addiction & Christopher's Return to Catholicism | ACW288
Questions answered this episode:
What does TOB have to say about folks whose natural personality don’t always line up with archetypes of male and female?
I’m in a relationship with a man who is in active recovery from sexual addiction. How can I support him as his girlfriend?
What led you (Christopher) to return from protestantism to Catholicism?
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
📕 Get a copy of Christopher's [Eating the Sunrise: Meditations on the Liturgy & Our Hunger for Beauty](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!
Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.
Resources mentioned this week:
https://www.bloomforcatholicwomen.com/
https://hopesgarden.com/
Catholic Sexual Ethics Book
🎥Check out our YouTube Channel
📚 View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
📘 GOOD NEWS ABOUT SEX & MARRIAGE by Christopher West. Use discount code MARRIAGE during checkout for 20% off one or multiple copies.
🏔️ Join Bill Donaghy on a pilgrimage to the UK to walk in the footsteps of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and G.K. Chesterton. July 16-25, 2024
Get details here
🌟 For professional Catholic Life Coaching, including Porn Recovery: https://www.stevemotylcoaching.com/
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recommended on this podcast, contact: michele@tobinstitute.org
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.

Jul 1, 2024 • 45min
Pet's Fertility, Hysterectomy, Childbirth in Catholic Circles & Irregular Cycles. | ACW287
Questions answered this episode:
Does striving to live out TOB affect the decisions we make for our pet’s fertility? My mother recently had a surgery that required a hysterectomy. This brings about sadness even though she was already past child bearing years. Does TOB have any insights into this?
I’m due with my second child very soon. I feel there’s minimal talk around birthing in Catholic circles. What do you think about this?
I’d like to use NFP once I’m married but I have irregular cycles which make me think I won’t be able to use it successfully. What are my options?
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
📕 Get a copy of Christopher's [Eating the Sunrise: Meditations on the Liturgy & Our Hunger for Beauty](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!
Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.
Resources mentioned this week:
Freedom Coaching
🎥Check out our YouTube Channel
📚 View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
📘 GOOD NEWS ABOUT SEX & MARRIAGE by Christopher West. Use discount code MARRIAGE during checkout for 20% off one or multiple copies.
🏔️ Join Bill Donaghy on a pilgrimage to the UK to walk in the footsteps of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and G.K. Chesterton. July 16-25, 2024
Get details here
🌟 For professional Catholic Life Coaching, including Porn Recovery: https://www.stevemotylcoaching.com/
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recommended on this podcast, contact: michele@tobinstitute.org
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.

Jun 24, 2024 • 56min
Practicing Abstinence as Engaged Couple, Til Death Do Us Apart & Honoring and Loving a Woman | ACW286
Questions answered this episode:
I’m a young woman happily dating a catholic man. The thought of having times of abstinence in marriage is a little sad. Could you speak on the beauty of abstinence? Is the ability to be physically intimate even in times of abstinence without it leading to intercourse something that is learned only in marriage? Is this something that can be learned as an engaged couple?
My husband of 32 years died last year and I’m struggling with the thought of no longer being a married woman. How can I reconcile the “two becoming one” and “til death do us apart”? What is the nature of the marriage relationship in heaven?
I met a woman that is 3 years older than I am which put me off initially but now I just can’t unsee her beauty. I get easily aroused by simple interactions with her. I often worry about messing up if we start dating. How can I honor God and love this beautiful woman?
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
📕 Get a copy of Christopher's [Eating the Sunrise: Meditations on the Liturgy & Our Hunger for Beauty](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!
Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.
Resources mentioned this week:
Love & Responsibility YouTube Series
🎥Check out our YouTube Channel
📚 View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
📘 GOOD NEWS ABOUT SEX & MARRIAGE by Christopher West. Use discount code MARRIAGE during checkout for 20% off one or multiple copies.
🏔️ Join Bill Donaghy on a pilgrimage to the UK to walk in the footsteps of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and G.K. Chesterton. July 16-25, 2024
Get details here
🌟 For professional Catholic Life Coaching, including Porn Recovery: https://www.stevemotylcoaching.com/
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recommended on this podcast, contact: michele@tobinstitute.org
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.

Jun 17, 2024 • 47min
Redirection of Desire, Sleeping in the Same Bed & the Dignity of Every Man & Woman | ACW285
Questions answered this episode:
What are some examples redirecting our desire (eros) in everyday life?
Is there anything inherently wrong with sleeping in the same bed as a long distance girlfriend when we visit each other? Is the near occasion of sin still a sin if I don’t end up sinning?
Where is this quote by John Paul II from: “It is the duty of every man to uphold the dignity of every woman”?
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
📕 Get a copy of Christopher's [Eating the Sunrise: Meditations on the Liturgy & Our Hunger for Beauty](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!
Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.
Resources mentioned this week:
Want to join us on one of our pilgrimages? Click here
🎥Check out our YouTube Channel
📚 View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
📘 GOOD NEWS ABOUT SEX & MARRIAGE by Christopher West. Use discount code MARRIAGE during checkout for 20% off one or multiple copies.
🏔️ Join Bill Donaghy on a pilgrimage to the UK to walk in the footsteps of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and G.K. Chesterton. July 16-25, 2024
Get details here
🌟 For professional Catholic Life Coaching, including Porn Recovery: https://www.stevemotylcoaching.com/
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recommended on this podcast, contact: michele@tobinstitute.org
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.

Jun 16, 2024 • 49min
Aroused by Displays of Affection, Receiving the Eucharist in Mortal Sin & Getting Married Young
Topics include coping with physical arousal in relationships, understanding mortal sin when receiving the Eucharist, and the pressure to get married young. The hosts offer insightful advice on integrating sexuality with spirituality and finding harmony between societal expectations and divine providence.


