

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

Oct 31, 2022 • 50min
I Never Would Have | ACW199
How do I respond to being invited to the "wedding" of a same-sex couple? I have been a lustful man and I am trying not to me but my past still haunts me. Because of this, I feel selfish everytime I ask for communion with my wife. . . how can I overcome this shame?
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 a copy of God Is Beauty, A Retreat on the Gospel and Art by Karoly Wojtyla/John Paul II. Available now for the first time in English.
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:
View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
Freedom Coaching
Join Christopher and Wendy on the TOB Institute’s “St. Therese & the Little Way” Seine River Cruise in France from Oct. 26-Nov. 2, 2023 (optional pre-cruise extension trip to Lourdes Oct. 22-26). Get complete details and place your deposit here.
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recomended 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.

Oct 24, 2022 • 49min
This Is Our Union | ACW198
As a man in his early thirties who has been through a legal divorce and the annulment process, what should I do to discern my vocation? What is the theology behind miscarriages and still births? As a newly-wed woman, I am afraid of making love with the lights on and allowing my husband to see me. . . what should I do?
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 a copy of God Is Beauty, A Retreat on the Gospel and Art by Karoly Wojtyla/John Paul II. Available now for the first time in English.
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:
View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
Join Christopher and Wendy on the TOB Institute’s “St. Therese & the Little Way” Seine River Cruise in France from Oct. 26-Nov. 2, 2023 (optional pre-cruise extension trip to Lourdes Oct. 22-26). Get complete details and place your deposit here.
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recomended 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.

Oct 17, 2022 • 45min
A Secret Request | ACW197
What does it mean theologically that men are always fertile while women are only fertile for a fraction of each month? My boyfriend has a past of watching porn. . . it is very hard for me to feel beautiful and confident in front around him because I know that it must have effected his ideas and expectations of what the female body should look like. Any advice? I want to love and cherish my husband and be intimate with him but I am struggling with being able to be aroused. We've been married for eight years and have two young kids with a third on the way. I find I can't separate the frustrations of the day from our intimate time and I'm constantly thinking negative thoughts about his attempts to get me in the mood. I get frustrated with him and myself for not being able to be aroused and half the time we justt give up. Why can't I be aroused by my husband anymore?
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 a copy of God Is Beauty, A Retreat on the Gospel and Art by Karoly Wojtyla/John Paul II. Available now for the first time in English.
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:
View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
Join Christopher and Wendy on the TOB Institute’s “St. Therese & the Little Way” Seine River Cruise in France from Oct. 26-Nov. 2, 2023 (optional pre-cruise extension trip to Lourdes Oct. 22-26). Get complete details and place your deposit here.
Be Restored: Healing Our Sexual Wounds through Jesus’ Merciful Love by Bob Schuchts
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recomended 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.

Oct 10, 2022 • 56min
For The Joy Set Before Him | ACW196
What reflections do you have on the sacramental view of nature and Theology of the Body? What should do when my fiancé looks at women on Instagram? Is it possible for sexual arrousal to be born out of love and deep desire for spiritual communion? If it is possible, how can I train myself to change my mind from responding to seduction to being a man able to love and give myself as a gift?
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 a copy of God Is Beauty, A Retreat on the Gospel and Art by Karoly Wojtyla/John Paul II. Available now for the first time in English.
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:
View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
Join Christopher and Wendy on the TOB Institute’s “St. Therese & the Little Way” Seine River Cruise in France from Oct. 26-Nov. 2, 2023 (optional pre-cruise extension trip to Lourdes Oct. 22-26). Get complete details and place your deposit here.
Christopher's conversation with his dad, Soren, about hiking the Appalachian Trail: https://youtu.be/UNWR5hK-NMU
GOD IS BEAUTY: A RETREAT ON THE GOSPEL AND ART by St. John Paul II
FILL THESE HEARTS by Christopher West
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recomended 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.

Oct 3, 2022 • 50min
Until Death Do Us Part | ACW195
How do I know that I truly love the woman I'm dating and that it's not just the feelings of comfort she gives me? I do not want to make my wife an object for my desire, yet when she rejects me I struggle mightily. How do I unconditionally love my wife and not ask or expect anything of her when I have such strong desires? If marriage is a sacrament of Christ's love for the Church, why is marriage only until death? Christ's love for the Church goes beyond death.
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.
Register for the St. Therese and The Little Way Seine River Cruise (October 26–November 2, 2023)
Get a copy of God Is Beauty, A Retreat on the Gospel and Art by Karoly Wojtyla/John Paul II. Available now for the first time in English.
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:
View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
Join Christopher and Wendy on the TOB Institute’s “St. Therese & the Little Way” Seine River Cruise in France from Oct. 26-Nov. 2, 2023 (optional pre-cruise extension trip to Lourdes Oct. 22-26). Get complete details and place your deposit here.
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recomended 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.

Sep 26, 2022 • 44min
Riding the Wave | ACW194
Does Theology of the Body speak to what would have happend to Mary's body and soul at the end of her life? How can I, as a married man, find purpose without the joy of children? How can I introduce the themes of John Paul II's teaching on sexuality as a teacher at a secular school?
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 a copy of God Is Beauty, A Retreat on the Gospel and Art by Karoly Wojtyla/John Paul II. Available now for the first time in English.
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:
Register for the St. Therese and The Little Way Seine River Cruise (October 26–November 2, 2023)
View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
Join Christopher and Wendy on the TOB Institute’s “St. Therese & the Little Way” Seine River Cruise in France from Oct. 26-Nov. 2, 2023 (optional pre-cruise extension trip to Lourdes Oct. 22-26). Get complete details and place your deposit here.
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recomended 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.

Sep 19, 2022 • 50min
To Awaken Love | ACW193
Do you have any advice for me as a priest, celebrating the mass of my cousin who is struggling with his faith? Where in the Bible does it explicitly state that it is a sin to have sex outside of marriage and where does the Catholic Church state that it is a mortal sin? What thoughts do you have on makeup and beauty standards?
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 a copy of God Is Beauty, A Retreat on the Gospel and Art by Karoly Wojtyla/John Paul II. Available now for the first time in English.
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:
View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
Join Christopher and Wendy on the TOB Institute’s “St. Therese & the Little Way” Seine River Cruise in France from Oct. 26-Nov. 2, 2023 (optional pre-cruise extension trip to Lourdes Oct. 22-26). Get complete details and place your deposit here.
Good News About Sex & Marriage by Christopher West
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recomended 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.

Sep 12, 2022 • 55min
The Little Way | ACW192
How can spouses communicate how they feel about the issue of maintaining physical attractiveness throughout the stages of married life without adding hurt to the relationship? Regarding marriage in old age, is there a dispensation in Canon Law permitting marriage if the union is unable to be consumated due to impotence after child baring years? What does it mean to take in movies, TV shows, and other stories through a "TOB lens"?
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 a copy of God Is Beauty, A Retreat on the Gospel and Art by Karoly Wojtyla/John Paul II. Available now for the first time in English.
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:
View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
Join Christopher and Wendy on the TOB Institute’s “St. Therese & the Little Way” Seine River Cruise in France from Oct. 26-Nov. 2, 2023 (optional pre-cruise extension trip to Lourdes Oct. 22-26). Get complete details and place your deposit here.
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recomended 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.

Sep 5, 2022 • 42min
The Whole Bible in 5 Words | ACW191
Any tips on how to offer hope to my brother who struggles with same sex attraction? Wendy, could you share more about praying for Christopher while he was pursuing an other woman before you were together? Where can I find the complete works of John Paul II on Theology of the Body?
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 a copy of God Is Beauty, A Retreat on the Gospel and Art by Karoly Wojtyla/John Paul II. Available now for the first time in English.
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:
A Conversation with my Dad (Soren West)
God Is Beauty: A Retreat on the Gospel and Art by Karol Wojtyla/St. John Paul II
Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body
View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
Join Christopher and Wendy on the TOB Institute’s “St. Therese & the Little Way” Seine River Cruise in France from Oct. 26-Nov. 2, 2023 (optional pre-cruise extension trip to Lourdes Oct. 22-26). Get complete details and place your deposit here.
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recomended 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 29, 2022 • 52min
Deception, Marriage Debt, and Sexual Trauma | ACW190
What jargon in our world today do you think is keeping us from seeing/hearing the actual Truth? What is "marriage debt"? How can I share my deep wounds of past sexual abuse with my husband without giving details that will be unhelpful?
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.
THIS EPISODE IS ON YOUTUBE
Get a copy of God Is Beauty, A Retreat on the Gospel and Art by Karoly Wojtyla/John Paul II. Available now for the first time in English.
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:
View our COURSE SCHEDULE to register for a course, ONLINE or IN-PERSON!
Learn more about Made for More
The JPII Healing Center
Join Christopher and Wendy on the TOB Institute’s “St. Therese & the Little Way” Seine River Cruise in France from Oct. 26-Nov. 2, 2023 (optional pre-cruise extension trip to Lourdes Oct. 22-26). Get complete details and place your deposit here.
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recomended 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.


