Is JPII contradicting St. Paul on spousal authority?, Teaching TOB when church leaders resist, and My vasectomy haunts my marriage | ACW365
Ask Christopher West
Theology of the Body Institute
4.9 • 549 Ratings
🗓️ 29 December 2025
⏱️ 49 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
–This episode is sponsored by Truthly–
Questions answered this episode:
- St. John Paul talks about woman being master of her own mystery—how a man must stand at the door and knock, then wait for her to open, even in marriage, respecting her right to reject his advances to the marital embrace. In light of this, how do we understand 1 Corinthians 7:4–5 (“the wife does not rule over her own body… Do not refuse one another except perhaps by agreement…”)? What does this mean? It seems to contradict JP2. I’ve also heard it used against NFP—how can I understand it in light of TOB and the Church’s teaching?
- How do you handle sharing Theology of the Body in the current context, where our own leaders in the Church seem to more and more embrace the way of the world? Can you give advice on ways to share and teach the TOB message within our own diocese in this context—especially when facing barriers from our own priests and bishops?
- I’m a happily married man in my early 60s. I had a vasectomy in my 20s after our third child, became Catholic in my 50s, and deeply regretted what I’d done to my body. I’ve gathered that when I make love to my wife it isn’t considered a truly marital act because my body is in a contraceptive state—even though she’s past menopause and cannot conceive. I’ve considered reversal, but I can’t afford it and I’m told it’s unlikely to work at my age; my non-Catholic wife isn’t supportive. Have you any consoling thoughts?
Resources:
Colorado Ski Retreat with Christopher
Good News About Sex & Marriage
If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recommended on this podcast, contact: michele@tobinstitute.org
Donate to the JPII Legacy Foundation
JPII Legacy Foundation Website
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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.
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*If you are in financial need and honestly cannot afford a book or resource recommended on this podcast, contact: michele@tobinstitute.org
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Our faithful listeners know that I've been of late sharing with you guys an app called Truthly. |
| 0:09.7 | Truthly, we've entered into a partnership with Truthly. |
| 0:12.3 | I believe in what they're doing. |
| 0:13.5 | They believe in what we're doing. |
| 0:15.4 | And our audience, who is familiar with asking questions about the Catholic faith, |
| 0:20.8 | you guys should really know about this app called Truthly, T-R-U-T-H-L-Y, |
| 0:28.4 | faithful to the Magisterium, rooted in Scripture, |
| 0:31.6 | thinking with the mind and heart of the church. |
| 0:33.3 | You can go on Truthly and ask any question about the Catholic faith, and you'll get an |
| 0:39.4 | orthodox answer, using all the technology of artificial intelligence and putting it to |
| 0:45.7 | very good use. |
| 0:47.8 | I've been using Truthely just to poke around and see what kind of answers they come up when |
| 0:52.8 | I type in certain questions. |
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| 1:24.4 | From the Theology of the Body Institute, this is the Ask Christopher West podcast. |
| 1:38.3 | Hi, podcast listeners. |
| 1:41.1 | Hey, everybody. |
| 1:42.2 | Isn't it nice to be Catholic that we get to keep celebrating Christmas? |
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