SEX & MARRIAGE

'The Church does not impose on us the idea that love should be permanent. Permanence is what the heart longs for. In her teaching that sex is meant to express permanent love (that is, marital love), the Church is simply inviting us to be true to the "song" that wells up from the deepest recesses of our souls. Listen to it! It is the Song of Songs.'

Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners, p.101. 

MALE "HEADSHIP"

'Why are we so quick to accuse St. Paul of justifying male domination? Based on what we have unfolded, when St. Paul writes, "Wives, submit to your husbands" he is saying, "Wives, allow your husbands to serve you." To which I respond, "Who has got it worse here?" We have got the whole thing flipped upside down! Not that the wife is the master and the husband a slave. Power, control, domination - these are the wrong paradigms altogether, regardless of who is "the boss." Christian marriage calls spouses to a mutual service, or, as St.Paul says, a mutual "subjection." Yet, according to the nature of sexual difference, each lives this service in different, complementary ways.

If Ephesians says that "the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church," this means the husband must be the first to serve (see Luke 22:25-26).' 

Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners, p.84. 

SINGLENESS

'....our sexuality calls us to give ourselves away in life-giving love. The celibate person doesn't reject this call. He just lives it in a different way. Every man, by virtue of the spousal meaning of his body, is called in some way to be both a husband and a father. Every woman, by virtue of the spousal meaning of her body, is called in some way to be both a wife and a mother. As an image of Christ, the celibate man "marries" the Church. Through his bodily gift of self he bears numerous "spiritual children." As an image of the Church, the celibate woman "marries" Christ. Through her bodily gift of self she bears numerous "spiritual children."' 

Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners, p.70. 

LUST, SINGLENESS & MARRIAGE

'The difference between marriage and celibacy must never be understood as the difference between having a "legitimate" outlet for sexual lust on the one hand and having to repress it on the other. Christ calls everyone - no matter his or her particular vocation - to experience redemption from the domination of lust. Only from this perspective do the Christian vocations (celibacy and marriage) make any sense. Both vocations - if they are to be lived as Christ intends - flow from the same experience of the redemption of sexual desire.'

Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners, p.66.   

SINGLENESS

'Christian celibacy, therefore, is not a rejection of sexuality. It points us to the ultimate purpose and meaning of sexuality. "For this reason...the two become one flesh." What reason does St.Paul give? Man and woman become one flesh as a sign or "sacrament" of Christ's eternal union with the Church (see Ephesians 5:31-32). Those who remain celibate for the kingdom forego the sacrament of marriage in anticipation of the heavenly reality, the "marriage of the Lamb." If it is "bot good for man to be alone," Christian celibacy reveals that the ultimate fulfillment of solitude is found only in union with God. In a way, the celibate person freely chooses to remain in the "ache" of solitude in this life in order to devote all of his longings to the union that alone can satisfy.' 

Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners, p.64. 

THE PURPOSE OF SEX

'The sexual confusion so prevalent in our world and in our hearts is simply the human desire for heaven gone berserk. Untwist the distortions and we discover the astounding glory of sex in the divine plan. "For this reason...the two become one flesh." For what reason? To reveal, proclaim, and anticipate the eternal union of Christ and the Church (see Ephesians 5:31-32).' 

Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners, p.54. 

SEX

'When we tinker with God's plan for sex, we are tinkering with the cosmic stream of human existence. The human race - its existence, its balance - is literally determined by who is having sex with whom, and, in what manner. When sexual union is orientated towards love and life, it builds families and, in turn, cultures that live the truth of love and life. When it is orientated against love and life, the sexual act breeds death - what John Paul II grimly, yet accurately, describes as a "culture of death". A "culture of death" is a culture that, failing to recognize the infinite worth of every human person, chooses death as a "solution" to its problems.' 

Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners, p.13. 

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION

'If God created the body and sexual union to proclaim his own eternal mystery of love, why do we not typically see them in this profound way? For example, when you hear the word "sex," what generally comes to mind? Is it the "great mystery" of the one-flesh union as a foreshadowing of Christ's union with the Church, or something, shall we say, a little less sacred?

Ponder this for a moment. If the body and sex are meant to proclaim our union with God, and if there is an enemy who wants to separate us from God, what do you think he is going to attack? If we want to know what is most sacred in this world, all we need to do is look for what is most violently profaned.' 

Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners, p.11. 

GOD'S LOVE & MARRIAGE

'Scripture uses many images to describe God's love for humanity. Each has its own valuable place. But both Old and New Testaments use the language of spousal love far more than any other.' 

Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners: A Basic Introduction to Blessed John Paul II's Sexual Revolution, p.10. 

SINGLENESS

'Celibacy for the kingdom is not a declaration that sex is "bad." It's a declaration that while sex can be awesome, there's something even better - infinitely better! Christian celibacy is a bold declaration that heaven is real, and it is worth selling everything to possess.' 

Christopher West, Fill These Hearts, p.172. 

SEX

'A modern mystic-nun, after giving a presentation in which she shared something of her experience of "nuptial union" with God, was rebuked by an agnostic psychologist: "You're sick!" he insisted. "What you really want is sex. But you're disguising your desire for sex with all this ridiculous talk about union with God." She responded firmly: "Oh no. I beg to differ. What the world really wants is union with God, but it's disguising that desire with all this ridiculous sex." Who do you think was right?' 

Christopher West, Fill These Hearts, p.171. 

PLEASURE

'STARVATION DIET: If it feels good, it must be sinful.
FAST FOOD: If it feels good, do it.
BANQUET: If it feels good it's meant to be a preview of coming attractions.'
Christopher West, Fill These Hearts, p.164. 

SEX, DRINK...AND HEAVEN

'Unbridled indulgence in sex and alcohol are arguably the two most addictive pleasures offered by the fast food gospel. There's a reason for that: the joining of man and woman in "one flesh" and the joys of wine are two of the primary biblical images of heaven. We can't forget that Christ's first miracle was at a wedding feast - a celebration of the two becoming "one flesh" - where he enlivens the party with 150 gallons of "the best wine" (see John 2:1-11). Untwist the indulgences of the typical frat party - the abuse of sex and alcohol - and we find ourselves at the wedding feast of Cana, a true foreshadowing of heaven...' 

Christopher West, Fill These Hearts, p.162. 

TRUE LOVE

'Love that hankers after what is merely pleasing and repeatable in a person will do just that: repeat itself with whoever possesses those pleasing qualities. In this case, the inherent "adventurousness" of love - the desire for expansion, growth, and new discoveries - will lead a person to take his delight in wandering from person to person. On the other hand, love that reaches the unrepeatable mystery of the other person is a love that's truly that: unrepeatable, stable, sure. It's an inexhaustible treasure that can't possibly be found elsewhere. In this case, love's inherent adventurousness finds its delight not in wandering from person to person, but from wandering ever more deeply into the heart of the one and only beloved.' 

Christopher West, Fill These Hearts, p.154. 

JESUS

'The little guy always dies so the big guy can live. That's the logic of the food chain: big fish eat little fish, much to the little fish's chagrin. But in the Christ-event, the "Big Fish" freely dies in order to offer himself as food for us minnows.' 

Christopher West, Fill These Hearts, p.117. 

JESUS

'In Christ, man who made himself God encounters God who made himself man. Unrivaled self-importance and pride encounters unrivaled self-emptying and humility.' 

Christopher West, Fill These Hearts, p.116. 

IDENTITY

'We are not who the pornified media tell us we are. We are not valuable only if we can attract and arouse another's lust. In fact, lust devalues us by reducing us to the level of a thing to be used and discarded. Our true value, our true worth and dignity, comes from the fact that we have been chosen by Love and for Love, and that Love is an utterly gratuitous and free gift. We have been chosen to participate in infinite love, in love without measure, in ecstasy and bliss beyond imagining. This is what we desire. This is what we're designed and destined for. Somehow we know it. And this Love is ours is we would only open to it and receive "the gift."' 

Christopher West, Fill These Hearts, p.108. 

SEXUALITY

'...the purpose of sexual difference and the call to union is not only to reproduce the human species, although that an essential part of it. It's not only for the sake of human companionship, although that, too, is an essential part of it. The ultimate purpose of sexual difference and the call to union is signify the difference and call to union of the Creator and the creature, of Christ and his Church.' 

Christopher West , Fill These Hearts, p.93.  

DESIRES

'One of the things God wants to show us is that behind all our misdirected desires and lusts there is a legitimate desire God put there and wants to satisfy. Uncovering that legitimate desire and entrusting its satisfaction entirely to God is critical to our healing and wholeness.' 

Christopher West, Fill These Hearts, p.67. 

HOPE

'Beyond the tears of sorrow and sadness that we shed in this life, hope brings tears of sweetness and joy. Hope may break through in a song, a sunset, a poem, a movie, an unexpected act of kindness,a good laugh, the birth of a child, the embrace of a loved one. And when these moments come (they can't really be manufactured, although we can dispose ourselves to them) we should drink them in...and listen. If we listen, we can almost hear a voice whispering to out hearts: "It is good to be here. Rest here for a while. Savor it. For this is a taste, a taste of what is to come. Let it lift you up. Let it fire you up. Let it give you hope. You're not crazy. You're not wrong to believe there's something more. You will not be unhappy. Have faith. Trust. Open to the gift. It's coming. Your desire for Life is not in vain."'

Christopher West, Fill These Hearts, p.61.