Brothers and Sisters in Christ, What a year 2022 was for Theology of the Body Institute! Thanks to you, we were busier than ever spreading St. John Paul II’s Theology of Body to a world that needs to hear this healing, hopeful, life-changing teaching more than ever. We are so grateful for your support of time, talent and treasure. We simply cannot do what we do without you!  Below is a recap of ways your support enabled us to grow in our mission, followed by a glimpse of some exciting plans coming in 2023.  We are confident that the Theology of the Body will continue to spread around ..read more

[NOTE: The following is excepted and revised from Word Made Flesh (Cycle B) by Christopher West. Order the three-cycle bundle here.] Today’s second reading for the Feast of All Saints exudes Saint John’s exuberant joy when he proclaims: “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are.”   A saint is someone who knows and lives his or her identity as a child of God to the full. How do we become children of God? Grace builds on nature. Just as we were born of our natural parents’ union, we must be “born again” of ..read more

Do we write or paint icons? Do you have to fast and pray before you create one? Is the saint present in the icon just as Christ is present in the Blessed Sacrament? In the course of writing and talking about icons I am often asked about the following: Is it true that an artist doesn’t paint icons, but rather that he “writes” them because we are portraying an aspect of the Word? Is true that only Orthodox or religious are holy enough to paint them? Do we have to fast and pray before painting them? And finally, is the person depicted present in an icon in the way that Christ is present in the Bl ..read more

The parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) forms a narrative for repentance at its different stages. Again this is a traditional reflection for Christians entering into the Lenten period. Sin is exile, repentance is the return from exile to our true home. We also learn of three things through this parable: the condition of the sinner, the rule of repentance, and the greatness of God’s compassion and mercy. These are themes also, of course that are applicable generally during the Lenten season. To read the full article follow this link. David Clayton is Provost at Pontifex University, whi ..read more

The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (or the Pharisee and the Tax Collector) is a parable of Jesus that appears in the Gospel of Luke. In Luke 18:9-14, a self-righteous Pharisee, obsessed by his own virtue, is contrasted with a tax collector who humbly asks God for mercy. This parable shows Jesus’s teaching that justification can be given by the mercy of God irrespective of the receiver’s prior life and that conversely self-righteousness can prohibit being justified. Further coming as it does in a section of teaching on prayer it demonstrates the need to pray humbly. Click here to read ..read more

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, It’s been a trying and humbling year for everyone due to Covid-19. We continue to pray for the Institute community’s needs, especially those who lost loved ones from Covid or other reasons. Another cultural sea change from the pandemic came in lockdowns and restrictions that deeply affected many churches, businesses and schools and kept many people at home since the spring.  As incarnated beings, we are meant for bodily interaction. This is especially important, of course, for the work we do teaching John Paul II’s Theology of ..read more

Justice and Mercy in “The Man Who Invented Christmas” A dear friend of mine once shared with me a deep pain in his heart when I asked about his father. His parents divorced when he and his siblings were very young, and in the bitterness and anger at the father that followed, only my friend continued to see his father on a regular basis. In recent years, his father has been seriously ill and living in an assisted care facility. Holiday gatherings consist of the children and their families gathering at the mother’s house with their stepfather, while my friend and his wife make an extra visit to ..read more

A Reflection on the Fourth Sunday of Advent “May it be done to me according to your word.” How easy it is for us to skip over those words without really pausing to consider what they mean. How easy it is for us to dismiss them without taking the time to reflect upon the impact those very words have had on the history of our world, indeed, our very own lives as individuals. What does Mary really mean when she speaks these words to the angel? On the surface, we might very well conclude that Mary is giving God permission to do what he has planned for her. And if we were to go no fu ..read more

A Reflection for the Fourth Sunday Of Advent  The moment is almost here. “The mystery kept secret for long ages…[is soon to be] manifested”  (Rom 16:25). Before we race ahead, though, let us linger a bit more on today’s mystery. If we are not careful, we can overlook it. Yes, one of the greatest mysteries is that the Word became flesh. But, we just heard the account of the Annunciation, the moment when this Word became flesh. Today, we’re nine months from that moment when Our Lady uttered, “Fiat,” and Joseph invites to join him and lovingly look at Mary, pregnant, very pregnant and b ..read more

The 150th anniversary of the proclamation of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church was celebrated on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception this month. In honor of that anniversary, Pope Francis declared this liturgical year to be dedicated to Saint Joseph through his apostolic letter Patris Corde (“With a Father’s Heart”). What a gift to the Universal Catholic Church to have a year dedicated to the fatherhood of Saint Joseph! In Pope Francis’ apostolic letter, he expounds upon the qualities of Saint Joseph’s fatherhood and how his fatherhood was an icon of God ..read more