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

As we celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25, I invite you to read this meditation from St. John Paul II on the glorious “nuptials” revealed through the feast. This is a private translation of an address not publicly available in English. May it lead you into the heart of the glory of the marriage of heaven and earth consummated in Mary’s womb… The Holy Spirit and Mary: Model of the Nuptial Union of God with Humanity (General Audience of St. John Paul II from May 2, 1990) 1. The revelation of the Holy Spirit in the Annunciation is united to the mystery of the Incarnation ..read more

Lent is upon us and Catholics around the world are embracing various forms of fasting and abstinence in preparation for the holiest week of the year. But why do we fast? How does saying no to food or other bodily pleasures actually increase our love for God? Christian fasting is not rooted in suspicion towards or rejection of the physical world, the human body, or the pleasures of food. Precisely the opposite. Only those who know how to fast properly know how to feast. We fast, first of all, the Catechism says, to “prepare us for the liturgical feasts” (CCC 2043). Fasting a ..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. To read the full a ..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 th ..read more

[Guest post by Hudson Byblow] wp-engine Recently, I received an inquiry from a parent who was looking for a “healthy online community for a young person graduating from high school.” The parent went on to mention that “same-sex attractions may be an issue.” Though I am joyful that this parent wants what is best for their child, their inquiry drew me to think about community (or a lack thereof) and how that may impact a young person’s development overall. This strikes particularly close to home for me, since growing up in a solid Catholic community was instrumental in my eventual retur ..read more