Sweet As a Rose | ACW128

Does God will the circumstances that allow illegitimate children to be born? How does one deal with not hearing God’s voice when struggling with abandonment? How do I test my heart without falling into lust?

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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Patron Question:
I know the Church teaches that some marriages aren’t true marriages because of something that was wrong from the very beginning. Yet sometimes these couples have children together. I’m struggling to understand whether God actually willed for these people to “get married” so that there children could exist.

Question 2:
When I was a child, my father abandoned us. I have fallen many times by wanting to feel the physical love and embrace of someone, even knowing that it is a sin to fornicate. When I go to God with my wounds, I hear no voice and feel no physical embrace. That makes it very difficult to not look for it elsewhere. How does one deal with not hearing God’s voice or feeling His embrace when He is our Father?

Qestion 3:
I have been a sex addict for many years in my life and God has healed me. I do not have temptations to look at women anymore, but I do turn away when I see immodestly dressed women because I want to protect myself. I have heard you say that this is not the end of the road; we should be able to look in a different way. How are we supposed to test our heart? I don't want to fall back into lust by looking at women to see if I can look at them purely. How can I grow in this?

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Resources mentioned this week:

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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.