Friends, I’m so sorry that I’ve been out of touch…the job search has consumed the Smith family. Stay tuned for an update post in the next day or so.
Meanwhile, keep me in your prayers, as I’m facilitating an entire Marriage Prep day, God’s Plan (which I’ve previously written about), by myself in Fort Collins Saturday, April 25th. I’m looking forward to it!
…and we’re back. Over the last couple weeks, unemployment malaise has taken its toll, and I’ve just not had the desire to write, neither on the blog nor any of my freelance work.
But this past week I got the chance to sit in on the first night of a weekday marriage preparation seminar called God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage, something that was launched here in Denver, and is done in Madison, Wisconsin as well (where I moved from). Besides being the wordiest marriage prep moniker out there, it’s in my opinion one of the best, if not the best marriage preparation supplement out there.
It’s a supplement to the usual life skills/reflection and the other aspects of marriage preparation, but it’s foundational and indispensable in the marriage prep process. It’s based on John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, a contemporary and life-changing way of explaining life, vocation, love and sexuality that’s beautiful, difficult, engaging and freeing. It’s essentially a full day seminar (or done on two week nights or retreat format) with six talks explaining what the big deal about sacramental marriage is, and why the Church teaches what she teaches, using Theology of the Body (infused with other resources) as it applies to the vocation of marriage.
It’s not all talks, though. It’s interspersed with reflection time, breaks, and DVD’s of Christopher West giving the talks. Actually, the curriculum comes with West doing the entire day, so you could play the DVD’s for the whole day if you wanted to, though I wouldn’t recommend it. The best combination is to plan your own talks (using the curriculum as your guide), weaving in your own witness and experience. I recommend using West at points throughout the day because, though he’s not everyone’s favorite, he’s got mad gifts, and can explain TOB in an accessible way many, many people find engaging and ultimately, enlightening.
The bottom line is that most people view the Church’s teaching on marriage & sexuality as a long list of “no’s”, but it’s a love story, and invitation to love as God loves. I’ve lived my way, and I’ve lived God’s way of love and life, and I’ve found so much wholeness, healing, joy and (yes) humor in embracing the latter, and discovering Theology of the Body has just made it so much more profound.
My husband and I used to facilitate these days back in Madison, and next week, I get to jump back into things by giving an NFP talk. My inspiration is returning….
What about yours? My challenge for you: suggest alternate names for the GPFJFM program!
Any other God’s Plan Facilitators out there? How’s it going? Difficulties? Joys? Do share….
FREE Talks in Madison: Christopher West is making two appearances in Madison, Wisconsin this February, so mark your calendars, Wisconsonians.
Date(s): February 18th, 7pm
Location: Univ. of Wisconsin/Madison – The Great Hall in the Memorial Union
716 Langdon Street
Madison WI, 53706
Contact: Nico Fassimo
Phone: 612-867-6780
Email: nicofassino@gmail.com
Cost: This is a free event!
Description: This talk introduces a new “vision for life” designed for those who are new to the Theology of the Body. The message can be life-changing. Many will come to see, perhaps for the first time, who they really are—and who they are called to be. God’s plan for us is stamped right into our bodies, and understanding this plan will give attendees a new lens through which to see their lives, relationships, and the world around them. Christopher West will address and answers some of the most fundamental questions of human existence. Mike Mangione will also be performing.
Date(s): February 19th, 7pm (RSVP–seating is limited)
Location: Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center
702 South High Point Road
Madison WI, 53744
Contact: Andy Galvin
Phone: 608-821-4517
Email: andy.galvin@straphael.org
Description: This talk introduces a new “vision for life” designed for those who are new to the Theology of the Body. The message can be life-changing. Many will come to see, perhaps for the first time, who they really are—and who they are called to be. God’s plan for us is stamped right into our bodies, and understanding this plan will give attendees a new lens through which to see their lives, relationships, and the world around them. Christopher West will address and answers some of the most fundamental questions of human existence.
Dustin at Engaged Marriage is thankful for sexuality this Thanksgiving. I agree, buddy.
This is a somewhat old article, but after my initial blog posts on the Christopher West controversy sparked by his appearance on Nightline this past May, I thought I’d follow up by posting his response.
I think he does this in a spirit of humility, not shying away from his shortcomings, but really owning what it is that he does. He has mad gifts, you have to admit. As a former facilitator of the God’s Plan Program and occasional Theology of the Body teacher and speaker, Christopher West, while not always perfect and academically precise as his critics would like, is a gift to the Church. So many people have come to embrace the teachings of HMC through John Paul’s TOB as taught by West. For this we should rejoice.
If you’re new to the Theology of the Body revolution, see “Recommended Resources” for a kick start.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the water –Genesis 1.2
It’s very easy to become depressed in the Natural Family Planning world and arena of Humanae Vitae Evangelization. It usually happens that one becomes enthused over the discovery of NFP and the beauty of Humanae Vitae and signs up for the cause, only to be shot down by a stranger, a friend, your parish staff or pastor. It sometimes seems that the NFP world is without form and void, and that darkness is everywhere. It’s very easy to wonder, “Where is the light in this crazy arena of promoting true love and life?”
We see the light sometimes in the fruit of what we do, and we are grateful. However, more often than not, we watch the news, we get criticized, and we receive denial and humiliation in the form of excuses for what is actually just spiritual and pastoral pusillanimity from our leaders. And it’s hard.
In the first and previous article in an “NFP & Marketing” article in Family Foundations, I introduced NFP’s credibility crisis, which, briefly reviewed, goes something like this: NFP usage is low; NFP awareness is low; misunderstanding of NFP is high. Not shocking, is it? I followed my dark inauguration of the facts, however, with a brief look at some of the things NFP advocates are doing right, ranging from grassroots newsletters to researched radio campaigns and encouraging comments from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s queen bee of NFP, Theresa Notare.
There definitely is good news, as I am quick to remind disheartened apostles and crestfallen friends. More and more people are discovering the Church’s teachings on marriage and sexuality. They give up contraception and often reverse their sterilizations. They return to the sacrament of reconciliation, and embrace marital chastity. It is truly awesome. Realistically, though, they are the exception, and not the rule.
It’s been over forty years since Pope Paul VI, whose baptismal name was John the Baptist, played the cultural John the Baptist with Humanae Vitae. He affirmed the constant teaching of Jesus and His Church, and predicted the consequences of the contraceptive revolution. Yet, we are still in desert with NFP amongst Catholics, and we wonder what can we do?
At the core of this crisis is spiritual contraception—a crisis of faith, and the subject of numerous articles from your favorite spiritual writers. However, this is also a crisis of personal initiative, creative solutions and professional finesse. We’re falling short as promoters and marketers of NFP. As a former full-time NFP Coordinator and Promoter, I was and am still often asked, “What on earth can we do to curb this crisis?”
Continue reading »
I love movies, and I love music. I especially love films that weave music gorgeously into the plot. If there ever was a person who could do this, Cameron Crowe is your man. If you’ve seen Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous or Elizabethtown, you may know what I’m talking about. This man’s an artist.
What does my taste in film and their directors have to do with NFP? Well, it’s all in film. Check it out. You'll laugh, cry and appreciate Cameron Crowe. You’ll have to see it to know how this quote fits into the film, but it’s an inspiring piece of work that has revealed itself more and more profound in my life. It’s not a PG film, so don’t expect it to be a cinematic lesson in morality. No, spiritual lessons are much more subtle in Hollywood.
Ok, he’s not exactly pronouncing his love for Humanae Vitae, but perhaps he’s on the right path?
The last post I had on the West-Schindler-VonHildebrand controversy points out some simple but frank points of examination on Christopher West’s work, with link to Jimmy Akin’s reasoned response. Who can top Jimmy Akin?
Dr. Janet Smith, for starters.
I like Janet Smith a lot. Not only is she incredibly smart, but in a debate or discussion, she’s a heat seeking missile of clear thinking. She sums up a lot of things in a relatively short space. She doesn’t demonize David Schindler because she disagrees with him, and even offers that she would be interested in a more sustained explanation/ discussion on his critiques.
Update: I just spoke with my husband who just heard from personal friends of Christopher West who asked for prayer for West and his family. He’s evidently under personal and spiritual attack in addition to the professional critique he’s received. Please note that while I advocate a healthy and humble dialogue about this controversy, uncharitable remarks or attacks of a personal nature are unacceptable, which, as Fr. Geiger aludes to when he talks about “lock ‘n load comboxing.”
While Mark Shea has closed court on the Chrisopher West/ Nightline controversy (though he admits not having read Christopher West’s work), Father Angelo Geiger, F.I., guest blogs on the Dawn Patrol with a reasoned criticism of West’s portrayal of Theology of the Body with no little admiration for his work. He begins with a review of the current debate context:
“It is likely to turn into something like a Harry Potter debate: the Chris West Haters vs. the Chris West Groupies. Eventually we won’t even remember the real issues at hand.”
His main criticisms center around what appears to be a discontinuity hermeneutic of West’s presentation of TOB, a “concupiscence light” approach–underestimating our weakness in the area of sexuality, and an apologetic approach that doesn’t dig deeper into a catechetical and contemplative approach.
“Is my interpretation of West a bit facile? But this is the problem with trying to popularize a work of deep theology and philosophy. It is not even clear to me whether West is engaged in apologetics or catechesis. The two are not the same thing. Apologetics is a kind of preamble to catechesis that elicits the assent of faith in respect to difficult truths by way of arguments that are easily understood and appealing to someone who has no basic understanding of revelation. Catechesis is sacramental preparation or ongoing education, based on faith already elicited.”
Again, while I am grateful for West’s work in spreading the Gospel with Theology of the Body, I have seen a lot of CW “groupies” who show a real infatuation with Theology of the Body. They’ve experienced an initial conversion, perhaps, but they’ve not dug deeper, and often times continue to make grave mistakes in their spiritual and relational lives. Surely this is not completely West’s fault, but I think we as well as West have take a close look at these criticisms, and do a serious examination of conscience on TOB and our own lives.
Perhaps we’ll see that we’re in a balanced and thriving place, but perhaps we have a lot of room to grow…and suffer.
What do you think?
Update 2: A very reasonable response from Jimmy Akin supportive of West.
If you’ve been interested in the Theology of the Body, of have studied it but not really dug in, there’s a three-week online course through Catholic Distance University that might interest you:
Marriage and the Complementarity of Men and Women (Noncredit)
Online Seminar – July 13 – Aug. 3, 2009
This online interactive seminar course will focus on the complementarity of man and woman as revealed in marriage, in the roles of motherhood and fatherhood, and in the community of the world, Church, and family. John Paul II’s exhortations, letters, and encyclical related to the family will be integrated with each of the themes. Students who complete this seminar course should be able to describe the complementarity of man and woman in relation to the marital act, to the receiving and welcoming of new human life, and to the locus of authority in the family.
General Information:
This three week interactive online seminar can be accessed day or night at your convenience. Participants will be given a weekly presentation to read, a weekly reflection question to answer, an opportunity to present questions to the instructor, a chapel meditation to consider, and a social area to meet and exchange ideas with participants from all over the English speaking world.Marriage and the Complementarity of Men and Women (Noncredit)
Online Seminar – July 13 – Aug. 3, 2009This online interactive seminar course will focus on the complementarity of man and woman as revealed in marriage, in the roles of motherhood and fatherhood, and in the community of the world, Church, and family. John Paul II’s exhortations, letters, and encyclical related to the family will be integrated with each of the themes. Students who complete this seminar course should be able to describe the complementarity of man and woman in relation to the marital act, to the receiving and welcoming of new human life, and to the locus of authority in the family.
General Information:
This three week interactive online seminar can be accessed day or night at your convenience. Participants will be given a weekly presentation to read, a weekly reflection question to answer, an opportunity to present questions to the instructor, a chapel meditation to consider, and a social area to meet and exchange ideas with participants from all over the English speaking world.
The instructor of the course is the distinguished Dr. William May. Now, you may be thinking, how is a man teaching a class on complementarity between men and women? It turns out, behind every great man is a great woman, so even if you don’t see Mrs. May in the classroom, she’s there. 
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