I do not know why I never thought of this. It makes so much sense. Thank you Christopher West, I hope you know the impact you are having in many of men’s lives. This is amazing. God bless you, I’ll keep praying for you.
When I was seaching for ways I started doing this without knowing it existed. when I would look at women I would think no no no, They are beautiful but they should be repected and God has created them beautiful. When I stop doing this I fell for temptation but Then I saw this and i reminded me of what I was doing. God is Good :)
@@GalaxyCatPlays Amazing brother, that means you had good discernment without knowing it. That is the Holy Spirit in you, in me, in all of us. We got to keep grinding! God bless you❤️
Dr West: This "pilgramage" is not only for men, but for women as well. If we "covet" old relationships, or covet any new relationships, we MUST send all our desires, hopes, prayers to God. This, is the only way to stay with God as we grow in finding our life partners.
I’m Protestant, and for topics like this I differ to the Catholic teaching, since I currently attend a non denominational church, and they don’t have resources for this kind of stuff. Thank you, and God bless.
Just in case no one's ever personally invited you to mass I'm inviting you to attend mass every day on EWTN Network no matter where you live it's everywhere 👍... And do yourself a solid .. catechism in a year with Father Mike... You won't regret it
"Am I willing to sacrifice someone elses dignity for my own pleasure" (I know that's not quoted precisely) might just be the most profound way I have ever heard this concept exlained. Honestly, that really makes me think more deeply on this, thank you.
I've been thinking about this more as I listen to the video (yes I leave comments as I go, I'm the worst lol). The thought came to mind of Satan attempting to tempt Jesus while he was alone in the mountains. And Satan told him that if Jesus simply bowed to him that he would give him all of the nations of the earth, which Jesus rejected. The coorilation here being that Satan wanted Jesus to sacrifice to him his diginty for his own pleasure and gain. That is clearly a goal of his. The taking away of our dignity. Now he's able to do that without even trying via porn. Anyways, I don't have much more to add on this point but it did stick into my head and wanted to share it.
This is awesome. I came here for advice on how not to lust after women and came out mindblown with some of the deepest philosophical theological insights Ive ever heard. Every dude on the planet needs to hear this stuff. God bless you and God bless the Catholic Church!!!
This was deeply helpful. There's a woman in my past whose strange beauty has haunted me beyond all rational understanding for over 25 years. I selfishly and recklessly desired that beauty for my own carnal satisfaction. It led to a tremendously wasteful sidetracking of my life. Yet deep inside, I always knew it was pointing me to a greater mystery than just her. But I willfully blinded myself to the True Source that her beauty was pointing me to. I'll be watching this video over and over again. It really helped me get a grasp on what it's all about. Thank you.
Everyone needs to hear this to the point that TOB should be read in seminaries. TOB shows us how to handle our sexual desires and it educates on the importance of our bodies in a holy and pure way that allows us to live the gospel. It is compatible with fasting and living the virtue of chastity.
Whoever is editing these is freaking amazing! If I could even learn a fraction from them PHEW so good! It's like an episode of Bill Nye but actually worth watching because it's about the King of the Universe and His original design for us! "Women's body became the dwelling place of the most high God." Masterfully done. And thank you for this very needed video.
I actually converse with God as I look. I thank Him for the beauty that is perceived and received. It is a day-by-day process. And I'm so glad I can look without wanting. Thank you for bringing the TOB to life!
I needed that for what I'm going through right now. Nothing dramatic, but as I am making my way out of some mistakes I've done over the years I found myself in a bit of inner chaos. Psalm 119 - good call!
Dante Alighieri and his love for Beatrice. Pray God let the truth of The Theology of the Body of St John Paul II open eyes of hearts to the Beauty, Goodness and Truth of rightly ordered love. Thank you, Christopher West, for your dedication to teach and instruct on this timely revelation from God through his Spirit - I believe to renew the depth and width and height of Christian love for a time like this. I pray for you and your family to stay steadfast.
I grew up in an extremely conservative, borderline puritanical/ fundamentalist church that preached stuff like "just looking/ talking/ sitting next to/ being in the general vicinity of the opposite sex is a sin and if you don't publicly repent, you'll burn in Hell". I still struggle with differentiating lust and "oh, she's pretty"
At the gym I do the whole “Lord thank you for her beauty but I recognize something in me is twisted Ect” and I’ve seen improvement. But it would be amazing if you can make a practical video on how to apply this in the real world. You can be hitting a bench set and three beautiful women in booty shorts can walk right past you. Like it’s hard to say that lengthy prayer three times in a row ( I know it’s not about repeating the prayer it’s the heart) but what are practical things we can do or say, to go on that Healthy pilgrimage. In those fast pace scenarios. Or another example. You need to go get a weight across the gym and you know miss lady is over there and you know she’s wearing fitted clothing. Would it be appropriate to go over there get your weight, appreciate her and praise god and go on that pilgrimage? Ik it sounds crazy but I’m being serious 🙏🏻
As a priest, I recommend: do practice a reasonable custody of the eyes, but if you do happen to see a woman/girl dressed in this manner, offer up a quick, loving prayer for her-- "Father, this daughter of yours is very beautiful: I praise You for this beauty You give her, and I ask that You bless this dear girl by making her soul beautiful, too. Make her holy and happy. Amen. " Or, just a simple, "Father, bless this dear daughter of yours! Amen." Then... move on...and finish your workout! Hope that helps....
About 15-20 years ago I listened to Christopher West’s entire cd set on the theology of the body, I was also fortunate to attend one of his conferences in person. He had advice regarding overcoming past sexual sin and lust while praying in front of the Eucharist in silent adoration - to offer up all the images we have for all the different women we have seen… to spread our arms out wide and ‘crucify’ ourselves in union with Christ, to genuinely tell Jesus that I am yours, do with me as you will I give my life to you! Yes, pray ‘in the moment’ as Fr. said in his comment, but also take all your past lustful memories that you want to rid yourself of and ask Jesus to free them from your mind and ‘Nail those memories to the Cross’. You will find a gradual easing of both the temptations, and the past memories… it will help lead you into being able to view all women with greater dignity, respect, and with true love that desires their ultimate good. It’s unfortunate (I love to exercise too) that going to the gym has become such a battle ground for the custody of our souls…
@@Ahomesteadersdream I too also met Christopher West at a TOTB Conference in Chicago back in, oh, 2003, I think (perhaps that was the same one you were at??), very cool dude, very charitable man! Invited us all up to join him for dinner after 3 days of intense conferences, very generous soul! I also remember that talk that West gave to which you referred (I listened to that tape, while discerning the priesthood prior to entering seminary)-- very powerful story, I remember! I agree that that sort of prayer is very powerful, and that sort of experience fits perfectly with the psychological teachings of the late Dr. Conrad Baars (may he rest in peace). Dr. Baars, utilizing some of the teachings of the great St. Thomas Aquinas, really emphasized the fact that all human emotions and feelings are *natural* goods (on the moral level, they are neutral, but on the natural level, they are good-- just like our limbs, which are naturally good, but morally neutral: we can use our limbs for good or for evil, but, because we can use them for good, they are naturally good, similar, too, with the emotions and feelings). Because the sexual appetite is often one that is repressed (and many persons do this because they find the sexual appetite difficult to control, because it is very powerful, like anger-- which, too, is also often repressed), Dr. Baars emphasized the natural goodness of the sexual appetite and the need to integrate it into the higher faculties of reason and will in order to truly be a chaste man (or woman). For, chastity is not the repression of sexual attraction, but the integration of it into the higher faculties of reason and will, with, of course, the aid of grace. At any rate, to tie this in to West's experience of offering up the images he had in his memory, Dr. Baars teaches that we need to allow ourselves to experience whatever feelings and emotions we have-- whether that be love, hate, anger, despair, sexual attraction, whatever-- in order to *elevate* those feelings to the reason and will and have them be guided by those higher faculties. I think that is precisely what West did in that experience, and, by his account, it helped him to experience a release of selfish lust and have it be replaced with chaste charity/love towards women. Now, this obviously requires grace (and, I would say, the guidance of a good Confessor or spiritual director), but it can be done. Long story short: true chastity is not the repression of the sexual appetite/attraction, but the ELEVATION of it, by God's grace, to the higher faculties of reason and will, to be guided by those faculties. That is true virtue, true chastity, and true charity. For, doing so is what enables a man to view a woman's beauty and to give her the love and respect that she, as a woman, deserves, which is the very purpose for why God gave women the beauty that he gave them (God made women beautiful not to try to "trip up" men but to help men to LOVE these dear daughters of His!)...AND, it also enables a man to realize the deeper and much more important reality of the INTERIOR beauty of women's souls-- for, the souls of virtuous women truly are *beautiful* even as the soul of a virtuous man exudes strength-- in accord with the Scripture, "Charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeing, but the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." (Prov. 31) Amen!
Thank you for posting this insightful content. This is something I've struggled with since I married my wife almost 10 years ago. I intuitively knew some of what you explained but never heard it put so clearly to help me understand it. God bless!
The editing of these videos is so charming. I used to listen to Christopher West ALL the time; I listened to almost the entire series of his podcasts back in 2019. The editing of these videos has won me back. Definitely enjoying these videos.
I wish our Church could again commission some great modern art/drawings/animation on how love is most fully expressed or best experienced with Theology of the Body
Thank you Christopher West, really happy to come across this video. May all good things direct us to their Maker always. Such an important thing to remember for me as someone who often struggles to see God in the seemingly secular things and situations.
God bless you, brother. Man, what a delicate but blissfully easy to understand counter towards lust. Praise God for Him guiding me to this video. Can’t wait to add this to my arsenal!
Wow, Christopher, beautiful, powerful sharing. Thank you for continuing on to fight the good fight! Woah! dear brother! It truly is of utmost excitement and fulfillment when we persevere in this pilgrimage to a transcending communion with Christ, and His Bride the Church. For this truly sates that deepest longing; And it most surely and fully comes with Jesus in the Eucharist, in and through the "womb" of Mother Church, and Mary's Immaculate Heart!
I'm really grateful for your videos. They help me protect my dignity. I have this idea that I would like to share. We cannot sacrifice woman's dignity as it does not belong to us. We cannot even sacrifice our own dignity as it also doesn't belong to us. The only thing we can do is to disconnect ourselves from our own dignity and fail to recognize her dignity.
Disconnect ourselves only from our own pride. Not dignity, because God doesn't want that. Although, it is hard to know the difference sometimes. Pray to the Holy Spirit to grant you the ability to discern the difference. God bless you!
@@NickyTmathew Thank you for your comment. I can see that I didn't make myself as clear as I would like to. I meant that when we disconnect ourselves from our true dignity (given by God) we are under risk of lust and other sins. The dignity is always there and we just need to focus on reconnecting with it. Feeling of lust can be an information that we're disconnected from our dignity. That's my understanding of it, at least, that I wanted to share.
I will certainly! Pray for me too please, I am recieving First Communion on Saturday, please pray so that I am ready, worthy and in grace. God Bless you very much!@@TheologyoftheBodyInstitute
I dont enjoy rhe edits that much but please keep them!!! I didn't even realize that because of those micro doses of dopamine I have stayed and watched the whole video with interest! Way more successful than video with no editing
I never thought of this but ,today i scrolled RUclips i found this video and god said me to watch the video i m suffering lust i want to overcome 😢 thankyou i reaserch for this one year but nobody can't answer my question you did it thank you god thank you buddy God bless you
I ordered the book! Excited to read it. Praying for you, thank you sharing TOB and the Faith in such a relatable way. Praise God for everything! and also you and your family, such a blessing. PBJC
HA! We're glad you enjoyed it. It's the same editor but we're trying to find a balance between good editing and light-heartedness. Please pray that we may find it!
I loved this video so much. Thank you so much for sharing this. Such an important video, in my opinion. I struggle, and I want to be better. And this has given me realizations and gives me hope. Thank God. ❤️
You crossed the line moment you start to dwell about the line. That puts you right before the line, and line becomes your god who rules over you. When you have a pure heart, you don't need a line. When you come to a place of feeling disgust, sadness and repulsion for the sin in your heart, your heart will have a layer of protection against attraction to another women. But to get to that point, you need to look deeply i to your own soul where all the ugliness is. Where all our sins start and end. Meditate about that and cry to the God the Father to deliver you from evil. Because it is a bondage. And people saying "men are like that, they are more visual"- those doesn't serve you, they only excuse the bondage.
From the book "To save thousands of souls " by fr Brett Brannen # True freedom comes from sacrificing our own wants and desires to reach a greater good. Sometimes this means you cannot have everything you want. And there are some places you cannot go. But God made us for happiness and for greatness. And our happiness and greatness consist in discovering the plan of God for our life and then committing ourselves to this greater good, despite giving up some things. Remember that God does not need us. He is omnipotent. He is infinite in power and can build the Kingdom of God without our help. However, because he loves us, he wants us to have the privilege of cooperating with him. God gives us the opportunity as human beings to demonstrate our dignity by graciously saying yes to his call. This is why he invites us to search out, to discover and to embrace our vocation.
While contemplating the objects of the senses, one develops attachment for them, from attachment, lust develops. From lust, anger arises, from anger delusion arises, from delusion, bewilderment of memory. And then intelligence is lost.
Yes! I've noticed that after being very careful not to look for a while, at some point we stop almost even noticing much the beauty in people and start being able to look at them with complete detachment, like how it would be to look at a bird or a flower. Then that's when it becomes ok. But we need to be very mortified at this point, meaning we are not even feeling tempted to approach that person nor think of them in a lustful manner.
I aM a single man who has been single for as long as I can remember. Although I want to be married someday but every relationships I try to be in has never bloomed
The male female attraction Does arouse passions However self control is needed Putting ones mind before ones Urges considering the consequences of such desire!
St. Thomas and St. Alphonsus told me the distinction has to do with the deliberate delight taken in venereal pleasure (which I understand to be the quality of pleasure which suffices for completion - even if it is not great enough in quantity), even if incomplete, or deliberately taking pleasure in wanting to do illicit things with someone.
This sounds very interesting even as a abstract consideration, though I wish there was something more concrete in this presentation, for example, to define and elaborate what it means when a man finds a woman physically attractive. Is that lust or simply natural attraction?
If the girl/woman (or her father) would be flattered by how a man looks at her, then it's chaste; if she would want to slap the man (or if her Dad would want to punch him) as a creep, then it's lust.
@@blessedvirginmaryisqueen8448 As a father of 3 beautiful little girls and 2 boys (3rd girl is going to be born in January) - I concur…. Great perspective, short and to the point. Hands off my daughters!
@@Ahomesteadersdream Amen! And as a priest and spiritual father to the many girls and women that God sends to me, God has given me that same fatherly zeal for them: men, do NO harm to my dear daughters in the Lord by unchaste behavior, looks, or even thoughts towards them (don't even THINK about them in a manner that is demeaning towards these dear daughters of God!), but love and respect them, as they ALL deserve! Amen! God bless you, and congratulations on being given those three PRECIOUS daughters, including the one in the womb! And, also, those boys, too! They're cool, too! :)
Former Catholic Priest Alan Watts has the answers. He doesn't preach to his audience of a hundred people. He has them ask him questions in his lecture - On Being God.
This is something I really struggle with and I feel really hopeless. It's to the point where I wish I could just turn off physical attraction with a switch.
A mystery indeed. I thank God every day, for not being able to figure out the mystery. Because if we were able to figure out the mystery, and still settling for sin over the light of Christ…then truly we would reject the mercy which awaits us every day. We are talking about eternal separation from God forever. Better known as Hell.
From the book "food for soul (c)" by Peter kreeft, # page 9 Only human beings can love because only human beings have free choice. Nothing else in the universe that we know of has the free will to choose to make itself more itself or less itself. Rocks can’t choose to be more or less rocky and dogs can’t choose to be more or less doggy, but humans can choose to be more human or less human, by choosing to love or not to love. This love is charity. Charity is not just our spontaneous feelings. It does not arise from our nature as selfish animals. It is a gift of God. So St. Paul prays for it, as we should too. He prays that God may “strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness.”
I heard a preacher say one time it's not driving down the street and seeing a pretty woman and thinking she is hot, it's when you turn around and go back to look at her again
Attraction is the light intoxication of lust, because the vice of lust is given birth from the awareness of body. We are viewing that person based on who they are not. The aim is to have the awareness of the soul, soul consciousness, that we see all people, male or female as a spiritual entity, a soul,, a point of light that sparkles in the middle of the forehead. This might sound like a strange thing to do. However, if you keep this practice of awareness up you will begin to respect people with the dignity and respect they deserve, irrespective of what their external costume appears like.
Appreciating beauty is when you feel bad for even starting to or ever starting to think perversely on someone, appreciating beauty is when you value their looks and likeness to The LORD and willing to protect them and make them feel important. Lust is when you are shamelessly thinking of perverse thoughts to other people, and when you are inwardly deteriorating- hence disrespecting their likeness to The LORD inside your heart. Good Video by the way! I subscribed!
@@TheologyoftheBodyInstitute I will pray for the ministry and I hope that The LORD will guide you and provide you all in order for you to spread more good messages as this!
Thank you for watching. Not sure, but feel free to check the store. Let us know if you like it. shop.corproject.com/collections/books?kuid=69ba1add-91d5-49b3-817e-8842e1acd499&kref=iygctJrWdzlF
Although men might have an idea of this realm, we’d really need a woman’s perspective on this issue. We can’t ask a man to explain how women are (or aren’t) attracted to men physically in the same way men are towards women.
Attraction or familiarity is the light intoxication of lust. Basically lust on a subtle level. It will most likely come to you via your eyes or thoughts.
Finally, a proper explanation of lust. Society has ruined the definition by saying it is a strong desire. That is not what it is. There are also other types of lust. Lust is destructive, it is the desire for only a portion of the object. You can recognize it when the desire only takes one aspect of something and rejects the rest. Sexual lust (the classic and common, we usually drop the "sexual" out) is the desire for sex for solely pleasure. When we lust after women, we wish to use their beauty and body for our own gratification. It is also lust when you give yourself sexual pleasure. There's also the lust for power, usually referred negatively as ambition (if you read old texts), which is the desire for power simply to have power or status while ignoring the responsibility and well-being of others. Also, it's funny that we even refer to mad Eros as such. God knows true love, we don't, so mad Eros is actually the truth, which seems crazy to us 😂
So imagine you are "appreciating a womans beauty" whom you work with... she asks for help. You help her. She asks for help again. You help her. She asks for help again.. you help her. Eventually you start to feel she is using you. Do you still "appreciate her beauty"?
In other words, if you like what you see in the same you like looking at a mountain or a deer, you're good. If you like what you see in the same way you like looking at your wife, you're not so good.
I do not know why I never thought of this. It makes so much sense. Thank you Christopher West, I hope you know the impact you are having in many of men’s lives. This is amazing. God bless you, I’ll keep praying for you.
Glory to God! Please keep those prayers coming.
When I was seaching for ways I started doing this without knowing it existed. when I would look at women I would think no no no, They are beautiful but they should be repected and God has created them beautiful. When I stop doing this I fell for temptation but Then I saw this and i reminded me of what I was doing. God is Good :)
@@GalaxyCatPlays Amazing brother, that means you had good discernment without knowing it. That is the Holy Spirit in you, in me, in all of us. We got to keep grinding! God bless you❤️
@@diegomendez7119 You too God has bless me greatly and I'm forever grateful. God bless 🥰
Dr West: This "pilgramage" is not only for men, but for women as well. If we "covet" old relationships, or covet any new relationships, we MUST send all our desires, hopes, prayers to God. This, is the only way to stay with God as we grow in finding our life partners.
THANK YOU.
"The whole purpose of finite beauty is to set me on a journey toward infinite beauty."
You're so welcome! In the words of the prophet Buzz Light Year... "to infinity... and Beyond!"
I’m Protestant, and for topics like this I differ to the Catholic teaching, since I currently attend a non denominational church, and they don’t have resources for this kind of stuff. Thank you, and God bless.
Same bro
Did you mean "defer"?
@@eoinMB3949most likely
Just in case no one's ever personally invited you to mass I'm inviting you to attend mass every day on EWTN Network no matter where you live it's everywhere 👍... And do yourself a solid .. catechism in a year with Father Mike... You won't regret it
Might there be a “reason” for that?🤔
"Am I willing to sacrifice someone elses dignity for my own pleasure" (I know that's not quoted precisely) might just be the most profound way I have ever heard this concept exlained. Honestly, that really makes me think more deeply on this, thank you.
We're glad it was helpful!
I've been thinking about this more as I listen to the video (yes I leave comments as I go, I'm the worst lol). The thought came to mind of Satan attempting to tempt Jesus while he was alone in the mountains. And Satan told him that if Jesus simply bowed to him that he would give him all of the nations of the earth, which Jesus rejected.
The coorilation here being that Satan wanted Jesus to sacrifice to him his diginty for his own pleasure and gain. That is clearly a goal of his. The taking away of our dignity. Now he's able to do that without even trying via porn. Anyways, I don't have much more to add on this point but it did stick into my head and wanted to share it.
This is awesome. I came here for advice on how not to lust after women and came out mindblown with some of the deepest philosophical theological insights Ive ever heard. Every dude on the planet needs to hear this stuff. God bless you and God bless the Catholic Church!!!
All glory to God! Keep going deeper, there’s always more.
You mean God bless everyone
This was deeply helpful. There's a woman in my past whose strange beauty has haunted me beyond all rational understanding for over 25 years. I selfishly and recklessly desired that beauty for my own carnal satisfaction. It led to a tremendously wasteful sidetracking of my life. Yet deep inside, I always knew it was pointing me to a greater mystery than just her. But I willfully blinded myself to the True Source that her beauty was pointing me to.
I'll be watching this video over and over again. It really helped me get a grasp on what it's all about. Thank you.
I hope you can defeat that by the grace of God 🙏🏻
@@lovelyloaa Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound.
I’ve been needing this clarity for years. Thanks be to God for the grace of these revelations
We're glad you've were blessed!
Everyone needs to hear this to the point that TOB should be read in seminaries. TOB shows us how to handle our sexual desires and it educates on the importance of our bodies in a holy and pure way that allows us to live the gospel. It is compatible with fasting and living the virtue of chastity.
Not just in seminary but in every Catholic school!
Literally asking myself this question all day. What timing
Whoever is editing these is freaking amazing! If I could even learn a fraction from them PHEW so good! It's like an episode of Bill Nye but actually worth watching because it's about the King of the Universe and His original design for us! "Women's body became the dwelling place of the most high God." Masterfully done. And thank you for this very needed video.
Juan! he is the Juan and only ... as we say.
The guy editing really appreciates this. God bless you, my brother! 😭
I actually converse with God as I look. I thank Him for the beauty that is perceived and received. It is a day-by-day process. And I'm so glad I can look without wanting.
Thank you for bringing the TOB to life!
I needed that for what I'm going through right now. Nothing dramatic, but as I am making my way out of some mistakes I've done over the years I found myself in a bit of inner chaos. Psalm 119 - good call!
You’re not the only one brother. I was pagan for 21 years. But God was relentless in His pursuit. God bless
Dante Alighieri and his love for Beatrice. Pray God let the truth of The Theology of the Body of St John Paul II open eyes of hearts to the Beauty, Goodness and Truth of rightly ordered love. Thank you, Christopher West, for your dedication to teach and instruct on this timely revelation from God through his Spirit - I believe to renew the depth and width and height of Christian love for a time like this. I pray for you and your family to stay steadfast.
I grew up in an extremely conservative, borderline puritanical/ fundamentalist church that preached stuff like "just looking/ talking/ sitting next to/ being in the general vicinity of the opposite sex is a sin and if you don't publicly repent, you'll burn in Hell". I still struggle with differentiating lust and "oh, she's pretty"
We are enjoying "Eating the Sunrise" and discussing as we go. Awesome! Thanks Christopher!
WOO WOO! Hope it stirs the divine Hunger within.
Fantastic. I have often had that feeling of eating the sunrise when I have taken communion... It is exactly that!
I really like the edits !!! Makes it so much better / much more entertaining
I sought God and He heard my cry for Him!! I will tell my friends about it and pray God we will live it out yes only by Your Spirit!!!
Seek and you shall find, the Man himself said!
At the gym I do the whole “Lord thank you for her beauty but I recognize something in me is twisted Ect” and I’ve seen improvement. But it would be amazing if you can make a practical video on how to apply this in the real world. You can be hitting a bench set and three beautiful women in booty shorts can walk right past you. Like it’s hard to say that lengthy prayer three times in a row ( I know it’s not about repeating the prayer it’s the heart) but what are practical things we can do or say, to go on that Healthy pilgrimage. In those fast pace scenarios. Or another example. You need to go get a weight across the gym and you know miss lady is over there and you know she’s wearing fitted clothing. Would it be appropriate to go over there get your weight, appreciate her and praise god and go on that pilgrimage? Ik it sounds crazy but I’m being serious 🙏🏻
As a priest, I recommend: do practice a reasonable custody of the eyes, but if you do happen to see a woman/girl dressed in this manner, offer up a quick, loving prayer for her-- "Father, this daughter of yours is very beautiful: I praise You for this beauty You give her, and I ask that You bless this dear girl by making her soul beautiful, too. Make her holy and happy. Amen. " Or, just a simple, "Father, bless this dear daughter of yours! Amen." Then... move on...and finish your workout! Hope that helps....
@@blessedvirginmaryisqueen8448 yes it does thank you so much brother😇
@@JorgeAlxsRod Great! And, of course, call upon Our Lady and St. Joseph!
About 15-20 years ago I listened to Christopher West’s entire cd set on the theology of the body, I was also fortunate to attend one of his conferences in person. He had advice regarding overcoming past sexual sin and lust while praying in front of the Eucharist in silent adoration - to offer up all the images we have for all the different women we have seen… to spread our arms out wide and ‘crucify’ ourselves in union with Christ, to genuinely tell Jesus that I am yours, do with me as you will I give my life to you!
Yes, pray ‘in the moment’ as Fr. said in his comment, but also take all your past lustful memories that you want to rid yourself of and ask Jesus to free them from your mind and ‘Nail those memories to the Cross’.
You will find a gradual easing of both the temptations, and the past memories… it will help lead you into being able to view all women with greater dignity, respect, and with true love that desires their ultimate good.
It’s unfortunate (I love to exercise too) that going to the gym has become such a battle ground for the custody of our souls…
@@Ahomesteadersdream I too also met Christopher West at a TOTB Conference in Chicago back in, oh, 2003, I think (perhaps that was the same one you were at??), very cool dude, very charitable man! Invited us all up to join him for dinner after 3 days of intense conferences, very generous soul! I also remember that talk that West gave to which you referred (I listened to that tape, while discerning the priesthood prior to entering seminary)-- very powerful story, I remember! I agree that that sort of prayer is very powerful, and that sort of experience fits perfectly with the psychological teachings of the late Dr. Conrad Baars (may he rest in peace). Dr. Baars, utilizing some of the teachings of the great St. Thomas Aquinas, really emphasized the fact that all human emotions and feelings are *natural* goods (on the moral level, they are neutral, but on the natural level, they are good-- just like our limbs, which are naturally good, but morally neutral: we can use our limbs for good or for evil, but, because we can use them for good, they are naturally good, similar, too, with the emotions and feelings). Because the sexual appetite is often one that is repressed (and many persons do this because they find the sexual appetite difficult to control, because it is very powerful, like anger-- which, too, is also often repressed), Dr. Baars emphasized the natural goodness of the sexual appetite and the need to integrate it into the higher faculties of reason and will in order to truly be a chaste man (or woman). For, chastity is not the repression of sexual attraction, but the integration of it into the higher faculties of reason and will, with, of course, the aid of grace. At any rate, to tie this in to West's experience of offering up the images he had in his memory, Dr. Baars teaches that we need to allow ourselves to experience whatever feelings and emotions we have-- whether that be love, hate, anger, despair, sexual attraction, whatever-- in order to *elevate* those feelings to the reason and will and have them be guided by those higher faculties. I think that is precisely what West did in that experience, and, by his account, it helped him to experience a release of selfish lust and have it be replaced with chaste charity/love towards women. Now, this obviously requires grace (and, I would say, the guidance of a good Confessor or spiritual director), but it can be done.
Long story short: true chastity is not the repression of the sexual appetite/attraction, but the ELEVATION of it, by God's grace, to the higher faculties of reason and will, to be guided by those faculties. That is true virtue, true chastity, and true charity. For, doing so is what enables a man to view a woman's beauty and to give her the love and respect that she, as a woman, deserves, which is the very purpose for why God gave women the beauty that he gave them (God made women beautiful not to try to "trip up" men but to help men to LOVE these dear daughters of His!)...AND, it also enables a man to realize the deeper and much more important reality of the INTERIOR beauty of women's souls-- for, the souls of virtuous women truly are *beautiful* even as the soul of a virtuous man exudes strength-- in accord with the Scripture, "Charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeing, but the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." (Prov. 31) Amen!
Thank you for posting this insightful content. This is something I've struggled with since I married my wife almost 10 years ago. I intuitively knew some of what you explained but never heard it put so clearly to help me understand it. God bless!
The editing of these videos is so charming. I used to listen to Christopher West ALL the time; I listened to almost the entire series of his podcasts back in 2019. The editing of these videos has won me back. Definitely enjoying these videos.
The guy editing the video is very grateful for the affirmation! He really tries hard to be light-hearted and engaging. 😂
I wish our Church could again commission some great modern art/drawings/animation on how love is most fully expressed or best experienced with Theology of the Body
Modern art isn’t great.
You're an odd fellow, but I love the message! This helps a lot. Thank you. Struggled w/ this for decades.
Great question!!!!!! That has been a struggle in my conscious
Thank you Christopher West, really happy to come across this video. May all good things direct us to their Maker always. Such an important thing to remember for me as someone who often struggles to see God in the seemingly secular things and situations.
God bless you, brother. Man, what a delicate but blissfully easy to understand counter towards lust. Praise God for Him guiding me to this video. Can’t wait to add this to my arsenal!
Keep fighting the good fight, brother! And keep going deeper into the Theology of the Body. It will take you straight to the Heart of Jesus!
Wow, Christopher, beautiful, powerful sharing. Thank you for continuing on to fight the good fight! Woah! dear brother! It truly is of utmost excitement and fulfillment when we persevere in this pilgrimage to a transcending communion with Christ, and His Bride the Church. For this truly sates that deepest longing; And it most surely and fully comes with Jesus in the Eucharist, in and through the "womb" of Mother Church, and Mary's Immaculate Heart!
I'm really grateful for your videos. They help me protect my dignity.
I have this idea that I would like to share. We cannot sacrifice woman's dignity as it does not belong to us. We cannot even sacrifice our own dignity as it also doesn't belong to us. The only thing we can do is to disconnect ourselves from our own dignity and fail to recognize her dignity.
Disconnect ourselves only from our own pride. Not dignity, because God doesn't want that. Although, it is hard to know the difference sometimes. Pray to the Holy Spirit to grant you the ability to discern the difference. God bless you!
@@NickyTmathew Thank you for your comment. I can see that I didn't make myself as clear as I would like to. I meant that when we disconnect ourselves from our true dignity (given by God) we are under risk of lust and other sins. The dignity is always there and we just need to focus on reconnecting with it. Feeling of lust can be an information that we're disconnected from our dignity. That's my understanding of it, at least, that I wanted to share.
God bless you with Grace.
Please send TOB it will definitely
open our minds to new dimension
It is a must for young generation.
God bless. Amen.
Thank you for the blessing! Please pray, subscribe and share so that the TOB may reach as many people as God intends.
God Bless you man! Amen to all you say! The passion you speak with is humbling and inspiring.
We're so glad it blessed you! Please pray for us.
I will certainly! Pray for me too please, I am recieving First Communion on Saturday, please pray so that I am ready, worthy and in grace. God Bless you very much!@@TheologyoftheBodyInstitute
I dont enjoy rhe edits that much but please keep them!!! I didn't even realize that because of those micro doses of dopamine I have stayed and watched the whole video with interest! Way more successful than video with no editing
I’ve been struggling with this for decades and have found this podcast very helpful! Thank you.
Amen, just what i needed to hear. Thankyou Jesus❤️🔥🙏🏽
THIS MAKES SO MUCH SENSE!!!!! WOW
Wooohoo!! We're so glad.
Wow. Superlative. Thank you Christopher for the beautiful ministry & charism you have been blessed with stewarding so effectively.
I never thought of this but ,today i scrolled RUclips i found this video and god said me to watch the video i m suffering lust i want to overcome 😢 thankyou i reaserch for this one year but nobody can't answer my question you did it thank you god thank you buddy God bless you
We're so glad it blessed you! Please pray for us.
Such an important video for our time.
I ordered the book! Excited to read it. Praying for you, thank you sharing TOB and the Faith in such a relatable way. Praise God for everything! and also you and your family, such a blessing. PBJC
Thank you for watching and please keep praying for us.
It depends on your focus on, don’t let fantasy take off.
Thankyou Jesus ✨️ ✨️ ✨️for brother Christopher west
Thank you Jesus for @robzye2991 !
Love the painting in the background
Wow......never heard things explained this way.....beautiful.
We're so glad it blessed you! Please pray for us.
Thank you for the video, Mr. West! I really needed it!❤
Thank you Christopher
Thank you for this! Love the edits as well. I didn't expect a good laugh among the wise teaching.
Oh I needed this. Thank you.
Makes sense I found nature to be a reflection of God didn't know to put the two together thanks God bless
Thank you for this description and has helped me understand my desires and what it means
You are so welcome! Thank you for watching.
All I can say is thank you! God bless you and your ministry!
We're so glad it blessed you! Please pray for us.
The editing in this video is very engaging 😂😂😂
I wish whoever edited this would come back for their new stuff
HA! We're glad you enjoyed it. It's the same editor but we're trying to find a balance between good editing and light-heartedness. Please pray that we may find it!
Saint Basi the Greatl also taught how to contemplate God from the creatures in the "Hexaemeron".
Inspired analysis!
Thank you for watching!
Truly amazing video!
We're so glad it blessed you!
I loved this video so much. Thank you so much for sharing this. Such an important video, in my opinion. I struggle, and I want to be better. And this has given me realizations and gives me hope. Thank God. ❤️
We're happy to hear it blessed you! Please pray for us.
You crossed the line moment you start to dwell about the line. That puts you right before the line, and line becomes your god who rules over you.
When you have a pure heart, you don't need a line. When you come to a place of feeling disgust, sadness and repulsion for the sin in your heart, your heart will have a layer of protection against attraction to another women. But to get to that point, you need to look deeply i to your own soul where all the ugliness is. Where all our sins start and end. Meditate about that and cry to the God the Father to deliver you from evil. Because it is a bondage. And people saying "men are like that, they are more visual"- those doesn't serve you, they only excuse the bondage.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
You should do an audible version of your book please 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
From the book "To save thousands of souls " by fr Brett Brannen # True freedom comes from sacrificing our own wants and desires to reach a greater good. Sometimes this means you cannot have everything you want. And there are some places you cannot go. But God made us for happiness and for greatness. And our happiness and greatness consist in discovering the plan of God for our life and then committing ourselves to this greater good, despite giving up some things. Remember that God does not need us. He is omnipotent. He is infinite in power and can build the Kingdom of God without our help. However, because he loves us, he wants us to have the privilege of cooperating with him. God gives us the opportunity as human beings to demonstrate our dignity by graciously saying yes to his call. This is why he invites us to search out, to discover and to embrace our vocation.
thanks
While contemplating the objects of the senses, one develops attachment for them, from attachment, lust develops. From lust, anger arises, from anger delusion arises, from delusion, bewilderment of memory. And then intelligence is lost.
Give this man - Christopher West - his well-deserved Catholic University Honorary Doctorate. It’s a cliff note dissertation if there ever was one.
520th viewer :P Great video, I highly value your understanding and explainig what is happening to us when we look at the beauty of God's work.
Very well said!
Eyes wide shut by S. Kubrick is an interesting movie about the problem of lust. It has a lot to say about that
Humanity is always for beauty by design but the upgraded(divine) suggests “focus on the good”.
If you're in doubt, don't even look.
Amén.
Yes! I've noticed that after being very careful not to look for a while, at some point we stop almost even noticing much the beauty in people and start being able to look at them with complete detachment, like how it would be to look at a bird or a flower. Then that's when it becomes ok. But we need to be very mortified at this point, meaning we are not even feeling tempted to approach that person nor think of them in a lustful manner.
Amazing video
Thank you for watching!
This is amazing
We're glad it was helpful! If you'd like to go deeper check out www.tobforfree.com/
Appreciation of God's handy work is not necessarily bad. I will say that lingering on them is temptation
I aM a single man who has been single for as long as I can remember. Although I want to be married someday but every relationships I try to be in has never bloomed
I feel you. It’s not easy
The male female attraction
Does arouse passions
However self control is needed
Putting ones mind before ones
Urges considering the consequences of such desire!
With the purified you show yourself pure! - Psalm 18:26
Masterpiece.
St. Thomas and St. Alphonsus told me the distinction has to do with the deliberate delight taken in venereal pleasure (which I understand to be the quality of pleasure which suffices for completion - even if it is not great enough in quantity), even if incomplete, or deliberately taking pleasure in wanting to do illicit things with someone.
Obrigado. Realmente V. toca no ponto certo: a beleza!!!
God is good❤
Amen!
This sounds very interesting even as a abstract consideration, though I wish there was something more concrete in this presentation, for example, to define and elaborate what it means when a man finds a woman physically attractive. Is that lust or simply natural attraction?
If the girl/woman (or her father) would be flattered by how a man looks at her, then it's chaste; if she would want to slap the man (or if her Dad would want to punch him) as a creep, then it's lust.
@@blessedvirginmaryisqueen8448
As a father of 3 beautiful little girls and 2 boys (3rd girl is going to be born in January) - I concur…. Great perspective, short and to the point.
Hands off my daughters!
@@Ahomesteadersdream Amen! And as a priest and spiritual father to the many girls and women that God sends to me, God has given me that same fatherly zeal for them: men, do NO harm to my dear daughters in the Lord by unchaste behavior, looks, or even thoughts towards them (don't even THINK about them in a manner that is demeaning towards these dear daughters of God!), but love and respect them, as they ALL deserve! Amen!
God bless you, and congratulations on being given those three PRECIOUS daughters, including the one in the womb! And, also, those boys, too! They're cool, too! :)
God bless you!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Nice
Former Catholic Priest Alan Watts has the answers. He doesn't preach to his audience of a hundred people. He has them ask him questions in his lecture - On Being God.
This is something I really struggle with and I feel really hopeless. It's to the point where I wish I could just turn off physical attraction with a switch.
A mystery indeed. I thank God every day, for not being able to figure out the mystery. Because if we were able to figure out the mystery, and still settling for sin over the light of Christ…then truly we would reject the mercy which awaits us every day. We are talking about eternal separation from God forever. Better known as Hell.
From the book "food for soul (c)" by Peter kreeft,
# page 9
Only human beings can love because only human beings have free choice. Nothing else in the universe that we know of has the free will to choose to make itself more itself or less itself. Rocks can’t choose to be more or less rocky and dogs can’t choose to be more or less doggy, but humans can choose to be more human or less human, by choosing to love or not to love. This love is charity. Charity is not just our spontaneous feelings. It does not arise from our nature as selfish animals. It is a gift of God. So St. Paul prays for it, as we should too. He prays that God may “strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness.”
I heard a preacher say one time it's not driving down the street and seeing a pretty woman and thinking she is hot, it's when you turn around and go back to look at her again
Attraction is the light intoxication of lust, because the vice of lust is given birth from the awareness of body. We are viewing that person based on who they are not. The aim is to have the awareness of the soul, soul consciousness, that we see all people, male or female as a spiritual entity, a soul,, a point of light that sparkles in the middle of the forehead. This might sound like a strange thing to do. However, if you keep this practice of awareness up you will begin to respect people with the dignity and respect they deserve, irrespective of what their external costume appears like.
Amen brother amen 🙏🏼
Wait, you wrote a book? Thanks, I needed ideas for what to ask for for Christmas!
Appreciating beauty is when you feel bad for even starting to or ever starting to think perversely on someone, appreciating beauty is when you value their looks and likeness to The LORD and willing to protect them and make them feel important. Lust is when you are shamelessly thinking of perverse thoughts to other people, and when you are inwardly deteriorating- hence disrespecting their likeness to The LORD inside your heart.
Good Video by the way! I subscribed!
Thank you! Please pray for our ministry.
@@TheologyoftheBodyInstitute I will pray for the ministry and I hope that The LORD will guide you and provide you all in order for you to spread more good messages as this!
Still no excuses, you’re eyes should only be for God, not for others.
Don’t use this as an excuse because a lot of people will.
Amén. ❤
Thank you so much for this video ❤ you're a man of God ❤ pretty funny too as well 😂
We're so glad it blessed you! Please pray for us.
@@TheologyoftheBodyInstitute I am the one who should be asking for your prayers...
Wow what a gem this was. I'd like the book, do you have international shipping in plan any time soon? I'm in Croatia. Cheers!
Thank you for watching. Not sure, but feel free to check the store. Let us know if you like it. shop.corproject.com/collections/books?kuid=69ba1add-91d5-49b3-817e-8842e1acd499&kref=iygctJrWdzlF
could you also explain how the attraction to men's bodies works, please?
Although men might have an idea of this realm, we’d really need a woman’s perspective on this issue. We can’t ask a man to explain how women are (or aren’t) attracted to men physically in the same way men are towards women.
Impropriety of the eyes. Seek first the Kingdom of God.
Attraction or familiarity is the light intoxication of lust. Basically lust on a subtle level. It will most likely come to you via your eyes or thoughts.
Finally, a proper explanation of lust. Society has ruined the definition by saying it is a strong desire. That is not what it is. There are also other types of lust.
Lust is destructive, it is the desire for only a portion of the object. You can recognize it when the desire only takes one aspect of something and rejects the rest. Sexual lust (the classic and common, we usually drop the "sexual" out) is the desire for sex for solely pleasure.
When we lust after women, we wish to use their beauty and body for our own gratification. It is also lust when you give yourself sexual pleasure.
There's also the lust for power, usually referred negatively as ambition (if you read old texts), which is the desire for power simply to have power or status while ignoring the responsibility and well-being of others.
Also, it's funny that we even refer to mad Eros as such. God knows true love, we don't, so mad Eros is actually the truth, which seems crazy to us 😂
So I should retrieve that eye I plucked out?
Too late! 😂
So imagine you are "appreciating a womans beauty" whom you work with... she asks for help. You help her. She asks for help again. You help her. She asks for help again.. you help her. Eventually you start to feel she is using you. Do you still "appreciate her beauty"?
What about lgbtq? Does it also count to admire that attraction but not act on it?
In other words, if you like what you see in the same you like looking at a mountain or a deer, you're good. If you like what you see in the same way you like looking at your wife, you're not so good.