{"podcast":{"title":"Ask Christopher West","slug":"ask-christopher-west-240572","podcast_index_feed_id":240572,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/10343b5d0/podcast/rss","website_url":"http://askchristopherwest.com","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/43397364/43397364-1769628946857-91bb7fb83372e.jpg","author":"Theology of the Body Institute","episode_count":394,"summary":"Since the early 90's, author and speaker Christopher West has devoted his life to spreading John Paul II's revolutionary teaching on human life, love, and sexuality: The Theology of the Body. His beloved wife Wendy, mother of their five children, has served as his confidante, friend, and support through these long years of ministry. In this podcast, Christopher and Wendy combine their wisdom to tackle the toughest questions dealing with vocation, sexuality, marriage, and the Catholic faith.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-13T16:20:14.046390+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-christopher-west-240572"},"episode":{"title":"Does God Command Mutilation?, Struggling with feeling loved because of weight, & Why is Mary the Star of the Sea? | ACW379","slug":"does-god-command-mutilation-struggling-with-feeling-loved-because-of-weight-why-is-mary-the-star-of-the-sea-acw379","published_at":"2026-04-06T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-christopher-west-240572/does-god-command-mutilation-struggling-with-feeling-loved-because-of-weight-why-is-mary-the-star-of-the-sea-acw379","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-christopher-west-240572","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/juan-arregun5/episodes/Does-God-Command-Mutilation---Struggling-with-feeling-loved-because-of-weight---Why-is-Mary-the-Star-of-the-Sea---ACW379-e3hbj30","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/APO4162433976.mp3","summary":"Questions answered this episode: In Matthew 5:30, Jesus says, 'And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you...' In the spirit of the theology of the body, the idea of cutting off one's own hand seems like a gross insult to God's image in which we are made. I can understand amputation for medical reasons, but I cannot help but think that sin is a matter of will, so no kind of concupiscence could merit amputation. But in believing that, I would seem to be going against Christ's guidance here. How are we to understand this commission to go so far as to irrevocably alter the body in service of mitigating concupiscence? I struggle to believe that I can be loved because of the way I look. Growing up, I'm told that no man will ever love me because I'm fat and that in order to be lovable I have to be skinny. I was diagnosed with PCOS, which explains the uncontrollable weight gain. I do my best to take care of myself but my body does not lose weight so easily. Recently, there has been a guy who has been flirting with me, but I have a hard time believing he's interested because how can someone love me looking the way I look? I don't know what to do or how to change my concept of myself. Why is Mary called Stella Maris? Resources: Discerning Marriage Podcast with Elizabeth Busby Are you ready for marriage? Check out Next Step: A Course for Discerning Marriage ⁠List of trusted counselors & psychologists⁠ 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. --- 🔥 ⁠⁠⁠Get 3 FREE sess…","meta_description":"Questions answered this episode: In Matthew 5:30, Jesus says, 'And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you...' In the spirit…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3297,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ask-christopher-west-240572/episodes/does-god-command-mutilation-struggling-with-feeling-loved-because-of-weight-why-is-mary-the-star-of-the-sea-acw379/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-christopher-west-240572/does-god-command-mutilation-struggling-with-feeling-loved-because-of-weight-why-is-mary-the-star-of-the-sea-acw379.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}