{"id":42125,"date":"2013-10-29T12:16:21","date_gmt":"2013-10-29T17:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=42125"},"modified":"2013-11-03T09:45:58","modified_gmt":"2013-11-03T15:45:58","slug":"review-love-that-satisfies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/10\/review-love-that-satisfies\/","title":{"rendered":"Backing Your Way Into the Truth about Love (Review: “The Love That Satisfies”)"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m no stranger to reflection. I think my life would be very different if I were not such an introspective person by nature. I can point to a few specific moments when my habit of thinking deeply before acting has actually changed my life. Generally, though, I trust my own thoughts more than anyone else’s, even a trusted advisor.<\/p>\n

I’m also no stranger to the theology of the body (TOB). It’s a buzzword around modern Catholic circles. In a nutshell, the theology of the body is a teaching based on a series of talks given by Blessed John Paul II before and while he was pope. The crux is that our bodies, male and female, and particularly the sexual union of spouses teach us about God: it’s a theology (a way to think about God) based on our bodies. I’ve read a number of texts that attempt to break down JPII’s original thoughts, including Theology of the Body for Beginners<\/em><\/a>, by Christopher West (which I reviewed here at Austin CNM), and JPII’s own play The Jeweler’s Shop<\/em><\/a>. Despite my having no formal training in the TOB, I consider myself reasonably familiar with it.<\/p>\n

\"west-lovethatsatisfies\"<\/p>\n

Therefore, I approached my reading of The Love That Satisfies: Reflections on Eros and Agape<\/a> with an open but already well-informed mind. I’m familiar with the TOB, particularly as taught by Christopher West. I know his style. This book is organized as an extended reflection on the first half of Deus Caritas Est<\/em>, B16’s first encyclical (which I think is the third encyclical I ever read), so I knew the background information.* I had never directly sought to connect the TOB with that encyclical, though, so I gave it a shot.<\/p>\n

Frankly, I was underwhelmed. My particular combination of background knowledge made this book seem like just a rehashing of previous reading. I found myself more miffed by the book’s only covering the first half of the encyclical than anything else. If B16 wasn’t finished with his ideas, why should West be finished with his? If the TOB is so widely applicable (which I agree that it is), why didn’t West apply it to the rest of the encyclical? The Love That Satisfies seemed like the same thing all over again.<\/p>\n

\"ring

Photo by Jennuine Captures<\/a> at Flickr.<\/p><\/div>\n

That brings me to the book’s primary strength: presenting old ideas in a new way. I haven’t looked at my annotations in my printed PDF copy of Deus Caritas Est<\/em> in a while, but something tells me that it doesn’t say much about the TOB. I haven’t even dipped back into TOB study in a while. And I know a title like Theology of the Body for Beginners<\/em> does not sound particularly appealing to the average (probably Catholic) reader. The prospect of satisfying love probably does, though. The idea that God has a plan for human love and that it relates to divine love is intriguing. Even the cover images on my edition\u2014Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, and a young man wooing a pretty young lady\u2014speak to the modern and relevant contents. If “theology” and “encyclical” sound like the last way you’d want to spend your free time, West might have the antidote to the sticker shock of understanding the true freedom of following God’s plan for human life, love, and relationships. After this book has whet your appetite, I’ve got plenty of recommendations for digging deeper.<\/p>\n

*If you’ve never read an encyclical, I recommend starting with Humanae Vitae<\/em>, by Pope Paul VI. It’s short, and it will blow your mind<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

—
\nUp next: Hail, Holy Queen<\/em><\/a>, a Marian love letter from Scott Hahn<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m no stranger to reflection. I think my life would be very different if I were not such an introspective person by nature. I can point to a few specific moments when my habit of thinking deeply before acting has actually changed my life. Generally, though, I trust my own thoughts more than anyone else’s,… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,88,87,91],"tags":[1749,163,2048,116,111],"class_list":["post-42125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-blog","category-marriage-blog","category-reviews","category-young-adult","tag-book-reviews","tag-books","tag-christoper-west","tag-reviews-2","tag-theology-of-the-body","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":101542,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/03\/review-cs-lewis-and-the-crisis-of-a-christian\/","url_meta":{"origin":42125,"position":0},"title":"Biography, Theology, and You (Review: “C.S. Lewis and the Crisis of a Christian”)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"March 31, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I like C.S. Lewis a lot. He wasn't a Catholic, but he was a convert to Anglicanism, and more importantly, he was an incredible writer. I read The Chronicles of Narnia first, but when I entered adulthood, I discovered his apologetics works. I love them so much that I have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\"If we find the gospel message to be true, we need to surrender to God and change our lives. For that reason\u2014whether or not the [C.S. Lewis] trilemma or some form of it works\u2014many will still never assent that Jesus is God.\" \u2014Gregory S. Cootsona","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/acnm_lewiscrisis.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":180704,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/12\/review-new-testament-basics-for-catholics\/","url_meta":{"origin":42125,"position":1},"title":"The Story of the King and His Kingdom (Review: “New Testament Basics for Catholics”)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"December 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks to a few years of Bible studies, I could easily tell you that the \"plot\" of the Bible is the fulfillment of the covenant between God and his people. Now I can tell you that the New Testament has its own \"subplot,\" so to speak. A few summers ago,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A review of \"New Testament Basics for Catholics\" at AustinCNM.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/acnm-newtestamentbasics-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/acnm-newtestamentbasics-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/acnm-newtestamentbasics-550x367.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":136347,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/08\/review-bible-basics-for-catholics\/","url_meta":{"origin":42125,"position":2},"title":"From Old Adam to New in 7 Easy Sketches (Review: “Bible Basics for Catholics”)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"August 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"You can learn the story of the Bible in seven easy stick figures. Several summers ago, I took a weekly crash course on salvation history. It absolutely changed the way I see the Bible. Have you ever heard the prophets or psalms talking about Israel and Judah as though they're\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"My bible with a \"walking\" globe toy on the story of Noah's covenant.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Bible_study_globe-550x550.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Bible_study_globe-550x550.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/Bible_study_globe-550x550.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1941644,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2019\/07\/book-review-of-abuse-of-trust-healing-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":42125,"position":3},"title":"Book Review of Abuse of Trust: Healing from Clerical Sexual Abuse","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"July 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 In the current wave of the abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, it has been hard to know what to do. I have taken it on faith that the church eventually would survive this crisis and make the necessary changes to protect children and adults from abuse, because I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":105130,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/04\/reflection-the-three-parts-of-dance-and-the-trinity\/","url_meta":{"origin":42125,"position":4},"title":"Learning to Follow (A Reflection on “The Three Parts of Dance & the Trinity”)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"April 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm learning to dance. I've always loved to dance, even since I was the little girl in shiny gold shoes tearing it up at my uncle's wedding. True story. I did tap and ballet for about a year when I was four. Since then, it's been all about freestyle. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A couple on the dance floor. The Theology of Dance connects a hobby with the union of the Holy Trinity.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/coupleonthedancefloor-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/coupleonthedancefloor-550x367.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/coupleonthedancefloor-550x367.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":93591,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/03\/review-the-thrill-of-the-chaste-catholic-edition\/","url_meta":{"origin":42125,"position":5},"title":"Clothes On, Heart Full (Review: The Thrill of the Chaste, Catholic Edition)","author":"Lindsay Wilcox","date":"March 3, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"In my happy journey through every book on chastity known to Christian man, I made a stop at The Thrill of the Chaste back in 2012. The book had been out for years; I tend to be a later adopter. My favorite aspects of that edition were Eden's utterly realistic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"\"Living chastely is a bold challenge to modern culture, because it proves that people are not automatons but human beings with free will.\" \u2014Dawn Eden","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/acnm_couple_sunset-550x330.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/acnm_couple_sunset-550x330.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/acnm_couple_sunset-550x330.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42125"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42125\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}