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5 DENVER CATHOLIC | APRIL 8-21, 2017 C hristopher West has never been one to play it safe. His talks on Pope St. John Paul II's revered Theology of the Body go against basically every modern-day notion of human sexuality, and it speaks to the work's relevance that West is always able to tie it into some element of pop culture. He recently released a free e-Book titled "Theology of the Body at the Movies" that points out examples of JPII's teachings on sexuality in modern fi lms. On Wednesday, April 12, West is paying a visit to St. Mary Catholic Church in Aspen for a free talk and Q&A session titled "A Refl ection on the Passion, Death & Resurrection of Jesus Like You Have Never Heard Before." Denver Catholic caught up with West ahead of his visit. DENVER CATHOLIC: Without giving too much away, why will your talk on the passion, death and resurrection of Christ be "like you've never heard it before"? CHRISTOPHER WEST: Few of us have heard the passion of the Lord presented as so many of the saints and mystics describe it – as the consum- mation of a marriage. Saint Augustine, for instance, describes the Cross as Christ's marriage bed. And the Byz- antine Church, in fact, calls Holy Week the "Week of the Bridegroom." Saint John Paul II lamented how this spousal vision of the most import- ant event in human history has been largely lost in the modern view of Christianity, and he sought to reclaim it for the whole Church. In this presentation, we're going to reverently pull back the veil and enter into what Pope Bene- dict XVI described as the "mad Eros" of Christ the Bridegroom loving his Bride, the Church, from the Cross. DC: What can the culture today learn from JPII's "Theology of the Body," especially when it comes to hot-button topics such as gender ideology and same-sex relations? CW: We live in a world that is telling us our gendered bodies are meaning- less. Christ not only reveals that our bodies have a meaning, but that the human body is a message from God that reveals Ultimate Meaning. We've been blinded to the meaning of gender in the modern world, and this can be traced back in large part to the 20th Century embrace of con- traception. Contraception is a direct attack on the meaning of gender. Gender shares the same root as words like generous, genesis, generate, genitals, progeny, genealogy. The word "gender" means the manner in which one generates. When we fail to respect the fact that our genitals are meant to generate, we eventually degenerate. This is what we are now living through. For such a time as this have we been given Saint JP II's The- ology of the Body. DC: You recently published a free eBook called "Theology of the Body at the Movies." Where did the idea come from, and what's the aim of the book? CW: I've always been a bit of a movie bu• . It's one of the most powerful modern art forms, and I've been drawing from my favorite movies for years in my courses, lectures, books and blogs. I've fi nally collected all that I've written about movies over the years into this one new resource. Hollywood produces a lot of awful fi lms. It also produces some real gems with incredibly powerful lessons. You can get "Theology of the Body at the Movies" for free at my ministry's website corproject.com. BY AARON LAMBERT aaron.lambert@archden.org @AaronLmbrt Around the Archdiocese Christopher West refl ects on the Passion 'like you've never heard' Q&A with CHRISTOPHER WEST of pop culture. He recently released a free e-Book titled "Theology of the Body at the Movies" that points out examples of JPII's teachings on sexuality in modern fi lms. On Wednesday, April 12, West is paying a visit to St. Mary Catholic Church in Aspen for a free talk and Q&A session titled "A Refl ection on the Passion, Death & Resurrection of Jesus Like You Have Never Denver antine Church, in fact, calls Holy Week the "Week of the this spousal vision of the most import- ant event in human history has been largely lost in the modern view of Christianity, and he sought to reclaim it for the whole Church. In this presentation, Q&A with CHRISTOPHER WEST Centered in Jesus Christ Courageous in Faith Scholars r Truth HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE GREAT THING S HAPP ENING A .. Saints Peter & Paul Catholic School? NEW FAMILIES ARE INVITED TO OUR ... FALL OPEN HOUSE!!! Thursday, November I 7, 2016 at I 0:00 a.m. Please RSVP: (303) 424-0402 Preschool to 8th Grades • Rigorous academics emphasizing truth, goodness, & beauty. • Nurturing mily-like environment. • Authentic Catholic ith formation imbued with Carmelite spirituality. • Financial Aid & Scholarships available. • Centrally located, 6 miles from downtown Denver. 3920 Pierce Street , Wheat Rid g e , CO 80033 .sppscatholic.com Private Tours also available. Please call for reservations. Se Habla Espanol Centered in Jesus Christ Courageous in Faith Scholars r Truth HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE GREAT THING S HAPP ENING A .. Saints Peter & Paul Catholic School? NEW FAMILIES ARE INVITED TO OUR ... FALL OPEN HOUSE!!! Thursday, November I 7, 2016 at I 0:00 a.m. Please RSVP: (303) 424-0402 Preschool to 8th Grades • Rigorous academics emphasizing truth, goodness, & beauty. • Nurturing mily-like environment. • Authentic Catholic ith formation imbued with Carmelite spirituality. • Financial Aid & Scholarships available. • Centrally located, 6 miles from downtown Denver. 3920 Pierce Street , Wheat Rid g e , CO 80033 .sppscatholic.com Private Tours also available. Please call for reservations. Se Habla Espanol Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic School! HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE GREAT THINGS HAPPENING AT... 3920 Pierce Street, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 (303) 424-0402 www.sppscatholic.com Preschool to 8th Grades • Rigorous academics emphasizing truth, goodness & beauty. • Nurturing a family-like environment. • Authentic Catholic faith formation imbued with Carmelite spirit. • Financial Aid & Scholarships available. • Centrally located, 6 miles from downtown Denver. Centered in Jesus Christ Courageous in Faith Scholars r Truth HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE GREAT THING S HAPP ENING A .. Saints Peter & Paul Catholic School? NEW FAMILIES ARE INVITED TO OUR ... FALL OPEN HOUSE!!! Thursday, November I 7, 2016 at I 0:00 a.m. Please RSVP: (303) 424-0402 Preschool to 8th Grades • Rigorous academics emphasizing truth, goodness, & beauty. • Nurturing mily-like environment. • Authentic Catholic ith formation imbued with Carmelite spirituality. • Financial Aid & Scholarships available. • Centrally located, 6 miles from downtown Denver. 3920 Pierce Street , Wheat Rid g e , CO 80033 .sppscatholic.com Private Tours also available. Please call for reservations. Se Habla Espanol in Jesus Christ Courageous in Faith Scholars r Truth HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE GREAT THING S HAPP ENING A .. Saints Peter & Paul Catholic School? FAMILIES ARE INVITED TO OUR ... FALL OPEN HOUSE!!! Thursday, November I 7, 2016 at I 0:00 a.m. Please RSVP: (303) 424-0402 Preschool to 8th Grades Rigorous academics emphasizing truth, goodness, & beauty. Nurturing mily-like environment. Authentic Catholic ith formation imbued with Carmelite spirituality. Financial Aid & Scholarships available. Centrally located, 6 miles from downtown Denver. 3920 Pierce Street , Wheat Rid g e , CO 80033 .sppscatholic.com Private Tours also available. Please call for reservations. Se Habla Espanol in Jesus Christ Courageous in Faith Scholars r Truth HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE GREAT THING S HAPP ENING A .. Saints Peter & Paul Catholic School? FAMILIES ARE INVITED TO OUR ... FALL OPEN HOUSE!!! Thursday, November I 7, 2016 at I 0:00 a.m. Please RSVP: (303) 424-0402 Preschool to 8th Grades Rigorous academics emphasizing truth, goodness, & beauty. Nurturing mily-like environment. Authentic Catholic ith formation imbued with Carmelite spirituality. Financial Aid & Scholarships available. Centrally located, 6 miles from downtown Denver. 3920 Pierce Street , Wheat Rid g e , CO 80033 .sppscatholic.com Private Tours also available. Please call for reservations. Se Habla Espanol Private Tours are available. Please call for reservations. Call About Our New STEM Elective! We are Praying For You During The Triduum and Easter Featuring the Samoan Choir from Colorado Springs Lunch will be served: $20 donation RSVP: infostrafka@gmail.com St. Rafka Maronite Church celebrates the 100 Year Anniversary of OUR LADY OF FATIMA Divine Mercy Sunday April 23, 2017 • 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 2301 Wadsworth Blvd. • Lakewood, CO 80214