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[email protected] ChristopherWest speaking at Seymour Centre in Chippendale in 2016. PHOTO: GIOVANNI PORTELLI Sex refers to Christ and His Church THIS IS a remarkable little book, and I have to admit that this is the first full length book by Christopher West I’ve ever read. I’d dipped in and out of some of his more lively texts some years ago, but I’d never really applied myself because I found his writing style a bit grating. What makes this book re- markable is that it’s a ‘trans- lation’ of the Theology of the Body for Protestants and oth- er non-Catholics. The foreword by American church historian and popu- lar author Eric Metaxas, who is an Episcopalian, and it has other back-cover endorse- ments from non-Catholic writers and thinkers. As such, it’s solidly Biblical in its orientation, and uses the Biblical bases of St John Paul’s unpacking of the hu- man body in its relationships, weaknesses and glories. Beginning with the original Edenic plan for human sexu- ality, West takes his readers through the fall and redemp- tion of sex. Most of the non-Catholic communities lost or aban- doned the idea of celibacy at the Reformation, and many have never recaptured it. Celibacy is seen with some suspicion in many of these communities to this day. For this reason, West has empha- sised marriage and the cove- nant throughout; celibacy is barely mentioned. But everything else is. I think West really hits his stride in Chapter 4, Will There Be Sex in Heaven? The chap- ter title sounds facile, but the content definitely isn’t. West develops the idea of the heavenly covenant, the marriage literally made in heaven between Christ and the individual soul, as well as Christ with the Church. I think the book steadily im- proves from this point on- wards. Chapter 5, This is a Pro- found Mystery , is absolutely gorgeous, and has the most wonderful explanation of the much-criticised passage in Ephesians 5, ‘Wives, submit to your husbands … Husbands, love your wives’. I had never noticed before how much of this passage is actually about the responsibility of the hus- band towards the wife. This is also the chapter which begins with the humil- iating anecdote of how West went home and bragged to his wife that he’d been asked to write a book about good husbanding, called Loving Her Rightly . His wife of (then) 10 years drew a deep breath and began what turned into a long series of conversations about how he was the least qualified person in the world to write a book about that. West ended up not writing the book, but he got a first- hand education about how hard it was for his wife to live with the ‘Theology of the Body Guy’. He has put that knowl- edge to good use in this book as well. Chapter 6, Sex Refers to Christ and His Church , is a beautiful exegesis on Tobit and Songs – again, I’d never thought of the story of Tobit as being analogous to that of Christ, although both of them have to stare death in the face as they consummate their marriages. This book offers lots of useful Biblical insights for Catholics who want to know more about the Scrip- tural basis of the Theology of the Body. It would be helpful to an- yone who wants to share Catholic teachings on sexual- ity with non-Catholics, espe- cially those who are struggling with the idea of not using arti- ficial conception. It would also be good for anyone instructing converts from other Christian denominations, especially married couples. Dr Philippa Martyr is a Perth-based historian, lec- turer and researcher. She can be contacted at: Philippa.
[email protected] REVIEWS Only for dim bogans AS MIGHT be feared, or at least expected, from its title, pseudo-Catho- lic nonsense abounds in Warrior Nun . For those inclined to expose themselves to such material, the 10-ep- isode series – derived by creator Simon Barry from the work of comic book artist Ben Dunn – is cur- rently streaming on Net- flix. The murky plot kicks off with the more or less accidental resurrection of our heroine and narra- tor, Ava (Alba Baptista), a recently deceased quad- riplegic teenage orphan. Upon resuscitation, Ava discovers that she’s not only no longer paralysed but has, in fact, been en- dowed with superpow- ers. Ava’s new abilities, like her revival, come courte- sy of a so-called “halo,” a round, flaming subcuta- neous insert that serves as a kind of spiritual battery. This object, it seems, ranks as the most precious “relic” of an order of battling wom- en religious – the phrase “ninja nuns” comes ines- capably to mind – whose existence the world has somehow managed to overlook. How did this object wind up under Ava’s skin? Was it, as it first appears to be, by chance? Or was it ... her destiny?! Aside from a single, breathtakingly tasteless joke about clergy sexual abuse, the treatment of matters ecclesiastical in the first two installments is shoddy and dimwitted rather than outright of- fensive. The dialogue carries enough vulgarity to put this off-limits to young- sters even without the off-kilter depiction of the church. As for grown-ups, it’s a safe bet that they’ll soon weary of Warrior Nun . - CNS ¾ ¾ John Mulderig “WARRIOR NUN” STREAMING ON NETFLIX Most people think Christianity knows nothing about sex, intimacy and love. They have no idea how profound its understanding really is. But a new book answers that Philippa Martyr Christopher West, Our Bodies Tell God’s Story: Discovering the divine plan for love, sex and gender . Brazos Press, 2020. MASS DIARY FRIDAY, 7 AUGUST August Healing Mass: St Joseph’s Catholic Church, 126 Liverpool Rd, Enfield (Parking at rear of church. Enter from Baker St. Celebrant: Father Yacub Barkat. Rosary 7pm. Mass 8pm. Reconciliation 7-8pm. Prayer and Praise 7.30pm. Contact Rose on 9642 2359 / 0412 115 961. Email: rosetwymansydney@gmail. com WEEKLY Community of Risen Christ continue to meet online for Divine Mercy prayer every Saturday at 8pm. All Welcome Zoom Meeting: https://zoom us/j/4399152776 Meeting ID: 439 915 2776, Password : 124622 Contact Steffi Sequeira on 0436 395 763 Holy Hours: 6 evenings a week (Mon to Sat) 8pm - 11pm; Adoration (half hour) after daily 8;30am Mass (Mon to Sat, except Tue), Tue 6-7pm. St Bernadette’s Carlton, 10 Argyle St, Carlton. VISTA 2020