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Called to Love: Approaching John Paul II's Theology of the Body
A thoughtful, accessible work on the beauty of love and the splendor of the body, inspired by Pope John Paul II.
Christianity has long been regarded as viewing the body as a threat to a person's spiritual nature and of denying its sexual dimension. In 1979, Pope John Paul II departed from this traditional dichotomy and offered an integrated vision of the human body and soul. In a series of talks that came to be known as “the theology of the body,” he explained the divine meaning of human sexuality and why the body provides answers to fundamental questions about our lives.
In Called to Love, Carl Anderson, chairman of the world’s largest catholic service organization, and Fr. Jose Granados discuss the philosophical and religious significance of “the theology of the body” in language at once poetic and profound. As they explain, the body speaks of God, it reveals His goodness, and it also speaks of men and women and their vocation to love. Called to Love brings to life the tremendous gift John Paul II bestowed on humanity and gives readers a new understanding of the Christian way of love and how to embrace it fully in their lives.
Christianity has long been regarded as viewing the body as a threat to a person's spiritual nature and of denying its sexual dimension. In 1979, Pope John Paul II departed from this traditional dichotomy and offered an integrated vision of the human body and soul. In a series of talks that came to be known as “the theology of the body,” he explained the divine meaning of human sexuality and why the body provides answers to fundamental questions about our lives.
In Called to Love, Carl Anderson, chairman of the world’s largest catholic service organization, and Fr. Jose Granados discuss the philosophical and religious significance of “the theology of the body” in language at once poetic and profound. As they explain, the body speaks of God, it reveals His goodness, and it also speaks of men and women and their vocation to love. Called to Love brings to life the tremendous gift John Paul II bestowed on humanity and gives readers a new understanding of the Christian way of love and how to embrace it fully in their lives.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
54 people are currently reading
314 people want to read
About the author
Carl A. Anderson
23 books13 followersThe 13th supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus, Carl A. Anderson has led the Knights and their families since 2000 to unprecedented levels of charitable giving and support for their communities and Church. Under Mr. Anderson’s leadership, membership has grown to more than 1.9 million Knights, who together in 2014 alone donated over $173.5 million to charity and provided more than 71.5 million volunteer hours of charitable service worldwide. Over the past decade, under the supreme knight's guidance, the Knights of Columbus has donated more than 691 million hours of service to charity and $1.4 billion to charity.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
February 20, 2025
This is not a book for kids.
Sure, maybe the more thoughtful of them would benefit from its practical wisdom, even quite a bit.
No, I see it as a book written for older people, and especially those seniors like me who - facing an incessant barrage of pains (physical and affective), need a darned good shot in the arm!
What’s the point of all this, I hear many seniors asking? Why bother to even think of going on in an emotionally antiseptic, though viral, uncaring world?
This book will tell you why: because pain is the price of love. That’s it. If we are avoiding pain and heartache, it’s probably because we bemoan the pleasure and love that are now gone.
The result is sloth. It’s deadly!
The simple reason for our unease, says this very famous church leader (though this book works no matter WHAT you believe) is that we’re avoiding this fading body of ours.
And that means embracing life - love, pain, the whole nine yards!
Am I making sense?
You see, we seek to disown our pain and anguish with multiple diversions.
But now, with COVID, our walls are closing in.
Our homes are becoming prisons...
And, likewise our erstwhile escapes.
And it doesn’t have to be like that.
But to rediscover our joys we must OWN THE PAINS OF OUR BODIES AND SOULS.
And Believe me, it WORKS. You’ll recover your lost strength in the process.
Life’s not all roses, as most of us see now.
So to rediscover our earthly paradises, we MUST listen to our pains and heartaches.
Like John Paul II did, as the agony of his pains - and near-fatal bullet wounds - closed in on him in his last days.
Life’s not easy.
And it’s NEVER a Free Ride.
To find happiness, we must LIVE out our pains and sorrows.
And through faith, we can DO that.
Sure, maybe the more thoughtful of them would benefit from its practical wisdom, even quite a bit.
No, I see it as a book written for older people, and especially those seniors like me who - facing an incessant barrage of pains (physical and affective), need a darned good shot in the arm!
What’s the point of all this, I hear many seniors asking? Why bother to even think of going on in an emotionally antiseptic, though viral, uncaring world?
This book will tell you why: because pain is the price of love. That’s it. If we are avoiding pain and heartache, it’s probably because we bemoan the pleasure and love that are now gone.
The result is sloth. It’s deadly!
The simple reason for our unease, says this very famous church leader (though this book works no matter WHAT you believe) is that we’re avoiding this fading body of ours.
And that means embracing life - love, pain, the whole nine yards!
Am I making sense?
You see, we seek to disown our pain and anguish with multiple diversions.
But now, with COVID, our walls are closing in.
Our homes are becoming prisons...
And, likewise our erstwhile escapes.
And it doesn’t have to be like that.
But to rediscover our joys we must OWN THE PAINS OF OUR BODIES AND SOULS.
And Believe me, it WORKS. You’ll recover your lost strength in the process.
Life’s not all roses, as most of us see now.
So to rediscover our earthly paradises, we MUST listen to our pains and heartaches.
Like John Paul II did, as the agony of his pains - and near-fatal bullet wounds - closed in on him in his last days.
Life’s not easy.
And it’s NEVER a Free Ride.
To find happiness, we must LIVE out our pains and sorrows.
And through faith, we can DO that.
August 1, 2012
I am almost done reading this book, but I wanted to write a short review. I'm really grateful that I was sent this book mainly because reading this book reminds me of my Theology classes back in college. They really did a wonderful job explaning JP2 teachings. He was an amazing person who understood changes in today's society and helps people cope and understand the human capacity to love. I will go back and read the parts I highlighted, and will definitely keep this book!
May 18, 2009
I was looking forward to reading this book, which is described as "A thoughtful, accessible work on the beauty of love and the splendor of the body, inspired by Pope John Paul II.". While I am not a Catholic, I had a great deal of respect for Pope John Paul II, and was hoping for some insightful words and thoughts on love from him. The book started out slowly for me, but there were parts that I could relate to, such as a section of virtues which states "A true friend does not sit in judgement of his fellows. Rather, he lifts them up; not by being patronizing and lecturing them, but just by being the kind of person he is and sharing with them his own life." But unfortunately, the further I got into the book, the more I realized it was really meant for only the Catholic audience, and not for other Christians or society in general. Some of the final chapters in the book lecture against contraception and in vitro fertilization, condone only natural family planning, and there is also a chapter discussing "consecrated virginity" and celebacy. Instead of getting words on the beauty of love, I felt like I was just getting a church lecture. The book did quote frequently from Dante's "Divine Comedy", which has made me interested in reading that book. But as for "Called to Love" I would have to say that I would only recommend it to the Catholic audience.
August 1, 2012
Review cross-posted at my blog:
I was sent Called to Love: Approaching John Paul II’s Theology of the Body as a free First Reads giveaway from Goodreads. It was written by Carl Anderson and Jose Granados, both professors of the United States Session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. I was excited to receive this particular volume, because I have previously read Blessed Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body as well as several interpretations of the work by Christopher West.
The Theology of the Body was originally given as a series of talks by the Pope during his Wednesday Audiences. It is an exploration of the Bible and Catholic teachings in regards to the dignity of man which is then applied to the vocations of marriage and celibacy.
The authors do solid work exploring the main points of JPII’s ToB. It is written at a comparably high level as the original work, so would be more appropriate for those who have greater than a passing interest. (In contrast to Christopher West’s more basic introductory explanations of ToB, which are more appropriate for true neophytes to the ToB or younger readers.)
The preface sets the tone with a Biblical verse that can’t help but sing out to those of us who have carried children within us: “For you formed my inward parts, you knitted me together in my mother’s womb (Ps 139).” The introduction immediately begins to weave together Pope John Paul II (then Karol Wojtyla)’s poetry and plays with his theology of the body. This continues throughout the text accompanied by a litany of other references dominated by St. Augustine and also including several by Pope Benedict XVI.
Part I of the book explores the call to love, how humans encounter and experience love. The authors posit that “since the question of man emerges from our contact with the world, experience always goes together with a search for meaning.” Based on this idea, the evolution of love between persons is explained from from sensuality to sentiment and finally to the affirmation of the other person. It asserts that loving another person for his or her own sake does not preclude sensuality and sentiment, but rather brings them to fulfilment. It is explained that procreation, the very fecundity of the union, is a response to the call to love each other. The authors explain that “the love between spouses is nothing less than the visible presence of God’s love in the world.” The three-fold pattern of family (our identity as children and later the call to become spouses and parents) is compared to the Trinity itself.
Part II of the book asks what becomes of us when trials beset love and difficulties seem insurmountable. Can love continue in light of the inevitable hardships of life? The rift that appears is explored first as a separation of man and God, which then leads to a rift within man himself. This ripples outward creating the rift between man and woman. By ceasing to experience life as a gift, man ceases to experience his relationship with another person as a gift. The downfall continues as each person moves from being seen as a gift to simply being seen as an object to be used for personal fulfillment. The result is mutual manipulation and complete absence of humility. It is only through God made flesh that such a downfall can be rectified. It is through Christ’s self-gift that men are reconciled to God and thereby to each other in spousal love. There is a beautiful exploration of suffering as a call to love that pulls from Wojtyla’s early plays as well as Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. The section does not end with spousal love, but continues to expand upon the fullness of this reconciliation to love in the forms of the virtues of purity and piety.
This exploration of the Theology of the Body culminates in Part III, which explains the Mystery of the sacrament of marriage. It is through Christ’s love of his Church that couples find their fulfillment in the sacrament. It is through Christ’s unfailing fidelity that spouses can anchor and model their own imperfect efforts toward union. And this union culminates with the fruitfulness that is brought about by sharing in God’s procreative power. This section goes on to explain how scientific interventions such as in-vitro fertilization and contraception can hinder unity and reduce spouses to base objects that are simply a means to an end in light of these teachings. Then follows an explanation of how the choice of consecrated virginity and celibacy are also special fulfillments of the three-fold pattern of filial, nuptial, and paternal roles that mankind is called to embody. The book concludes by reflecting on how the tenets explored by the Theology of the Body create a foundation of stability in society and how it results in the common good of all.
Called to Love is a solid, scholarly work that explores and unfolds JPII’s ToB teachings without becoming merely a rehash of his ideas or a CliffsNotes version of the Pope’s audiences. It is very nearly a work of comparative literature in addition to being a brilliant, new approach to the Theology of the Body.
I was sent Called to Love: Approaching John Paul II’s Theology of the Body as a free First Reads giveaway from Goodreads. It was written by Carl Anderson and Jose Granados, both professors of the United States Session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. I was excited to receive this particular volume, because I have previously read Blessed Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body as well as several interpretations of the work by Christopher West.
The Theology of the Body was originally given as a series of talks by the Pope during his Wednesday Audiences. It is an exploration of the Bible and Catholic teachings in regards to the dignity of man which is then applied to the vocations of marriage and celibacy.
The authors do solid work exploring the main points of JPII’s ToB. It is written at a comparably high level as the original work, so would be more appropriate for those who have greater than a passing interest. (In contrast to Christopher West’s more basic introductory explanations of ToB, which are more appropriate for true neophytes to the ToB or younger readers.)
The preface sets the tone with a Biblical verse that can’t help but sing out to those of us who have carried children within us: “For you formed my inward parts, you knitted me together in my mother’s womb (Ps 139).” The introduction immediately begins to weave together Pope John Paul II (then Karol Wojtyla)’s poetry and plays with his theology of the body. This continues throughout the text accompanied by a litany of other references dominated by St. Augustine and also including several by Pope Benedict XVI.
Part I of the book explores the call to love, how humans encounter and experience love. The authors posit that “since the question of man emerges from our contact with the world, experience always goes together with a search for meaning.” Based on this idea, the evolution of love between persons is explained from from sensuality to sentiment and finally to the affirmation of the other person. It asserts that loving another person for his or her own sake does not preclude sensuality and sentiment, but rather brings them to fulfilment. It is explained that procreation, the very fecundity of the union, is a response to the call to love each other. The authors explain that “the love between spouses is nothing less than the visible presence of God’s love in the world.” The three-fold pattern of family (our identity as children and later the call to become spouses and parents) is compared to the Trinity itself.
Part II of the book asks what becomes of us when trials beset love and difficulties seem insurmountable. Can love continue in light of the inevitable hardships of life? The rift that appears is explored first as a separation of man and God, which then leads to a rift within man himself. This ripples outward creating the rift between man and woman. By ceasing to experience life as a gift, man ceases to experience his relationship with another person as a gift. The downfall continues as each person moves from being seen as a gift to simply being seen as an object to be used for personal fulfillment. The result is mutual manipulation and complete absence of humility. It is only through God made flesh that such a downfall can be rectified. It is through Christ’s self-gift that men are reconciled to God and thereby to each other in spousal love. There is a beautiful exploration of suffering as a call to love that pulls from Wojtyla’s early plays as well as Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. The section does not end with spousal love, but continues to expand upon the fullness of this reconciliation to love in the forms of the virtues of purity and piety.
This exploration of the Theology of the Body culminates in Part III, which explains the Mystery of the sacrament of marriage. It is through Christ’s love of his Church that couples find their fulfillment in the sacrament. It is through Christ’s unfailing fidelity that spouses can anchor and model their own imperfect efforts toward union. And this union culminates with the fruitfulness that is brought about by sharing in God’s procreative power. This section goes on to explain how scientific interventions such as in-vitro fertilization and contraception can hinder unity and reduce spouses to base objects that are simply a means to an end in light of these teachings. Then follows an explanation of how the choice of consecrated virginity and celibacy are also special fulfillments of the three-fold pattern of filial, nuptial, and paternal roles that mankind is called to embody. The book concludes by reflecting on how the tenets explored by the Theology of the Body create a foundation of stability in society and how it results in the common good of all.
Called to Love is a solid, scholarly work that explores and unfolds JPII’s ToB teachings without becoming merely a rehash of his ideas or a CliffsNotes version of the Pope’s audiences. It is very nearly a work of comparative literature in addition to being a brilliant, new approach to the Theology of the Body.
August 19, 2009
I won this book through the Goodreads First Reads program. I was intrigued by the title, as I've been wanting to learn more about John Paul II's Theology of the Body. That being said, for whatever reason, it took me forever to read this book!
JPII's Theology of the Body is actually from a series of talks that the Pope gave during his Wednesday audiences over a period of a few years. It's basically a series of teachings that shows the holiness of God's design of the male and female body, as the Bible tells us that we are "made in the image of God." This book explains the concepts of JPII's teachings. There is a definite emphasis on sex within marriage, although the book does discuss what these teachings mean for those who are single or who are consecrated virgins.
Truth be told, I would give this book 2.5 stars if I could. I really wanted to love it, but I had trouble getting into it. I was hoping that the book would be very easily understood by a layman (like me), but I felt like it ventured into philosophical language a bit too much. There were times when the reading got too heavy, and I found myself feeling determined to just plow through it (instead of soaking it in and enjoying it).
I have read a couple other reviews on Goodreads that lead me to include one other "warning" here. If you choose to read this book, you need to understand that it is absolutely Catholic teaching. There shouldn't be anything offensive in the book (it doesn't disparage those of other faiths in any way); however, if you're not Catholic, you may find yourself disagreeing with certain aspects of the book. Please understand, again, that the author is simply discussing the teaching of John Paul II...and those teachings are 100% Catholic.
JPII's Theology of the Body is actually from a series of talks that the Pope gave during his Wednesday audiences over a period of a few years. It's basically a series of teachings that shows the holiness of God's design of the male and female body, as the Bible tells us that we are "made in the image of God." This book explains the concepts of JPII's teachings. There is a definite emphasis on sex within marriage, although the book does discuss what these teachings mean for those who are single or who are consecrated virgins.
Truth be told, I would give this book 2.5 stars if I could. I really wanted to love it, but I had trouble getting into it. I was hoping that the book would be very easily understood by a layman (like me), but I felt like it ventured into philosophical language a bit too much. There were times when the reading got too heavy, and I found myself feeling determined to just plow through it (instead of soaking it in and enjoying it).
I have read a couple other reviews on Goodreads that lead me to include one other "warning" here. If you choose to read this book, you need to understand that it is absolutely Catholic teaching. There shouldn't be anything offensive in the book (it doesn't disparage those of other faiths in any way); however, if you're not Catholic, you may find yourself disagreeing with certain aspects of the book. Please understand, again, that the author is simply discussing the teaching of John Paul II...and those teachings are 100% Catholic.
October 6, 2013
I gave this book a shot... and I just cannot in good conscience recommend it. While I appreciate that it conveys what Catholics see at truth, it is not what I expected, and I consider myself a devout Catholic.
That it calls people out on certain choices they make does not bother me, but it is certainly something that other reviewers have had a great deal of trouble with. In that sense, I would say not to read this book if you are expecting it to confirm choices that are not seen as doctrinally correct by the Roman Catholic Church. There are much better books that compassionately convey the truth as the Catholic Church sees it to those who do not believe in the Church or its doctrines.
The larger problem, as I see it, is that Called To Love purports to be accessible, and it is anything but. Rather than presenting an easy to understand, paraphrased version of Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body, it presents it in an extremely complex text. Using one of JPII's plays, The Jeweler's Shop, the authors attempt to simplify this very complex theology, at least that is what I think they are doing. Instead, it reads like over-your-head college philosophy selection.
If you want clear cut, understandable presentations of Theology of the Body, there are better books out there, ones that invite discussion but not compromise, explanations of truth rather than hardline treatises.
That it calls people out on certain choices they make does not bother me, but it is certainly something that other reviewers have had a great deal of trouble with. In that sense, I would say not to read this book if you are expecting it to confirm choices that are not seen as doctrinally correct by the Roman Catholic Church. There are much better books that compassionately convey the truth as the Catholic Church sees it to those who do not believe in the Church or its doctrines.
The larger problem, as I see it, is that Called To Love purports to be accessible, and it is anything but. Rather than presenting an easy to understand, paraphrased version of Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body, it presents it in an extremely complex text. Using one of JPII's plays, The Jeweler's Shop, the authors attempt to simplify this very complex theology, at least that is what I think they are doing. Instead, it reads like over-your-head college philosophy selection.
If you want clear cut, understandable presentations of Theology of the Body, there are better books out there, ones that invite discussion but not compromise, explanations of truth rather than hardline treatises.
May 22, 2019
The perfect level to understand John Paul II's Theology of the Body--more advanced and deeper than Christopher West's books, but also easier to digest than JP II's original text, which tends to be abstract enough that readers unversed in philosophy may have a hard time. The authors do a good job weaving in multiple source texts from JP II, including plays and poems that he's written on marriage, fatherhood, and finding God.
December 20, 2021
"The love of the child who knows he has received everything from the Father ripens by its very nature into spousal union. This union is in turn the royal road on which man and woman return together to God, fulfilling the 'image' in the 'likeness' that crowns it."
"Another way of putting this is that the rift of sin wounds us to the heart. John Paul II defines the heart as the organ for perceiving the meaning of the body; the heart reveals to us the presence of the gift inscribed in our bodies. The heart, John Paul says, teaches us that the body is meant to manifest love, even if it instructs us how to incarnate this love in our bodily actions. Consequently, whenever the gift character of the body is obscured, the heart is divided. Once divided in heart, I am no longer able to will anything with my whole being but am embroiled in a constant interior struggle with my very self."
"United in love, Adam and Eve are identical in their dignity as creatures open to God. Nevertheless, their union does not blur the difference between them, nor does it cancel the specific way in which each partner expresses the human dignity common to both. The fact that man and woman are different keeps them aware of their need for each other, reminding them that they are not complete in themselves. This difference (inscribed, remember, in the male and female body) is thus the beginning of a dynamic movement that takes each partner beyond him-or herself. It is an invitation to both to enrich their experience by learning to see the world from the other's point of view."*
*The authors go on from there to say how the sexual difference between male and female is man's great protection from the tragic fate of Narcisuss from Greek mythology. Later in the book when describing the relationship destroying effects of the fall (between God, one another, and self). When God comes looking for them, not only are they blaming, but Adam has his story, and Eve has her story. Though still marred by sin, the goodness of earthly marriage comes in the reuniting of the man and woman's story through a shared life and learning to see again through one another's eyes.
"Another way of putting this is that the rift of sin wounds us to the heart. John Paul II defines the heart as the organ for perceiving the meaning of the body; the heart reveals to us the presence of the gift inscribed in our bodies. The heart, John Paul says, teaches us that the body is meant to manifest love, even if it instructs us how to incarnate this love in our bodily actions. Consequently, whenever the gift character of the body is obscured, the heart is divided. Once divided in heart, I am no longer able to will anything with my whole being but am embroiled in a constant interior struggle with my very self."
"United in love, Adam and Eve are identical in their dignity as creatures open to God. Nevertheless, their union does not blur the difference between them, nor does it cancel the specific way in which each partner expresses the human dignity common to both. The fact that man and woman are different keeps them aware of their need for each other, reminding them that they are not complete in themselves. This difference (inscribed, remember, in the male and female body) is thus the beginning of a dynamic movement that takes each partner beyond him-or herself. It is an invitation to both to enrich their experience by learning to see the world from the other's point of view."*
*The authors go on from there to say how the sexual difference between male and female is man's great protection from the tragic fate of Narcisuss from Greek mythology. Later in the book when describing the relationship destroying effects of the fall (between God, one another, and self). When God comes looking for them, not only are they blaming, but Adam has his story, and Eve has her story. Though still marred by sin, the goodness of earthly marriage comes in the reuniting of the man and woman's story through a shared life and learning to see again through one another's eyes.
July 21, 2021
This is a must read to everyone especially catholics. This book provides an explanation or summarize the teachings of the Bible/ interpretations of pope John Paul II. It puts things into perspective
"For the fourfold division of virtue I regard as taken from four firms of love. For these four virtues...I should have no hesitation in defining them: that temperance is love giving itself entirely to that which is loved,; fortitude is love readily bearing all things for the sake of the loved object; justice is love serving only the loved object, and therfore ruling rightly; prudence is love distinguishing with sagacity between what hinders it and what helps it."
"For the fourfold division of virtue I regard as taken from four firms of love. For these four virtues...I should have no hesitation in defining them: that temperance is love giving itself entirely to that which is loved,; fortitude is love readily bearing all things for the sake of the loved object; justice is love serving only the loved object, and therfore ruling rightly; prudence is love distinguishing with sagacity between what hinders it and what helps it."
May 1, 2020
Hands down, 100%, absolute best book ever written (besides the Bible) on the most beautiful truth of our human existence!! I love this book with all my heart! I highly recommend it to every human being on this earth! All human persons have the right to know the kind of Love we are made for. If you’re at all interested in what it means to be a human being and/or the theology of what it means to have a body (i.e. how to be fully human) you will love this book!;)
January 12, 2022
There were many beautiful and moving passages in this book, though I found myself at points asking in frustration, "What does this mean for me in my life?" I'd say this is an excellent book to pair with Edward Sri's, "Man, Women, and the Mystery of Love." "Called to Love" provides the beautiful theological underpinnings, while Sri's book provides the more practical insights into how to live out JPII's "Love and Responsibility."
April 7, 2019
Mostly a focused abridgment of JPII’s stories and homilies on marital love. It provides good reflections to ponder in the development and contemplation of one’s own view on love and marriage, especially as it contrasts with the Catholic Church. It seems to stop short of fully addressing the controversial topics of contraception and same-sex unions/marriages.
June 29, 2018
Verbose, convoluted, and repetitive. The author did not make clear arguments and then had long winding answers so that I lost the point he was trying to make. Also seemed like he was trying to throw in as many references other books (especially those written by JPII) as possible.
Read
April 5, 2020I didn't read the whole book as it was for class but I did reach about two thirds. Great read; I definitely needed the teachers input in class lectures to help me to comprehend the material. It's very academic but it's also very good on learning more about the human person.
March 7, 2021
Wonderful approach to St. JP II's theology of the body for those with a little experience reading theology or with the theology of the body. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone approaching the topic for the very first time, but it's a beautiful, worthwhile read.
November 13, 2025
This was a beautiful distillation and interpretation of JPII’s theology of the body. I learned a lot about the nature of love and male-female complementarity. I look forward to growing in love even more now.
September 15, 2017
If you feel the beginning slow and tiresome, try starting on page ~140. From there it's awesome.
January 26, 2020
Strongly recommend reading Roman Triptych and The Jeweler's Shop prior to reading the book.
Read
July 24, 2021Read it for college.
February 5, 2024
I had little desire to finish the book. Nothing was profound to me
September 30, 2024
Very eye opening and interesting. Super compelling thoughts but definitely too long.
Read
November 13, 2025really liked it!
December 19, 2009
I won this book in a giveaway. It is not the typical type of book I would choose to read, but I did give it a try. Let me also say that I am not Catholic, but I am a Christian and thought the book would be centered on the Christian faith. For most parts of the book, this did hold true. However, some parts were only Catholic teachings (supposedly), and I found that I (as well as some of my Catholic friends) disagreed with a few of those issues.
Overall, this book addressed many issues with which most Christians are familiar. Try to love each other as Christ loves you. Love your spouse for who he is and not as an object that you feel you own. Value human life. Etc, etc. However, a few issues were a bit disturbing...
I've known for a long time that the Catholic church is opposed to birth control. This book explained that the reason for this opposition is that it weakens and damages all aspects of love. Really? As a pharmacist, I would have thought that the reason to be opposed to birth control, at least oral contraceptives, would be the mechanism of action. All estrogen/progesterone combination pills can result in preventing the implantation of a fertilized egg about 5% of the time. This increases to 40% of the time when it is a progesterone only pill (those tablets that prescribers tell breast-feeding mothers it's ok to take and won't harm the breast-feeding child). I know some people don't agree with me on this, but those fertilized eggs that get flushed out...abortion. But no, that's not what is wrong with birth control, apparently. It's wrong because it "obscures and damages love," and couples using contraception can't "hold on to the unitive meaning of sexuality."
Then the book discussed in vitro fertilization, which is also wrong.
Apparently. The authors explain that the real reason why the church frowns on in vitro fertilization "isn't that the church is insensitive to the pain infertile couples experience. On the contrary, the church rejects techniques...precisely because it knows that these methods don't heal the wound of infertility, only deepen it further." The authors compare a child conceived naturally as "a fruit that parents are called to welcome as a surprising gift." I do not disagree with this. A child is definitely a gift from God. However, a child conceived via in vitro is "a mere product to be chosen than a gift...of a union of love." So a child conceived with a little outside help isn't a gift to be cherished? One of the next statements is that "it's only when parents receive their child as the fruit of God's presence in their conjugal love that they can entrust his future to the Source from which he came." ONLY when parents receive their child as a fruit. What does this statement mean? Does it mean that if I obtain my child as a "product" versus a "fruit" that he/she will never be able to give himself/herself to the "Source," to God? So if I conceive in vitro, my child will not be allowed to be a Christian or to enter Heaven? I find this rationale and reasoning very disturbing, to say the least. The authors go on to say that infertile couples can still be fruitful through hospitality, work in the community, and even through the adoption of children. But isn't adoption just choosing a "product?"
I will get off my soapbox and conclude by saying once again that I am not Catholic. And I wonder if everything in this book is really the teachings of Pope John Paul and the Catholic church, or if a few of the ideas are only from the minds of some of the misguided who claim to be Catholic.
Overall, this book addressed many issues with which most Christians are familiar. Try to love each other as Christ loves you. Love your spouse for who he is and not as an object that you feel you own. Value human life. Etc, etc. However, a few issues were a bit disturbing...
I've known for a long time that the Catholic church is opposed to birth control. This book explained that the reason for this opposition is that it weakens and damages all aspects of love. Really? As a pharmacist, I would have thought that the reason to be opposed to birth control, at least oral contraceptives, would be the mechanism of action. All estrogen/progesterone combination pills can result in preventing the implantation of a fertilized egg about 5% of the time. This increases to 40% of the time when it is a progesterone only pill (those tablets that prescribers tell breast-feeding mothers it's ok to take and won't harm the breast-feeding child). I know some people don't agree with me on this, but those fertilized eggs that get flushed out...abortion. But no, that's not what is wrong with birth control, apparently. It's wrong because it "obscures and damages love," and couples using contraception can't "hold on to the unitive meaning of sexuality."
Then the book discussed in vitro fertilization, which is also wrong.
Apparently. The authors explain that the real reason why the church frowns on in vitro fertilization "isn't that the church is insensitive to the pain infertile couples experience. On the contrary, the church rejects techniques...precisely because it knows that these methods don't heal the wound of infertility, only deepen it further." The authors compare a child conceived naturally as "a fruit that parents are called to welcome as a surprising gift." I do not disagree with this. A child is definitely a gift from God. However, a child conceived via in vitro is "a mere product to be chosen than a gift...of a union of love." So a child conceived with a little outside help isn't a gift to be cherished? One of the next statements is that "it's only when parents receive their child as the fruit of God's presence in their conjugal love that they can entrust his future to the Source from which he came." ONLY when parents receive their child as a fruit. What does this statement mean? Does it mean that if I obtain my child as a "product" versus a "fruit" that he/she will never be able to give himself/herself to the "Source," to God? So if I conceive in vitro, my child will not be allowed to be a Christian or to enter Heaven? I find this rationale and reasoning very disturbing, to say the least. The authors go on to say that infertile couples can still be fruitful through hospitality, work in the community, and even through the adoption of children. But isn't adoption just choosing a "product?"
I will get off my soapbox and conclude by saying once again that I am not Catholic. And I wonder if everything in this book is really the teachings of Pope John Paul and the Catholic church, or if a few of the ideas are only from the minds of some of the misguided who claim to be Catholic.
December 24, 2024
A good read and summarizes theology of the body well. Sometimes it went completely over my head.
August 18, 2013
Beware of Christians bearing "gifts". This book is a must read if only because it puts the connections in Roman Catholic theology between Christ's suffering, marriage and the conception of children so baldly. So shockingly. In fact, this book is saying that in vitro fertilization is idolatrous and it is saying not that suffering is a condition of human genetic construction, but that it is a spiritual and ontological deep structure: it's a necessity. And the suffering requires the suffering of the infertile. The argument goes like this - quotations nail it down: "Christ's suffering flesh fulfills what we have called the "nuptial meaning of the body": Christ giving himself to man as man's Bridegroom." Christian marriage is derived from this redemptive suffering; so it has to meet this paradigm in order to be loving and fruitful. "The family is the natural habitat in which we live out the divine image through the adventure of learning to be children, spouses and parents." "...the Church rejects techniques such as in vitro fertilization precisely beacause it knows that these methods don't heal the wound of infertility, but only deepen it further." "In vitro fertilization introduces into generation, a logic foreign to the logic of gift. " It proceeds as if the child resulted solely from the calculated decision of the parents...the child is more a product to be chosen than a gift to be welcomed as the surprising fruit of love....it inclines the parents to view themselves as the sole originators of the new life.' "Openness to receive the child as a gift from God (and to suffer childlessness if you can't get pregnant) frees the parents from the burden of total responsibility for his entire existence." "Nothing we've said is meant to deny the real suferring of infertile couples...the key to fruitfulness is to accept the love of God that sustains their relationship. Hospitality, work in the community and perhaps the adoption of children are just some of the ways in which childless couples can experience the gift of genuine fruitfulness and share it with others." It's all here: bald, shocking, ultra materialistic chaining of individuals to "generation" and to Christian family. I just can't find that anywhere in the New Testament or in Jesus life. Follow me was Jesus message. Leaving "family" behind is required. It's such odd logic. Generation, natural or in vitro, does not provide the critical avenue for the discovery of God's love. Beware of Christians bearing the "gifts" of necessity, generation and suffering.
January 18, 2017
Insightful. Direct. Illuminating.
I appreciate this book for many reasons. I have read other summations of Theology of the Body by Pope Saint John Paul II. This one, in my mind, outperforms where others falter. Carl and Father Jose do a great job of making JPII's TOB approachable without "dumbing" anything down or without simplifying what was originally intended. In addition, they quote many different Church Fathers, Pope Benedict, Dante, and other influential and important literary, philosophical, and theological figures. They also incorporate other writings and works which JPII wrote to compliment and augment the writing in this book. They do a great service by incorporating these various people and texts, trying their best to make sense of the gravity with which JPII wrote.
Throughout the book, they try directly correlate their summations and approaches by writing in a similar "time-line" or outline as JPII's TOB. This helps to approach the original audiences so that you could easily hop from one to the other when finding something particularly resonating at the time. As said before, instead of diluting what JPII said, they try their best to directly make out what their experiences and understandings are, so others can find purchase in their own discovery into JPII's work. This faithful following of JPII's audiences and basic outline help to ensure that everything that was preached upon would be elucidated in some fashion in the book. While this is definitely not exhaustive, they try their best to touch on most things he spoke about during the audiences.
By incorporating the various poems, plays, encyclicals, and other writings of JPII, they illuminate and show how the JPII was not just writing about the Theology of the Body in those audiences, spanning the five years, but rather his understandings and writings upon TOB seemed to have influenced and informed his other writings as well. JPII was definitely the "family" pope, and he cares deeply about who and what we are, where we have come from, and how that informs where we are going.
I appreciate this book for many reasons. I have read other summations of Theology of the Body by Pope Saint John Paul II. This one, in my mind, outperforms where others falter. Carl and Father Jose do a great job of making JPII's TOB approachable without "dumbing" anything down or without simplifying what was originally intended. In addition, they quote many different Church Fathers, Pope Benedict, Dante, and other influential and important literary, philosophical, and theological figures. They also incorporate other writings and works which JPII wrote to compliment and augment the writing in this book. They do a great service by incorporating these various people and texts, trying their best to make sense of the gravity with which JPII wrote.
Throughout the book, they try directly correlate their summations and approaches by writing in a similar "time-line" or outline as JPII's TOB. This helps to approach the original audiences so that you could easily hop from one to the other when finding something particularly resonating at the time. As said before, instead of diluting what JPII said, they try their best to directly make out what their experiences and understandings are, so others can find purchase in their own discovery into JPII's work. This faithful following of JPII's audiences and basic outline help to ensure that everything that was preached upon would be elucidated in some fashion in the book. While this is definitely not exhaustive, they try their best to touch on most things he spoke about during the audiences.
By incorporating the various poems, plays, encyclicals, and other writings of JPII, they illuminate and show how the JPII was not just writing about the Theology of the Body in those audiences, spanning the five years, but rather his understandings and writings upon TOB seemed to have influenced and informed his other writings as well. JPII was definitely the "family" pope, and he cares deeply about who and what we are, where we have come from, and how that informs where we are going.
October 9, 2011
This was a wonderful, eye-opening book for me. I always feel that people are so completely surrounded and saturated by liberal American pop-culture, that we are not even aware of alternative Christian ideas about how to live. Talk about radical and counter-cultural! Jesus was put to death because his teachings were considered so dangerous to the cultural and religious leaders at the time. The same is true again. Jesus preaching in America today would be "put to death" by a media that will not hear any dissenting voices. This book shows how traditional Catholic beliefs about chasity and marriage are are so simply and beautiful. They follow a clear, spiritual and intellectual logic that goes right back to Adam and Eve. Its a peaceful harmonious way to live a life full of love for oneself, one's neighbor, the environment and of course, God himself. God has revealed himself and his desires to us. Why reject such a beautiful and joyful fact?
May 23, 2012
I've read some reviews saying this book isn't accessible to non-Catholics, I think that this isn't the sort of book I'd recommend to many Catholics either. This is the type work I'd expext to find in a theology journal at a seminary. I'm not sure who the intended audience is. It's written like a scholarly essay and references some plays that I'm interested in reading from the young pope JPII before he was the pope, this and Dante's Devine Comedy are his main references. I had read Dante's works in college, I enjoyed Anderson's exegesis but I was expecting something less scholarly. With that said, I wish the book had a more singular approach towards elaborating the text of Karol Wojtyla as those are the parts I found most interesting. As for explaining the theology of the body--Christopher West has some books that make the subject matter more approachable to the general audience.
May 31, 2009
I really had an open mind reading this book, having a different religious background I was very interested on how this book would put a different view on things. Many times it gave a new insight on a concept I already knew other times I didn't agree with what it was being said. The hardest thing about this book is that I felt like it was really geared towards a Catholic reader. I felt like because I never have read a lot of the references they made I should stop and read all them before finishing the book. I have a friend who is really interested in the book and I will pass it on. Favorite line..."Where there is no love, put love and there you will draw out love."
January 5, 2013
I am very happy I received Called to Love as a first read selection. It took me a while to read it, but it was worth it. I read some and let it soak in. Carl Anderson and Jose Granados take John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and put it terms that are both on point and understandable. The church’s stand on certain subjects such as birth control may seem out of step with current thinking. The church’s stand is beautifully explained in this book. This should be a must read for all young people so they see the subject with the understanding of the true nature of their body.
This is a beautiful book and is recommended highly.
This is a beautiful book and is recommended highly.
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