Why is the Church referred to as a "She?" What's going on with the JPII Institute in Rome? My health makes it difficult for my husband and I to have marital relations, and I'm concerned. What should I do?

Ask Christopher West is a weekly podcast in which Theology of the Body Institute Director 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.

This week’s questions:

Q1: Why is the church always referred to as a “She”? Obviously, we learned this from Jesus who will Himself marry His bride: the Church. But there must be reasoning beyond this. For instance, a ship is always referred to as a female. Does referring to the church as a "she" somehow refer to a woman’s womb? Like a ship, the womb is a safe dwelling place. Or am I making this all up?

Q2: I've been hearing a lot about trouble with the JPII Institute in Rome? What's going on there?

Q3: My husband and I have been happily married for 30 years. Living our Catholicism as married persons is very important to us. Our history of marital relations has been complicated because of some sexual abuse, body image issues, and depression for me and a brief period of pornography plus difficulty with emotional intimacy for my husband. We have worked hard to keep working at our relationship. Our marital relations have rarely been easy but we keep trying because we love each other and want to honor our spousal relationship. Most recently I have had some medical issues and surgery which has made having intercourse temporarily not possible. It has been over 6 months since we tried. We have gradually grown less affectionate because I don’t want to unfairly arouse my husband. Sometimes I am relieved but feel guilty about it, to have the medical excuse because the difficulties trying to be intimate are so emotionally painful. We are both so vulnerable and I am concerned our affection and sexual intimacy will never improve. Discouraged. Please advise. Many thanks.

Submit your question at AskChristopherWest.com.

Resources mentioned this week:

[Prof. Stanislaw Grygiel's Interview on the JPII Institute](eng.pch24.pl/the-twilight-of-the-john-paul-ii-institute--an-interview-with-prof--stanislaw-grygiel,70372,i.html)

The Humanum Series : See Episode 3 for Peter Kreeft on Man and Woman

I Am Legend Movie

Eclipse of the Body by Christopher West

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Christopher and Wendy hope their advice is helpful to you, but they are not licensed counseling professionals. If you are dealing with serious issues, please consult our list of trusted professionals.

Featuring music by Mike Mangione.

Produced by Sounder and Key.