Heaven's Song

I received a paper copy of Heaven's Song: Sexual Love as It Was Meant to Be by Christopher West which will be published in September of this year.  Once again he has done a great job of teaching the Theology of the Body as developed by John Paul II in an accessible manner.

The new book is based on the so-called "hidden" talks of Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body. These undelivered addresses were discovered in the Vatican archive and until recently were only in the Polish edition of "A Theology of the Body."  Michael Waldstein translated these into English in 2006 in the book Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology Of The Body.  The new material goes into  the Song of Songs and the Old Testament marriage of Tobias and Sarah from the book of Tobit along with material that would have not been appropriate for a General Audience.

The format of the book is that he starts with short stories of real life people and their common difficulties and then how they addressed using the Theology of the Body and then goes on from there.  Each chapter also ends with a section for reflections and a prayer. Christopher West then explains Pope John Paul II's teaching starting off with the Song of Song.  This Old Testament book is often passed over by many because we miss the deeper meaning of the book and people can be put of by the erotic poetry it contains.  They mystics though often included the Song of Songs as one of their favorites and wrote on it.  From St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, Saint Louis de Montfort, St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguor and others were nourished by these texts.  Christopher West refers to these saints as he expands upon the work of Pope John Paul II. Sometimes people are scandalized by the comparison of the sexual union of man and life as a metaphor for the relationship of God and man.  Some Protestants are scandalized by the writings of  St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguor and I have seen his writings quoted by anti-Catholics.

The total misunderstanding of sex goes through all levels of society from the secular to the religious.  The book explores the deeper meaning of sex as being sacred and how the Song of Songs relates to this.  This is really a wonderful scripture study of the Song of Songs that opens it up and helps you see past the prose that looks quite awkward through modern eyes.  These sections are worth the price of the book in themselves.  Once I first read the Book of Tobit it quick became one of my favorite Old Testament books, but I certainly missed much of the meaning of the book.  Pope John Paul II's catechesis relating to Tobit is a treasure and one that all married couples and those preparing for marriage need to be introduced this understanding. 

Christopher West has a great talent in presenting deep theology in such a way that you are not put off, but are drawn deeper into it.  His latest book is no exception and like all of his book you don't need to read anything of his beforehand - they all stand alone.  I highly recommend Heaven's Song.

If Pope John Paul II ever becomes a Doctor of the Church it will be because of The Theology of the Body which is a great gift to the Church and one that the world certainly needs.

This review is part of the Catholic Company's Product Review Program.