Catholic Review of: Heaven's Song

Heaven’s Song: Sexual Love as it was Meant to Be by Christopher West was actually the first book on John Paul II’s Theology of the Body that I picked up. This book is based on talks that John Paul II never gave. These talks were on the Song of Songs. After reading this book I went back to the Bible and reread the Song of Songs. On my own, I never would have pulled out all that Christopher West and John Paul II did. It was amazing to me to discover all that one short book of the Bible contained in terms of the meaning of love.

 

West uses Church documents to back up all the conclusions he draws. West also uses “real life” stories to convey the main points in each chapter. These short stories are based on what he has been told by others and what he knows of life.

One of my favorite chapters was “My Sister, My Bride.” In this chapter (Chapter 3), West brings out that first and foremost, a bride should be a sister. By calling her “sister” before “bride” in the Song of Songs, the lover is showing his respect for her and that his desire for her as bride flows out of love and not lust.

That was just something that I needed to hear from this book. I believe that in ‘Heaven’s Song’ there is something for every woman and every man to take away from it. West speaks of love in a way I had never heard it before and I am very thankful I picked this book from among many others.

Though I highly recommend this book, it must be understood that it needs to be read with the ability to meditate on what you read; I would not advise reading the book straight through in one setting.

‘Heaven’s Song’ is divided into two main parts with multiple chapters each.
The first part of the book is a prologue: The Journey of the Interior Life
Section One: The Song of Songs contains six chapters:
-    The Biblical Ode to Erotic Love
-    Mutual Fascination with the Body
-    “My Sister, My Bride”
-    “A Garden Closed, A Fountain Sealed”
-    The Language of the Body as “Gift”
-    Eros and Agape
Section Two: When the Language of the Body Becomes the Language of the Liturgy contains four chapters:
-    Conjugal Life and Liturgical Life
-    The Marriage of Tobias and Sarah
-    The Spouses “Conjugal Creed”
-    The Spousal Nature of the Liturgy
There is also a short epilogue: Where Do I Go From Here?

 

You can purchase this book here.