Chastity

The word chastity, at first sight, may seem intimidating, something to be dismissed out of hand. It is, however, something very different to celibacy.

At a time when religion is in decline in the Western world and when it often seems that the senses have run riot, Erik Varden shows that chastity, the single-minded direction of the senses, is a loveable quality and one that affects and beautifies humankind.

The terms sexuality and wholeness indicate that to be sexual is to exist in a state of incompleteness longing to be restored. Wholeness points to a healing embrace that we desire so greatly. In Biblical language, chastity is a function of simplicity of sight. We are no longer torn apart by our passions and our desires; indeed, they may reach their fulfilment. Body and spirit, male and female, order and disorder, passion and death can move from creative tension to a new kind of wholeness.

Varden’s text is enriched by a wide range of references to scripture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture.