Sunday, January 21, 2007

First Things gets The Thrill

"Particularly insightful is the connection Eden draws between her struggles with food and sexual temptation. These physical hungers point to deeper spiritual hunger. Acknowledging our own vulnerability is essential in a feminist culture of self-sufficiency precisely because this opens us up to praying to God with our struggles; living a single or married life of control and self-sacrifice cannot be done in our own strength. Eden encourages readers to develop through prayer and service 'inner qualities — like empathy, patience, humility, and faith in spite of hardship.' She devotes an entire chapter to promoting ways to meet like-minded people. Her stories of people she has encountered in being chaste are deeply moving. This is not a lesson in postmodern self-actualization and finding one's self. It is about finding the treasure of self in God's eyes and uncovering joy in a chastity that, as the Catechism insists, 'lets us love with upright and undivided heart.'"

Erin M. Palazzolo, reviewing The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On in the February 2007 issue of First Things (review is available online to subscribers only)

Buy The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On at Amazon.com.