By Santiago Rodriguez, S.J.
During a dinner conversation last night, I was
telling some of my Jesuit brothers about an issue of Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits that I am reading; an issue
titled Living Chastity: psychosexual
well-being in Jesuit life, and written by Fr. Gerdenio Sonny Manuel, SJ. In
the aftermath of the sex abuse crisis in the Church, Fr. Manuel writes that
more than ever it is important for us to talk about the positive aspects –
psychological, social and spiritual – of living chaste and celibate. He
proposes five practices of religious life that promote psychosexual health: 1)
living close to God and our deepest desires; 2) developing broad and deep
interpersonal relationships and communities of support; 3) asking for love,
nurturing others, and negotiating separation; 4) coping with stress and
recognizing destructive patterns of behaviour; and 5) celebrating the holy in
the company of Jesus.
