Sexual Spirituality

About the Book In this book the author treats a subject which is ordinarily approached with hesitation because of the preju-dices and puritanism prevalent in our culture. We have to commend him for his much-needed, courageous and enlightening contribution. Elaborating the spiritual value of sexual love, its genuine expression is pointed out to be 'agape', the unselfish movement to the other in service, reverence and benevolence (as distinguished from the selfish 'eros'). Understood thus sex is a medium of self-awareness and the grounding of the human capacity for love. There is a religious dimension to sexual pleasure in revealing aspects of the divine to the partners. Such perception of sex enables one to understand marriage as a sacred vocation, and marital sex as a spiritual experience. Conjugal intimacy can be an act of virtue. Thus family Hfe becomes a spiritual adventure. Coming to the considerations of celibate sexual spirituality, in sum it has to be patterned after that of the Celibate, Jesus Christ, and his mother, Mary. We have to be redeemed from a distorted notion of God as a hard, heartless master, to understand Him as a one who tenderly fashioned us with all our glorious faculties, including our faculty of sex; redeemed from a childish to an adult notion. Rooting our selves in the spirit of Christ, we have to shed our groundless fears and develop a positive attitude towards our sex, which God our Father endowed us with, in order to act aggressively to preserve our life, liberty and happiness. About the Author Fr. Felix Podimattam is a leading Indian moral theologian and writer, Since he is a specialist in sexual ethics, he is especially competent to examine sexuality as a theological reality and to interpret its precise moral and spiritual significance. He is the author of more than 45 books as well as articles dealing with moral and spiritual subjects. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PARTI SEXUAL SPIRITUALITY CHAPTER 1- INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEXUALITY AND SPIRITUALITY CHAPTER II - SPIRITUAL VALUE OF SEXUAL LOVE CHAPTER III- SEXUAL LOVE AS AGAPE CHAPTER IV-SEX AS MEDIUM OF SELF-AWARENESS CHAPTER V - SEX AS GROUNDING OF HUMAN CAPACITY FOR LOVE CHAPTER VI-SEX AS AGENCY OF LOVE OF SELF CHAPTER VII - RELIGIOUS DIMENSION OF SEXUAL PLEASURE CHAPTER Vffl-NUDITY AND SPIRITUALITY PARTE MARITAL SEXUAL SPIRITUALITY CHAPTER IX - MARRIAGE AS A SACRED VOCATION CHAPTER X - SACRAMENTALITY OF MARITAL SEXUALITY CHAPTER XI - MARITAL SEX AS SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE CHAPTER XII - CONJUGAL INTIMACY AS AN ACT OF VIRTUE CHAPTERXm- ASCETICAL ASPECTS OF CONJUGAL INTIMACY CHAPTER XIV - FAMILY LIFE AS SPIRITUAL ADVENTURE PART III CELIBATE SEXUAL SPIRITUALITY CHAPTER XV - SEXUALITY OF CHRIST AND MARY AND SPIRITUALITY CHAPTER XVI - CONSECRATED CELIBACY AND SPIRITUALITY PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS CHAPTER XVU-DISTORTED NOTION OF GOD TO BE REDEEMED CHAPTER XVIII - OUR SEXUAL BILL OF RIGHTS CONCLUSION APPENDIX: SEX AND SPIRITUALITY IN HINDUISM