Chastity I
January 4, 2001
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
A recent letter from The Mother Church to one of our members included this: ".... chastity clearly is the standard of Christian Science; Mrs. Eddy called it the '..cement of civilization and progress' (Science and Health, p. 57)." Some members immediately wanted to take up chastity as our topic when they heard this letter read; others reluctantly agreed.
Our chairperson for the evening started us with the observation that all religions take great interest in sexual matters, including partnering, reproduction and abstinence. Perhaps this is because of the pleasure associated with sex and the seeming magical emergence of products like semen and babies from the body. Furthermore, sex and religion naturally attract and repel each other since they both spring from the same underlying archetype or spiritual reality — i.e., oneness.
This got us to the readings. One member read in full the paragraph quoted partially in The Mother Church letter. Another read the following paragraph from the same page. See the readings, page 57 of Science and Health. Taken together these paragraphs show chastity as not merely a static accomplishment but as a container or avenue perhaps to a full experience of completeness.
Another member made this point even clearer by reading Mrs. Eddy's description of her recovery from a near-fatal fall. (See the readings, Retrospection And Introspection, p. 23: 1-24). Her passionate integration of spiritual and sexual imagery accompanied the discovery of Christian Science and was preceded by a fall on the ice as she rushed to a temperance meeting. Surely, the promotion of abstinence was never rewarded in a more unexpected and ravishing way.
Since few would be able to effect the demonstration Mrs. Eddy did in these circumstances, one member warned against a lockdown of emotions and feelings in the pursuit of chastity. This would merely drive the energies underground where they could truly wreak havoc in terms of illness and accidents or who knows what. Better to be aware of our feelings, to keep them conscious in spite of any associated pain — and to work them through, preferably with Christian Science.
We had an example of healing in this area right at the meeting. A member arrived in a depressed mood over an attraction — perhaps reciprocal — to a married man (Gay or non-Gay he was not sure, since many Gay men now wear their wedding rings on the left hand). He respected the sacred compact indicated by the ring and could not countenance a sexual escapade. He also was still fresh enough in the thrall of this attraction not to have pushed the feelings underground — thankfully! He was beginning to wonder, however, whether he was now facing a period of pining away for something hopeless: in this state he arrived at the meeting.
As a member read one of her favorite passages from Science and Health — also on page 57 of the textbook, but included above as our Golden Text — he found his way out. He allowed the "love" he felt for this man to be transmuted into Love. Suddenly he was free to enjoy the one Love that embraces all. He could even enjoy and celebrate the love the man and his mate shared.
We spent the rest of the meeting inquiring into the spiritual significance of virginity. One member considers his virginity as a matter of holding true to his own self and feelings, in the face of many historic and societal pressures.
Another became aware during the week that the Lesbian philosopher Marillyn Frye defines virginity as a woman's autonomy, as not being owned by anyone, particularly a man. Putting this in a mythological frame, our member saw it as an amplification of the Virgin Mary story. His Episcopal minister told him long ago that Mary had said to Joseph, "Who needs you!?" We are all the Virgin Mary, or transparency for the divine human event occurring as I, Us.
This most essential aspect of Christian Science practice showed forth in the following healings.
1) A member was stranded at the Orlando airport as a snow storm closed all the airports in New York last week. It was chaos, but he found a relatively quiet place to pray and turn the situation over to the presence and power of God. Suddenly, he found he was able to board a plane bound for Philadelphia, although the snow there was just as bad as in New York. The flight went well and after landing he easily negotiated the shift to a train bound for New York. He was home only a few hours behind schedule.
2) Another member did not relish the prospect of shoveling the snow from the sidewalk in front of his house. As he studied the Christian Science Bible Lesson, kids from the neighborhood rang his bell and offered to do the job for a reasonable sum. He agreed of course and rejoiced with the verse from Isaiah "...before they call, I will answer..." (Isaiah 65: 24).
3) Another member's dance class was engaged in some spectacular maneuvers when the teacher abruptly called a halt and grouched that there was too much concentration on technique but no "heart" in the proceedings. She asked everyone to dance free form, flouncing about at will, without attention to technique. Our member found this very helpful in freeing up not only his dance but also his consideration of chastity, which too had a conscientious feel to it but little heart. He wants to keep affection, love and heart at the center of his practice — whether of dance or Science.
We decided to take another week on Chastity. This time no one objected.
At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungered, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
Chastity is the cement of civilization and progress. Without it there is no stability in society, and without it one cannot attain the Science of Life.
Union of the masculine and feminine qualities constitutes completeness. The masculine mind reaches a higher tone through certain elements of the feminine, while the feminine mind gains courage and strength through masculine qualities. These different elements conjoin naturally with each other, and their true harmony is in spiritual oneness. Both sexes should be loving, pure, tender, and strong. The attraction between native qualities will be perpetual only as it is pure and true, bringing sweet seasons of renewal like the returning spring.
The illumination of Mary's spiritual sense put to silence material law and its order of generation, and brought forth her child by the revelation of Truth, demonstrating God as the Father of men. The Holy Ghost, or divine Spirit, overshadowed the pure sense of the Virgin-mother with the full recognition that being is Spirit.
The Son of the Virgin-mother unfolded the remedy for Adam, or error; and the Apostle Paul explains this warfare between the idea of divine power, which Jesus presented, and mythological material intelligence called energy and opposed to Spirit.
Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your clear sense and calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious — as Life eternally is — can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not.
BRIDE. Purity and innocence, conceiving man in the idea of God; a sense of Soul, which has spiritual bliss and enjoys but cannot suffer.
BRIDEGROOM. Spiritual understanding; the pure consciousness that God, the divine Principle, creates man as His own spiritual idea, and that God is the only creative power.