Article/Book: After Ascetism: Sex, Prayer, and Deviant Priests

[4HisChurch]

Has anyone read this article? Catholic World News covered this book by the Linacre Institute on the priest sex abuse crisis. The title is:After Ascetism: Sex, Prayer, and Deviant Priests*. *Here is a quote I found fascinating:

…driving the development of the ascetical tradition was a religious culture of hope and love-- hope that one can genuinely train his or her spiritually destructive passions, and the expectation that the meek and merciful would achieve a love of Jesus Christ. It was the ascetical discipline that in no small measure protected the early Church from the onslaughts of pagan sexuality, and indeed, contributed mightily to the development of Christian culture. Because the purpose of religion has changed, this ancient understanding of the ascetical tradition has faded in the Catholic Church.

I have been thinking of this whole idea of asceticism and popular culture in the Church. In so many circles, religion is now about the “experience” of God and not about avoiding tendency to sin at all. So many people don’t even believe in sin.

I really wanted to throw this out on the forum and see if anyone has any thoughts. Thanks!