And You Are Christ's: The Charism of Virginity and the Celibate Life - Fr. Thomas Dubay

By Father Thomas Dubay, SM

Fr. Dubay, one of the foremost authorities on religious life, discusses one of the most important charisms of the consecrated life: the charism of virginity. Although the idea of virginity is misunderstood, unpopular and even despised in our time, Fr. Dubay emphasizes that the importance of evangelical virginity is rooted in its Biblical foundation.

Examining in detail what the call to virginity is and how it is integrated into the whole of consecrated life, Fr. Dubay presents his study in such a way as to be of importance to men as well. Noting that a woman, because of her feminine nature, can image and live the Church's wedded relationship to Christ more realistically, Fr. Dubay points out that men with the celibate charism are also members of the virgin Church that is wedded to Christ, just as in the Old Testament the People of God was a virgin bride wedded to Yahweh. The common and distinct elements of male and female consecrated love are fully captured in this book.