But this travail and labour against the ground of lechery must be spiritual, by prayers and spiritual virtues, and not by bodily penance only; for wot thou well, that if thou fast and watch and scourge thyself, and do all that thou canst, thou shalt never have cleanness and chastity without the gift of God, and without the grace or virtue of humility. Thou shalt sooner kill thyself, than kill fleshly stirrings and feelings of lust and lechery, either in thy heart or in thy flesh, by any bodily penances; but by the grace of Jesus, in an humble soul, the ground may be much stopped and destroyed, and the spring may be much dried, the which will cause true chastity in body and in soul. (John Climacus)

To suppress lust and lechery Climacus counsels prayer,humility, and grace much more than personal penance and discipline.

Again I wonder if as with food and drink -- and perhaps with self-esteem -- the spiritual challenge is less suppression than proper engagement.

What Climacus calls lust and lechery is an expression of being male and female, separate in the universe, and a hunger that emerges as naturally as that of the stomach.

As we ought cultivate a mindfulness of eating and drinking, surely our sexuality would benefit from such care.

What is healthy or unhealthy? What enhances our relationship with neighbor and God? What attitudes and behavior separate us from neighbor or God? What is true, what is good, what is beautiful?