That is to say, slay unreasonable lust and sensual voluntary liking, and spare and keep natural liking and corporal ability, and they do not so. But against all other sins thou shalt arise to destroy, not only deadly sins and the greater venials, but also against the ground of them by suppressing the stirrings and motions of them, and also avoiding the occasions and motives and incentives to them as much as thou canst; but this thou canst not do here with all thy skill, for thou canst not live without meat and drink, but thou mayest live without lechery or carnal pleasure if thou wilt, and never better than when without it. And therefore thou shalt not fly only the deeds of it (namely, the doing of any external thing against chastity) but also thou shalt suppress and destroy within thee all mere inward and mental desires against the virtue of chastity (the which mental desires or thoughts are sometimes only venial sins, and sometimes mortal); but also thou shalt labour against the ground of the said sin, and seek to destroy the feeling and the rising of fleshly stirrings.(John Climacus)

Meat and drink (which for monastics included wine and beer) are needed to survive. As a result, Climacus allows for a natural liking. While he does not say so, I expect he would discourage any great attention to or variation in taste. Even here there is a chance to suppress sensuality. He would certainly encourage modest quantitites.

But we can live without sex, "never better than when without it." And even refraining from sexual activity is insufficient. Climacus urges us to entirely separate ourselves from any inclination to lechery or carnality. Originally these were terms for sexual excess. But for the monastic even a little was too much.

Chaste is derived from ancient words that mean to separate. Sacred means to separate the holy from the non-holy. I want to honor the impulse. But I am mindful of how Jesus consistently broke down the divisions that were understood to have religious meaning. I will keep listening to Climacus, but I hope my ear will listen even more to Jesus.

The image is a poster for the 1971 film Carnal Knowledge.