Catholic Medical Quarterly Volume 70(3) August 2020

Book Review

Pure Power. A Spiritual Workout to help you break free from sexual sin ..... or avoid it in the first place
by Nicole Abisinio. Publ Tan Books Jan 2020

Reviewed by Pravin Thevasathan

Book CoverThis is a wonderful resource that I would recommend especially for young people. The teachings of the Catholic Church on sexuality are demanding, counter-cultural and frequently ignored. But they are ultimately the only way to happiness. You do not have to be a clinician to see the damage inflicted by sexual promiscuity.

Exercising the spiritual life and the bodily life are remarkably similar. If you stop doing physical exercise, you become unfit. If you stop praying, you slide back. Incentives are needed in both cases. What greater incentive than loving God with your whole soul? When you fall in love, the practice of the virtues are easier.

The author goes through all the typical excuses we make to avoid living chastely: the Bible is out­dated, it is impossible to live chastely these days, once you have fallen, it is not possible to be pure and the pure are missing out.

The importance of prayer and the sacraments are noted.

 Especially important are frequent confession and frequent Communion. It is easy to pray when things are going well. But it is vital to continue to pray in times of difficulty: to "praise Him in the sun and in the storm." Apart from prayer, the author stresses the importance of fasting. And there is also the importance of practicing virtues like humility.

Towards the end of the book, there is an excellent series of prayerful reflections for forty days.

In conclusion, this is an excellent theoretical and practical spiritual workout.