“Chastity is the guardian of the beauty of the soul” (Inspired word).
Mystics often describe the original beauty of the soul and marvel at the wonder of the Lord’s work in creating man. St. Gregory Nazianzen, for example, describes it in these terms:
“It is not heaven that was created in the image of God, nor the moon, nor the sun, nor the beauty of the stars, nor anything else that exists in creation. Only you, human soul, have become the image of a nature that surpasses all understanding, the likeness of imperishable beauty, the imprint of true divinity, the receptacle of blessed life, the image of true light.”
Because of sin, this innocent and original beauty of the soul has been disturbed. However, our Father has spared no effort to restore it, washing our soul with the blood of His own Son and thus making it reborn in all its splendor.
Now it is up to us to preserve this beauty. To this end, the virtue of chastity comes to our aid. Just as chastity ensures that we do not give in to the temptations of the flesh and suffer deep wounds that defile us and cause us to lose the beauty of virginity, it also acts as a guardian of our soul so that it is not led astray by erroneous thoughts or false doctrines, but instead clings to the truth of Sacred Scripture and the doctrine of the Church. Indeed, all doctrines that stray from God inflict deep wounds on the soul and spirit, contaminating them and darkening their light.
Thus, in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, chastity becomes the guardian of the beauty with which God has endowed us by creating us in His image.