Father through their common spirit, and all of this by way of the key notion of surrender.”28 In the
celibate life the safekeeping of sexuality with all its potential is a beautiful way for a woman to witness
to the reality of heaven. Schumacher, quoting Speyr again from Theologic der Geschlechter proposes
that:
A mastery of the sexual sphere which, far from denying sexual attraction, is better expressed as a
“letting be” of the gift - a sort of acknowledgment that does not seek to incite or provoke and that grows
out of obedience: as when one knows the contents of a box which, one does not open.29
This witness to heaven is an expression of the Tabor vision.
Reverence in Spousal Love
“Reverence is the key to all the virtues.”
- Dietrich von Hildebrand.
Alice von Hildebrand advocates developing a reverent union of hearts and minds between
spouses. In her essay “Woman as Wife” she writes:
This desire for the intimacy of an “I - thou” should not be restricted to the bodily sphere. It is not
good when the only encounter between the spouses is thus limited.…I cannot emphasize enough
that the mystery unveiled in the intimate bodily encounter between the spouses should be the climax
of the spiritual union, in a union of hearts and minds which has manifested itself throughout the day.
It should be the ‘feast’ of their lo