Madness erupts over Gender Identity? Time to Listen to St. John Paul II

By Larry Peterson

Thirty-five years ago, Pope St. John Paul II wrote an apostolic letter titled Mulieris Dignitatem (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women). It identified the complementary roles of men and women in line with the philosophy of feminism. Doing so demonstrated the ultimate concept of “giving of oneself.”

Testimony for the ages

 With the furor over “gender identity” raging, it is time to revisit this document. It has proven to be a testimony for the ages because it defines how God wanted the relationship between men and women. If men and women would open their hearts and minds to this magnificent document, it could change the world.

When I was growing up, it was the norm for a man to give a lady a seat on the bus or subway, open doors for women, let them go first in line, and so forth. Women were considered special by men, and almost everyone more or less accepted that behavior. Granted it was not a perfect world (there have always been the abusers and the misogynists). However, for the most part, men afforded women a deferential courtesy simply because they were women. 

She scowled and said, I can open the door myself.”

Fast forward to the present-day. Now a senior citizen, I found myself stepping ahead of two younger women as we all approached the entrance to a shoe store. As it was years before, my motive was to open the door for them. I reached for the handle, looked at them and smiled. The first woman presented me with a scowl and said, “I can open the door myself.”

I realize that most ladies would have accepted my gesture and said, “Thank you” or smiled at me or simply accepted my showing them respect. Rather, this woman exuded a certain loathing toward me. She did not know me, which meant I represented that part of humanity she despised. It was a bit unnerving. Anyway, I let the door go and the woman who rejected my momentary “doorman” status, opened the door, held it open for her friend and they both entered. So be it.

He never looked back and let the door close

A few seconds later a man and woman with a child approached the very same entrance. They were either a married or unmarried couple in their middle to late twenties. He was a few steps ahead of them. He opened the door and walked in. He never looked back and let the door go. His companion grabbed the door as it began to close and led her child in. I watched as she and her child caught up to him. 

It appeared so perfectly normal. They proceeded to walk together completely in sync about how they had interacted with each other entering the store. The behavior was taken for granted. I viewed it as rude.  I am not a millennial. (Please—I know there are lots of polite millennials. There are also Gen Z and Gen Alpha. It is hard to keep up).

Men and women compliment each other

Those few moments in time were a reflection to me of how the crusade for complete equality has taken a seriously convoluted turn. Here (in my opinion) are the irrefutable facts in the order as I see them:  1) Man and Woman are both human beings;  2) Man and Woman are unique unto their own sex;  3) Man and Woman complement each other;  4) Man and Woman can form a bond with each other which allows them to be able to unite together as one couple. This natural, complimentary bond completes the Human Equation; 5) the answer to the Human Equation is New Life.  

Therefore  it follows that  Man and Woman NEED each other; Man and Woman need to respect each other for their uniqueness, which allows them to ‘complete’ each other; and finally, Man and Woman will cease to exist without each other. This concept is generally mocked in a secular driven world.

Time for everyone to visit Mulieris Dignitatem

In the year 2023, especially with the furor raging over the question of gender identity, it might be time for EVERYONE to visit Mulieris Dignitatem . Women deserve better than all-inclusive bathrooms, showers, and lockers. They deserve the dignity and respect that comes with being what God has created them to be. And the men need to stand up for them. Imagine the possibilities. It might be a purifying spring breeze blowing through the thrown-open windows of a stifling room, a room where all women will graciously accept the entrance door being open for them by a man happy to do so.

 “When a man loves a woman, he has to become worthy of her. The higher her virtue, the more noble her character, the more devoted she is to truth, justice, goodness, the more a man has to aspire to be worthy of her. The history of civilization could actually be written in terms of the level of its women.” 
Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen 

Copyright©Larry Peterson 2023