Sleepers, Awake

     I was nine or ten, and it was a dark and misty night in the Dungeness Recreation Area campground situated along the northern Washington State coast just outside of the town of Sequim. I remember falling asleep in the cramped back seat of my mother’s two-door Vega; she was already sleeping in the front. The next thing I know, I am half waking to find myself walking along the pitch-black campground road. I recall stepping in a cold puddle in my wool socks, then falling back to sleep before half waking again to decide to walk towards a distant light. My unconscious mind seemed to call upon me only when decisions were required. One of the last images from that early morning was pausing along a bluff to look across what must have been a sliver of the Strait of Juan de Fuca at the twinkling lights of Port Angeles. Imagine my mother’s shock when I suddenly opened the car door and awkwardly proceeded to climb into the backseat! Sleepwalking for me was an eerie and bewildering glimpse into a condition that many conscious people seem to be suffering from today—particularly regarding the denial of the traditional understanding of what it means to be a man and woman.
 
     It should be clearly noted at the outset that I am not an expert in any of the areas discussed here. Perhaps consider this essay along the lines of a conversation; I am offering you my thoughts on an issue of mutual concern. This discussion is also not aimed at rare medial disorders like intersex or hermaphroditism. (Issues like these really deserve a good Catholic bioethicist.) The issue of gender fluidity flooding our culture and media unfortunately is not simply a bad dream; we can’t wake up to a more reasonable reality. It is a little challenging to know where to begin our approach on this topic, except that there are both secular and religious dimensions to explore. In terms of the secular, there seems to be more occurring behind the scenes than may be immediately recognized, more hints of an interconnectedness. For instance, the gender fluidity and the transgender movement also play a significant role in the United Nations / WHO reorganization of sex education and redefinition of the family for children throughout Europe. (Read the Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe, A framework for policy makers, educational and health authorities and specialists.) This bureaucratic aim to eliminate childhood innocence, while supposedly tied to sexual freedom and expression, actually seems to have much more to do with greed (for the medical sector) and/or cultural conformity, veiled goals of population control, and a jaundiced political intent bent on a cultural shift.
 
     Susan Stryker, a proponent for all things gender aberrant who was recently mentioned in a lecture at Hillsdale College by Christopher F. Rufo (adapted to an issue of Imprimis), might be considered a spokesperson of sorts for both the transgender and environmental movements. In Stryker’s most known essay, “My Words to Victor Frankenstein above the Village of Chamounix: Performing Transgender Rage,” the writer lays bare an extraordinarily angry soul. A particular phrase that is repeated ad nauseam is “war against nature,” which seems odd since Stryker represents a peculiar contradiction between nature itself and the environment.
 
The transsexual body is an unnatural body. It is the product of medical science. It is a technological construction. It is flesh torn apart and sewn together again in a shape other than that in which it was born. In these circumstances, I find a deep affinity between myself as a transsexual woman and the monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Like the monster, I am too often perceived as less than fully human due to the means of my embodiment; like the monster’s as well, my exclusion from human community fuels a deep and abiding rage in me that I, like the monster, direct against the conditions in which I must struggle to exist.
 
     This rage seems intent on a sort of proselytizing, and this pinpoints part of what makes the movement so dangerous. It’s not simply a matter of personal freedom. These dark causes unravel our societal fabric and traditions, exploit the young and vulnerable (startlingly reminiscent in many ways of the early ventures of Margaret Sanger in predominantly poor and ethnic neighborhoods), and perpetuate the twisted lies that reverberate throughout our culture. On a personal note, I recall a visit to Rome with a college group in the late summer of 2017. I happened to be traveling with a young person who was transitioning to a different sex; the transition’s destination always remained a murky mystery to me. While we talked and tolerated each other well, I distinctly remember an incident that resonated in my mind. Besides the androgynous appearance, the transitioning North American bore many body piercings—particularly in the face. While we were waiting on the edge of the Piazza Dei Satiri, a little Italian boy seemed to summon up his courage to take a close look at my traveling companion before quickly retreating behind the shield of his mother’s dress like a chick returning to the mother hen. The fear expressed by the child really upset my traveling companion who proceeded to mutter and swear about it for some time to come.
 
     Euphemistically-termed “gender affirming care” in the young has exploded over the last several years. According to a recent CNN story, ”[T]he surgeries have tripled between 2016 and 2019 alone.” CNN reported that “the number of gender-affirming surgeries rose from 4,552 in 2016 to 13,011 in 2019, declining only slightly to 12,818 during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, when many hospitals cut back on all surgeries. The number of medical appointments related to gender identity disorder rose from 13,855 in 2016 to 38,740 in 2020, the study found.“ With these procedures has come the pain and (often) nightmarish attempts at detransitioning. Prisha Mosley is a case study in what can go wrong. As related in a National Review article, she sought treatment as a fourteen year old for self-harm, eating disorders, and other mental issues. Two years later, one of her caregivers manipulated her into seeking transitioning services from a girl to a boy, and the story just became that much worse. Rather than treating the root causes of her psychological illnesses, the medical community seems to have detected a gravy train, betraying her trust in order to set her on the road to these destructive procedures. She has since filed lawsuits against the doctors involved, citing the lifelong damage done to her body by both the scalpel and the testosterone treatments. Reviewing a sampling of the accounts of people who have de-transitioned, one often notices no previous diagnosis of gender dysphoria before the double mastectomy or other irreversible action is undertaken.
 
     We are usually conditioned to assume that the doctor or clinician is not motivated by simple greed. Tragically, too many other young voices across the internet sound something like this anonymous young man. “I want to tell everyone what they took from us, what irreversible really means, and what that reality looks like for us.” Why is this happening now? While it is common knowledge, for instance, that maturation rates for young people are occurring earlier today than in centuries past, the issue under discussion suggests more of a cultural or spiritual illness than one associated with a physical sickness or developmental disorder. If only we could wake up from this nightmare! Yet, in a certain way, faith is the key that unlocks the possibility of reason’s return. It conveys an inner strength to see it through to the other side, knowing that goodness and truth lie just beyond, and that we can do all things through Christ. We can’t rescue people from this cesspool alone, but Christ can give us the necessary strength and wisdom to be the people He intends us to be.
 
     In terms of the religious dimension, let’s turn to Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, which are known as the three transcendentals. These principals, while associated with Plato’s writings, also infuse Judeo-Christian theology. Consider such diverse passages as Psalm 45:4, John 1:14, Ephesians 5:8-10, and Philippians 4:6-8. To highlight the eighth verse in the latter passage from Philippians, “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about[ these things.” Saint Paul seems to be highlighting the same qualities we have been discussing in the three transcendentals within this passage—particularly if we recognize that beauty extends beyond the visual spectrum alone. Of course, the Old Testament is replete with examples along these lines as well. In fact, my artist father-in-law pointed out to me some years ago how the 25th chapter of Exodus’ painstaking instructions for the construction of Ark of the Covenant was an excellent example of how beauty mattered to God. After all, if beauty were not so critical, there would not have been an entire chapter dedicated to the detailed steps and materials required for the completion of the Ark of the Covenant—as well as the table and lamp stand. Considering what the Ark was/is, perhaps it could be said to embody all three of the transcendentals. The duty to truth, in particular, weighs heavily upon the person of faith. We are not here to build the self-esteem or self-confidence of our fellow man or to feed egos, but to call others to repentance and to the grace and eternal hope offered through Christ. As G.K. Chesterton put it in Orthodoxy, “Complete self-confidence is not merely a sin; complete self-confidence is a weakness.” Of course, this attention to the fundamentals of the human person should not be taken as a license towards rudeness or pride, but should instead be part of a mission undertaken under the banner of the love and mercy of Christ. Whether debating these issues or endeavoring with Christ’s help to evangelize, consistently focusing upon the purpose behind the mission is critical.
 
     If you can recall little else from this essay in a week, please endeavor to retain the following two concepts. The first concept is prefaced with a recent report from the Pew Research Center that found that three fourths of Protestants and more than half of the Catholics surveyed believe that “gender is determined by birth.” What does it mean to be created in the image of God? I suggest that this adds a serious dimension, a prohibition if you will, against defacing our given nature. By attempting to alter who we were created to be, we are, in a very real sense, making a mockery or even blasphemy of the image of God in whom we were created. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them." Man occupies a unique place in creation: (I) he is "in the image of God"; (II) in his own nature he unites the spiritual and material worlds; (III) he is created "male and female"; (IV) God established him in his friendship.” Do we know better than God? This is not saying that we are ascribing gender to the nature of God, nor is it implying that His image is somehow removed from those who endeavor to alter their gender surgically. It does, however, serve as a stern warning that our bodies are not our property to do with as we please.
 
     It seems that our times are uniquely evil—from abortion to the transgender movement’s attack on the traditional family. Like we read in the fifth chapter of Isaiah, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” What better passage to serve as the epitaph of our dying age? In one sense, it is almost as if the devil has found the perfect cultural pitch or “harmonic resonance” at which to crack and ultimately shatter our fragile connections. If it’s all about personal freedom, then it must be okay. Gender fluidity turns a blind eye to common sense. Who could have imagined a few decades ago that doctors and politicians would be tongue-tied to describe the difference between a man and a woman? The incredible meaning of being created in the image of God rings clear from the following passage of a sermon of St. John Chrysostom also cited in the same section of the Catechism.
 
     St Paul tells us that the human race takes its origin from two men: Adam and Christ…The first man, Adam, he says, became a living soul, the last Adam life-giving spirit. The first Adam was made by the last Adam, from whom he also received his soul, to give him life…The second Adam stamped his image on the first Adam when he created him. That is why he took on himself the role and the name of the first Adam, in order that he might not lose what he made in his own image. The first Adam, the last Adam: the first had a beginning, the last knows no end. The last Adam is indeed the first; as he himself says, “I am the first and the last.”
 
     To slightly paraphrase 1 Corinthians 6:20, we were bought at a price, so we should honor and glorify God with our bodies. Unless a severe medical condition exists such as the ones referenced in the second paragraph, the call is to work with what we are given. (See the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25.) The frustration and pain can be offered up as our cross, but making ourselves in our own image is not the answer to Christian peace. Our bodies are not our own, but serve, as we read again in 1 Corinthians 6, as “a temple of the Holy Spirit.” As Saint Albert the Great (1200-1280) eloquently wrote, “Above all, one should accept everything, in general and individually, in oneself or in others, agreeable or disagreeable, with a prompt and confident spirit as coming from the hand of Infallible Providence or the order He has arranged.”
 
     The second concept I offer involves the matter of the gift. What happens when the Christian refuses the gift of grace or forgiveness…or even sacraments? Gifts of a spiritual nature abound all around us. We may not consider them precisely as gifts, but we certainly have done nothing to deserve their eternal power. The matter of our gifts and natures is not always as clear or objective as one might imagine. In the concluding pages of CS Lewis’ excellent work of the Christian faith Mere Christianity, he explores the nature of our gifts, emphasizing the distinction between gifts and the natures to which we are born. For instance, a person born with a cantankerous disposition who performs some positive act for society should be seen under an even more positive light than the same act performed by someone for whom this act might come more naturally. Lewis theorizes that true gifts may not accompany us into Purgatory and beyond the same way traits or true characteristics may—for good or ill. The bottom line remains that outright denial or refusal of gifts of this nature is done at our own spiritual peril. Likewise, life itself is no less a gift than any of the preceding ones mentioned. As Saint Augustine described God in Confessions, He is “life itself, immutable.” So, when the gift of our very lives is essentially declined as we endeavor to re-make ourselves, the true Frankensteinian nature is unearthed; we become made after the image of the created rather than the Creator. It all comes down to turning inwards rather than turning ourselves outwards towards God and the needs of others.
 

     Psalm 139 11-16 is no stranger to those waging the Pro-Life battle, but consider its implications also for the design of creation itself; we are all made with an intended purpose. That purpose becomes more elusive when we endeavor to recreate ourselves in such a way as has been discussed here, when we work against our very nature. A look at the Renaissance writer Mary Sidney’s (1561-1621) translation of this Psalm dovetails well here since it is written with such truth, goodness, and beauty. An excerpt of Psalm 139 follows.
 
Each inmost peece in me is thine:
While yet I in my mother dwelt,
All that me cladd
From thee I hadd.
Thou in my frame hast strangly delt:
Needes in my praise thy workes must shine
So inly them my thoughts have felt.
 
Thou, how my back was beam-wise laid,
And raftring of my ribbs, dost know:
Know’st ev’ry point
Of bone and joynt,
How to this whole these partes did grow,
In brave embrod’ry faire araid,
Though wrought in shopp both dark and low.
 
     Our family’s spiritual journey took us from the Free Methodist and Nazarene churches through the Lutheran and Episcopal traditions and finally home to the Catholic Church in 2005 (began attending the year before). Along the way, we were moved along by issues such as a lack of reverence or plain irreverence, disregard of Saint Paul’s teachings on homosexuality—e.g. Episcopal Bishop Vicky Gene Robinson—and other assorted issues. The gender fluidity issue is complex and nuanced in some ways, yet at its core is the sin of pride and an insistence that we do things our way, because we know best. This needs to be opposed with what I call polite assertiveness wherever it arises. At its heart, this is what Bishop Robert Barron referred to recently on a Word on Fire broadcast as neo-Gnosticism: making ourselves the arbiters of ultimate truth. That doesn’t necessarily mean we must attack issues such as the pronoun debate at our places of employment, for instance, but we must definitely take a stand when the steps of the dark one creep beyond the thresholds of our churches or our homes.
 
     As people of faith, we have a duty to spread objective truth and reason along with the Gospel. We as a culture are sleepwalking in a dark night, and Christians offer those points of reflected light from Christ to guide our fellow travelers safely on their way. This seems like a season of lost opportunities in both Fiducia Supplicans, the recent Vatican statement of blessings, as well as the Catholic Church’s decision to allow practicing transgender people to be baptized or serve as godparents. Rather than offer doctrinal clarification, it would seem the waters have become further muddied. As a particular Orthodox priest responded in a recent podcast, the expected ramifications of this action will likely be far-reaching. The recent controversy at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral should come as no surprise. Is it the result of sleepwalking in Rome? Perhaps. Whatever the root causes may be for the present confusion within our Church, we should avoid promoting the idea that people are “born into the wrong bodies.”
 
     It is true that we can take some encouragement from Pope Francis’s March 1, 2024 comments concerning gender ideology cancelling out our differences; this seems significant. We should always emphasize the natural “diversity” of the sexes in order that we can better comprehend the gift of our lives, emphasizing our being created most wondrously in the image of God Himself and entrusted with a true purpose and meaning. While the current state of cultural affairs may bring us all down at times, perhaps bear in mind what a fourteenth century Roman Catholic mystic and anchoress named Julian of Norwich wrote in Revelations of Divine Love,“…all shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” The dawn has arrived, and the Son has risen. Awake from your sleep and don’t be afraid to proclaim the truth of the Lord to our deeply confused world.