Editor’s Note: Regarding the refusal of those on the Left, including newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, to define the word “woman,” Bill Donohue of the Catholic League refers for clarification to two widely used textbooks for medical students. In the third edition (2021) of Anne Gilroy’s Anatomy: An Essential Textbook, Donohue reports:
References to Female: 40
References to Male: 25
References to Transgender: ZERO
References to Intersex: ZERO
References to Other Sexes or Genders: ZERO
In Gray’s Anatomy for Students, fourth edition (2020), authored by Richard L. Drake, A. Wayne Vogl, and Adam W.M. Mitchell, Donohue reports:
References to Female: 8
References to Male: 10
References to Transgender: ZERO
References to Intersex: ZERO
References to Other Sexes or Genders: ZERO
“Both books make it clear,” said Donohue, “that there are female bodies and male bodies, and that’s it. There is no special transgender body or any of the other pantheon of sexualities or gender identities.”
Q. I know that the body is either male or female, but is the soul also male or female? – R.B., Virginia.
A. While the body is made of matter, either male or female, the soul is “the spiritual principle in man,” says the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 363), and is neither male nor female. It says that “the human body shares in the dignity of ‘the image of God’; it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul…[n. 364]. The unity of soul and body is so profound that one has to consider the soul to be the ‘form’ of the body: i.e., it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body; spirit and matter, in man, are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature” (n. 365).
The Catechism says, “The Church teaches that every spiritual soul is created immediately by God — it is not ‘produced’ by the parents — and also that it is immortal: it does not perish when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection” (n. 366).
Q. A lady in our parish, when receiving Holy Communion in the hand, carries it back to her pew before consuming the Host. Is this an acceptable practice? Since she often attends Catholic school Masses, many of us think that she is giving a confusing witness to the children. Are we overreacting? — K.P., Michigan.
A. No, you are not overreacting. She is flouting the liturgical rules for receiving the Holy Eucharist in the hand and is giving others at Mass a bad example. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (n. 41) says that “the communicant may choose whether to receive the Body of Christ in the hand or on the tongue. When receiving in the hand, the communicant should be guided by the words of St. Cyril of Jerusalem: ‘When you approach, take care not to do so with your hand stretched out and your fingers open or apart, but rather place your left hand as throne beneath your right, as befits one who is about to receive the King. Then receive Him, taking care that nothing is lost’.”
The Vatican document Redemptionis Sacramentum (n. 92) is more specific about receiving Communion in the hand:
“Special care should be taken to ensure that the Host is consumed by the communicant and in the presence of the minister, so that no one goes away carrying the Eucharistic Species in his hand. If there is a risk of profanation, then Holy Communion should not be given in the hand to the faithful.”
Even if this lady did not know of these liturgical directives, common sense should tell her that carrying the Host back to her pew is highly irreverent and it poses the danger of dropping the Host on the floor. You would be horrified to know how many consecrated Hosts are found on church floors after Mass, dropped no doubt by persons who are clueless about what they have just received. Then there is the risk of Satan-worshipers taking the sacred Host out of church. If you see someone carelessly carrying the Host back to their pew, signal them to place it in their mouths. Priests should remind the faithful of the importance of the utmost care and respect for the Body of the Lord.
This reminds us of an experience in a Confirmation class some years ago. We had stressed the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and told the students never to carry the Host back to their pew, and certainly not to take it out of the church. “Mr. Drummey,” said one of the boys in the class, “you told us not to carry Holy Communion out of the church because it’s the Body of Christ, right?” We said yes, and he wanted to know whether taking Jesus out of church would be kidnapping or stealing! We said that either answer would be okay with us.
Q. The Bible teaches us to pray by saying the Lord’s Prayer. Are we supposed to analyze each part, pausing to reflect on it, or just say the prayer and hope we receive what we want? Are shorter prayers better than longer ones? Finally, since God knows what we want anyway, why do we need to pray? — K.H., Iowa.
A. (1) When we pray the Our Father at Mass, we can think briefly about what the words mean and, after Mass, we can reflect on the seven different petitions contained in the prayer. The same is true when beginning each decade of the rosary with an Our Father. For an in-depth look at the Lord’s Prayer, see Section Two of the Catechism, which devotes more than one hundred paragraphs (nn. 2759-2865) to the only prayer that Jesus taught us. The Catechism calls the Our Father a “summary of the whole gospel” (n. 2761).
(2) The length of a prayer does not determine its efficacy. For example, we can gain much by reflecting on, say, the Apostles’ Creed, or a simple prayer like “God, be merciful to me, sinner” can be of great value. As long as we direct our prayers to God, and try to let Him influence how we live our lives, all prayers are beneficial.
(3) Yes, God knows what we want, and our prayers are not giving Him any new information. What we are doing is acknowledging our dependence on God and demonstrating the need that we creatures have for the grace and mercy of the Creator.
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