Celebrating Our Different Gifts

by David Lins  |  12/08/2019  |  (Being) Catholic Matters

When I was a youth group leader, I was often invited to various activities my youth group teens participated in. For the most part, they took the form of concerts, plays, and athletic events.

When you are a veteran of middle school concerts, you get used to the struggles of the choir populated with boys whose voices are in the midst of changing. The young ladies might have those notes nailed, but if even one unfortunate young man can’t hold back random oscillation between alto and baritone (with no stops at tenor), it can turn something beautiful into a sound that makes a person want to confess to crimes they didn’t commit.

When it comes to plays, you might have a high school thespian ready to play Willy Loman with the best of them, but if he’s onstage with a young woman who can’t remember any of her lines, it makes every member of the audience cringe (except her parents, who think she deserves a Tony).

Then there is the athletic field, where a goalie can ruin a soccer team, a pitcher can sink a softball team, and a quarterback can destroy a football team. (I apologize if I just triggered Chicago Bears fans.)

The importance of various roles are all around us. In almost every aspect of our world, we recognize and embrace this reality.

Yet, our society seems determined to suddenly pretend like there aren’t various roles each gender is better suited for— and it strikes me as ridiculous.

(Men tend to be better arm wrestling, grilling, and getting things off the top shelf. Women tend to be better at spending more than a single day tending to the needs of a toddler, not thinking they are dying from the common cold, and accomplishing simple tasks without the need for recognition.)

The Catholic Church often comes under attack for recognizing we have different gifts that can be brought to the Eucharistic table as the family of God.

Today, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, let’s honor not only the Blessed Mother, but all women God has set apart to play beautiful and crucial roles in the Church and our lives—roles men like myself could never fill.

Questions? Comments? Email David at dlins@oloj.org.

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