Gender and Charity

The Christian tradition speaks of “happy faults,” of imperfect conditions leading to a world “more perfect” than it would have been without them.

1. On Stereotypes

Ardent young Catholics often want to know what masculinity and femininity mean, what they consist of, how to identify them. They want the lists, the distinctions, the clear clues. They want to know the tricks for identifying a masculine man and a feminine woman, and how to become one.

But where can we find these tricks? It’s shockingly d…