Abstract
The cultural questions around sexuality and gender identity have prompted a greater need for clarity from the Church. While recent teachings have clarified the distinction and inseparability of sex and gender, the natures of femininity and masculinity remain elusive. This work begins by drawing from Scripture, Tradition, and philosophy to identify key predispositions in each sex. Studies of Genesis and the works of Pope Saint John Paul II and St. Edith Stein are cornerstones of this research. In masculinity, we find a tendency toward the gifts of mediation, generativity, and direction. In femininity, the predispositions include sensitivity, receptivity, and nurturing.
These nonexhaustive lists offer an idea of the fundamentals of each “genius.” In reflecting upon these geniuses, we can find that masculinity reveals something of God’s transcendence, and femininity reveals something of His immanence. Each sex offers a human image which aids our understanding of these relations of God to man. This ultimately leads to recognition of the beauty of masculinity and femininity as pathways to understand God’s heart for humanity.