Sexual Disorientation

This week's Intermountain Catholic had a letter and reponse in Pastoral Answers that I was so proud of. Proud because it was answers with a gentleness that I feel is what being Christian is all about. And the fact that it was a Catholic response made my heart swell.

The writer of the letter, a male, wrote of his torment, since childhood, with wanting to be a female. He said he'd a good life with his wife and family and had been a faithful Catholic, but still struggled with this desire.

The response, I felt was wonderful: The priest wrote that this desire seemed to affect a small number of people and then went on to acknowledge that it was very real and could make for a very confused and disoriented life. He went on to say it wasn't well studied or understood and therefore could offer no professional guidance (as a priest) on the cause or characteristics. The priest's guidance was to continue to attend Mass and stay with the sacraments and try every day to carry on as a good Catholic to the best of his ability. And then hit the home run: "In no way does your condition affect your standing in the eyes of God, and you are still, and always will be, his precious child." How beautiful. The priest did suggest that he discuss the condition with his doctor or a counselor if he could as those were the professionals who would have access to the clinical information he might want.