Dear Catholic Exchange:
My manager wants to know if God is Spirit, then why does he have male gender?
He also came across a nun who calls God a she. What's the proper response?
Let Moralita
Dear Miss Let Moralita,
Peace in Christ!
You wanted to know the proper response to such questions as: if God is Spirit, then why do we call God “Father,” and does the Church then teach that God's gender is neutral? I hope this letter will adequately respond to your concerns.
You have raised an excellent point that pertains to a primary Catholic doctrine and a profound mystery of faith. Before examining your question, permit me to distinguish between what is meant by the terms “Spirit” and “Father” when used in reference to God. When one speaks of God as Spirit, he or she is referring to the substance or essence of the divine being in its unity. When, on the other hand, one refers to God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit he or she is designating the real distinction of Persons within the Trinity (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 252).
When then do we refer to God as “Father?” The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), no. 239, states:
By calling God “Father,” the language of faith indicates two main things: that God is the first origin of everything and transcendent authority; and that He is at the same time goodness and loving care for all His children. God's parental tenderness can also be expressed by the image of motherhood, which emphasizes God's immanence, the intimacy between Creator and creature. The language of faith thus draws on the human experience of parents, who are in a way the first representatives of God for man. But this experience also tells us that human parents are fallible and can disfigure the face of fatherhood and motherhood. We ought therefore to recall that God transcends the human distinction between the sexes. He is neither man nor woman: He is God. He also transcends human fatherhood and motherhood, although He is their origin and standard: no one is father as God is Father. (footnotes omitted)
One important point in this passage from the Catechism is that human understanding of God is limited by human experience. Both “fatherly” and “motherly” attributes can be discerned in God, but the limits of that understanding must be acknowledged, lest the failings of human fathers and mothers be ascribed to God. The Church teaches, therefore, that God transcends the human categories of “man” and “woman.” Ultimately, God is neither male nor female, but simply “God.” “The revelation of the ineffable name 'I Am who Am' contains then the truth that God alone IS” (CCC, no. 213).
Is God's gender “neutral” then? It would seem incongruent with revelation to think of God as neutral, i.e., “neuter.” This is why the Catechism noted that God “transcends” the sexual distinction “male/female” or “father/mother.” Since human experience is limited to the binary of male and female, things that can't be classified as either are assumed to be neuter. Transcendence means that God goes beyond the classifications determined by human experience. God can no more be neuter or neutral in gender than He is male or female. God is God. Paradoxically, this brief expression of faith says more than can ever be fathomed.
Nonetheless, the Catholic Church teaches that God is called “Father” (CCC, no. 239). What is called the “language of faith” — calling God “Father” — serves the purpose of recognizing God as the “first origin” of all creation and the “transcendent authority” over all. Although God is not called “Mother,” motherly images serve to emphasize “God's immanence, the intimacy between Creator and creature.” Yet, God has chosen to reveal Himself as Father. And Jesus Himself, in giving us the “Lord's Prayer,” taught us to call God “Father” (Mt 6:7-15). This is an important fact that also has connotations for the relationship of the Father with the Son (CCC, no. 240).
For more information on the significance and implications of God's revelation in this matter, please refer to our FAITH FACTS on God/Goddess, on the Trinity and on common errors in understanding the teachings of the Catholic Church. There are many other FAITH FACTS available on our website at www.cuf.org.
I hope this answers your question adequately. Please feel free to call us at 1-800-MY FAITH or email us with any further questions on this or any other subject. If you have found this information to be helpful, please consider a donation to CUF to help sustain this service. You can call the toll-free line, visit us at www.cuf.org, or send your contribution to the address below. Thank you for your support as we endeavor to “support, defend, and advance the efforts of the teaching Church.”
United in the Faith,
Kathleen Rohan
Information Specialist
Catholics United for the Faith
827 North Fourth Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)
Editor's Note: To submit a faith question to Catholic Exchange, email href=”mailto:[email protected]”>[email protected]. Please note that all email submitted to Catholic Exchange becomes the property of Catholic Exchange and may be published in this space. Published letters may be edited for length and clarity. Names and cities of letter writers may also be published. Email addresses of viewers will not normally be published.
