I read an article on catholicexchange.com today about many parishes’ lack of adequate facilities for families with handicapped children, and then I went to the author’s blog and read several of her posts.
Reading her blog made me feel sad and scared: Sad because the struggles she faces as a mother of an autistic child can be excruciatingly painful and hard and scared because one of my long-held fears from my days as an atheist is having a child who is disabled in some way (down syndrome, autism, etc.). I empathize with her sufferings, though I cannot possibly sympathize, and thankfully God has allayed my fears of having a disabled child as I have thought and prayed about it over the fews years I have been a Catholic.
Also, I once was one of those volunteer CCD teachers who had an autistic child in my class, whose mother eventually pulled him out. Me, 25 year old unmarried Catholic convert of one year, teaching 15 children ranging from 1st grade through 5th grade in one class, including an autistic boy: Not the ideal situation, but God did his best with it I hope.
Nevertheless, reading her accounts of life with her autistic child is almost depressing. All I can think of is to pray for them and do my best to be understanding and kind to those parents of these special children at Mass. Truly, only God knows what we can handle, even with his grace, and what is best for us, even such immense difficulties. May all the saints and angels in Heaven pray for her family and for all families with disabled children.
Tuesday, 26. July 2005
Confronting disabled children almost daily, I have grown to stop feeling sorry for parents, and more respect for them. It must be tough having a child who will never say the words “I Love You”. But those parents truly know what it means to love unconditionally. They get a tiny glimpse of what God feels when His children don’t look to him or express their love to Him. Blessed be God for parents who choose to have thier children though they might not be “normal”. God uses different means to teach us important lessons in life. Children are but an instrument God uses to teach us patience, humility, and most of all unconditional love. My heart goes to all parents who have a special child in their home. May God Bless You!
Wednesday, 27. July 2005
Comment edited. Don’t worry, Clarissa, I made a comment the other day on someone’s blog and
misspelled a word in an embarrassing way (fortunately it didn’t turn into a bad word, but it
was still not what I intended)!
Wednesday, 27. July 2005
Those parents are truly heroic, and I have no doubt that their experiences of loving their children will be their sanctification. It is scary only in the sense of, “I have no idea how I would deal with it and I know I couldn’t do it alone” but thankfully it is not up to us to decide if we could “handle” it, and He would certainly not leave it up to us.