What personal sins have my children committed to have merited being afflicted with autism? What sins have my wife and I committed that have led to the development of autism in my children?
I’m sorry to hear about your son.
Put your son’s name in the place of Lazarus’ name.
John 11:1-6
1 Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany,
the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 Mary was the one who had anointed the
Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet
with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who
was ill.
3 So the sisters sent word to him, saying,
“Master,
the one you love is ill.”
4 When Jesus heard this he said,
"This
illness is not to end in death, but
is for the glory of God, that the Son
of God may be glorified through it."
5
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister
and
Lazarus.
6 So when he
heard that he was ill, he
remained for two days
in the place
where he was.
I’m sure you know that when you or anyone you know is suffering, that is when Jesus is closest to you or to the person that is suffering. You are not alone. I’m sure you know that.
I don’t know if you’ve heard of the saying that Catholics have that goes something like, “Jesus gives his sufferings to His best friends.”
I Emailed that passage from John 11 to my sister-in-law because my brother suffers from cancer. My brother is one of the best people I know. His wife is a devout Catholic woman and they have 4 beautiful children. The oldest is a boy who is an acolyte and served his first Mass last Sunday. He’s only 9 years old.
My brother was diagnosed with cancer several months ago, almost a year I think. He was so attentive to my parents as he grew up. He was the shy and timid type. He is one of the nicest guys you can meet. What happened?! He got cancer. He was in so much pain due to the chemo and radiation treatments. He had to have a feeding tube inserted in his side in case he was not able to eat; cancer of the nasal cavity, which is rare but very dangerous as it is in the head.
I prayed with hope and I trusted in Jesus Christ to heal him. I did not want to feel any despair whatsoever. I just wanted to keep trusting in Jesus to be with him. We prayed many Rosaries and offered many Masses to be said for him.
My brother is now in remission and we just got the results this past Wednesday. Which is great. But he now will suffer from “severe dry mouth” because he has no salivary glands due to radiation. That is something we take for granted but it’s a big deal to him and a very big discomfort. He still has to go get checked for the next 2 years every few months, not sure how often. And after that, less often (don’t remember how often) for the next 5 years I think.
One of my favorite passages on suffering is from John 9:1-3 - "As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”
This passage explains how I now feel about the fact that my children have autism. God allowed this to happen to our family so that his power might be displayed through them. I’m not yet sure what form that will take, but I believe it with all of my heart.
I’m so glad you believe it. So do I. That is a good passage from John too.
I believe in Spiritual Works of Mercy. I will pray for you, your wife and your autistic son.
God bless.
You were just asking questions.
But you’re welcome. 
I had no idea that this argument was going on between djrakowski and Mr. Ex Nihilo. It seems to have subsided now but there was no need for that. :nope: