- Aug 3, 2014
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My son has been away from the Lord for many years now, and has been hostile. But last weekend, it seems he is softening up, and I just would like for this to be followed up by prayer.
He is 25. Because he is autistic, his maturity age is more like 19 or 20. IOW He is more like a teenager still. For example, he is still mostly influenced by his peers.
Although he was raised Catholic, he was teased and bullied mercilessly by the other kids in every parish we went to. As a result, Catholicism left a bitter taste in his mouth. I required him to finish Confirmation classes, as I think you should know what you are accepting or rejecting. But I didn't require him to go through with Confirmation -- that had to be his choice. Catholicism had left a really sour taste in his mouth because of the bullying. He was not confirmed.
He began attending a local non-denominational church and at first it seemed good, because they allowed him to be the techy that did the computer and graphics. But not only was my son somewhat odd, but we were really poor, and some of my son's mannerisms were "street." Once again he got bullied. And the worst thing that happened was when he was mugged right outside the church, in front of members of the youth group, and no one lifted a hand to help him. So he left Christianity altogether.
He went through a period of time where he got involved with gangs, as a replacement for having that family/friends/group thing going. In gangbangers he found those he felt would "always have his back." But thankfully it didn't last long. But he began picking up a lot of the secular culture.
For example, he adopted the attitude that gays should marry, and that the source of all the world's violence and wars was religion.
For the last couple of years, he has stated that he doesn't really believe anything anymore, and he thinks that religion is a crock.
BUT last weekend when I talked to him, there was a change in his voice. He said he felt lost, and he wanted to know what he was religiously. I told him, well, that once you are Catholic you are always Catholic. Maybe you aren't the best example of a Catholic! But you are still Catholic. In fact, all it takes to come back to the church is a simple confession. And you know what? He seemed to feel relieved about that.
So please pray for my son. He's growing up and working his way through things. He needs God's grace and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
He is 25. Because he is autistic, his maturity age is more like 19 or 20. IOW He is more like a teenager still. For example, he is still mostly influenced by his peers.
Although he was raised Catholic, he was teased and bullied mercilessly by the other kids in every parish we went to. As a result, Catholicism left a bitter taste in his mouth. I required him to finish Confirmation classes, as I think you should know what you are accepting or rejecting. But I didn't require him to go through with Confirmation -- that had to be his choice. Catholicism had left a really sour taste in his mouth because of the bullying. He was not confirmed.
He began attending a local non-denominational church and at first it seemed good, because they allowed him to be the techy that did the computer and graphics. But not only was my son somewhat odd, but we were really poor, and some of my son's mannerisms were "street." Once again he got bullied. And the worst thing that happened was when he was mugged right outside the church, in front of members of the youth group, and no one lifted a hand to help him. So he left Christianity altogether.
He went through a period of time where he got involved with gangs, as a replacement for having that family/friends/group thing going. In gangbangers he found those he felt would "always have his back." But thankfully it didn't last long. But he began picking up a lot of the secular culture.
For example, he adopted the attitude that gays should marry, and that the source of all the world's violence and wars was religion.
For the last couple of years, he has stated that he doesn't really believe anything anymore, and he thinks that religion is a crock.
BUT last weekend when I talked to him, there was a change in his voice. He said he felt lost, and he wanted to know what he was religiously. I told him, well, that once you are Catholic you are always Catholic. Maybe you aren't the best example of a Catholic! But you are still Catholic. In fact, all it takes to come back to the church is a simple confession. And you know what? He seemed to feel relieved about that.
So please pray for my son. He's growing up and working his way through things. He needs God's grace and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.