I've spent alot of time thinking about this. I've had (have) friends with schizophrenia, and in the past have known some with autism. One young man I knew from working in a bookstore decades ago - he was a genius and loved carpentry and woodworking. He would come into the store, all business, and make a beeline to the home improvement section. I loved the guy ~ I've read and pondered over what St. Dymphna did/is credited for doing in Belgium before she met her end. Imho, it went way beyond helping those with mental illness. Whatever gift she left the people in that small town helped them to really care for those who today are referred to as the "marginalized". I believe this "gift" will be part of the graces that will flow from the warning. Whether it will help the "marginalized" directly by healing them I don't know. But I truly believe whatever happens, they, and those who love them, will be affected in a very positive way through the graces that will flow.....
There is a pastor online by the name of Mark Hemans. I have never ever seen anyone like him. He does a lot of faith healing. Essentially it is all done by God is how he explains it. You see people hit the floor in ecstasy, sometimes laughing uncontrollably, other times he is casting out demons, other times people are healed or partially healed of all sorts of stuff including autism. I don't know if he is legitimate, I have never been to his meetings. Feel free to judge for yourself. What I am saying is that if the Holy Spirit is coming down and making Himself known, He will bypass whatever barriers are there normally, mental or otherwise. As well, if a person has certain proclivities to sin and such and they have been warned, I don't see why they wouldn't be healed of those, so they can start on a new footing. Just like when Jesus freed the prostitute. If people are not healed, I believe they will likely be shown why they aren't healed. Because it may be that their suffering is doing something beneficial. I also think the world will look like absolute chaos when this happens.
My career before becoming a stay at home mom was being a caregiver for adults with special needs. I lived in their group home with them and got to know them very well, like they were my own brothers. One was autistic, three had down syndrome, etc. My belief is that they are very much normal inside their minds and just lack the ability to communicate or behave in normally regulated ways. On a fundamental level, they are as normal as we are, and even among the same group, like those with down-syndrome, their personalities are so uniquely developed and capable of love and communication with God. I once asked my client with autism (whom many people were afraid of due to his violent outbursts) "Are you a normal guy on the inside? Just like everybody else?" He nodded his head yes, and i could see in his eyes what he was thinking. I asked, "Do you feel like you're different inside from how you act on the outside?" Again, he nodded yes. "Do you want people to treat you with more respect, like a normal person?" I continued, and the look on his face told it all. I learned with him exactly what were his triggers, what would make him fly into rages, and it turns out they were the same things that would anger any 40-year-old man: being talked down to, snapped at in a moment of frustration, not allowed to do something a grown man should be able to choose for himself. He was like anyone else; he just couldn't communicate or behave in a conventional way. God can bypass all of that.
My thoughts at once turned to Saint Louis Martin the father of Saint Terese of Liseaux who suffered two cerebral strokes followed by a form of Alzeimers. St Therese has a prophetic dream of him and his head was covered by a veil. His illness never stopped the Church from canonising the dear man or his wife who died of breast cancer. As to whether of not they be cured or understand what is going on , well that is all in the hands of the Good God. But it would be reasonable to suppose that they will not miss out in the very great graces that are coming our way. St Louise had the most beautiful, holy face.
Yes I’m praying for that. Our only grandchild is autistic. He is 14, very verbal at about 4th grade level. His father, our youngest son is bipolar 1 with psychosis. He just got out of a mental detox hospital for the second time this year. He is paranoid, delusional, and hallucinating. He lives 500 miles from us. He has very bad anger issues. We made the journey to be with him for four days. He lives alone out in the wilderness on 40 acres. It was so creepy staying in his house, he has statues of bhudda, hindu, weird carvings, animal bones in his house. I took a bottle of holy water and a small statue of Mary from Medjugorie and set it on a shelf. His girlfriend is a shaman or something like that. He’s on some strong meds now but thinks people are out to kill him. He liked our company but when we got home he disowned me. He has lost parenting time with his son and blames me so now he has disowned me. So I went to church and did a holy hour for him. I’m hoping the warning comes soon and he will be saved. That’s all I can hope for. It’s hard to believe he was an altar boy when he was little. Our world is in a sad state of affairs right now. It’s a world of broken hearts.
Yes Katfalls. It's a world of broken hearts. I am so sorry for this suffering you must endure. God bless you.
So sad. Many of our children are victims of these times. My son was never the same once he was indoctrinated in college and grad school. They always lash out at their mothers, but they run to their mothers when life gets the best of them. Mental health worries are heartbreaking. Prayers for your son, and for you and your husband who are suffering along with him.
Well said Jo. I too have experienced this. And yes they do lash out at their mothers--the ones who pray Rosaries in the night for them--for years and years. But we stand with Mary at the foot of our crosses and wait on the Lord. Offered and united pain and anguish is like incense going up to the Lord. I firmly believe this.
Yes all we can do once they reach that age is bring them to God repeatedly..I can relate to what you have posted now that my eldest children have reached the ages of 30+ when they were in my care it was easy but as they get older and exposed to this vicious world they easily blame me for anything that goes wrong, my eldest son was on the right path until he went to zambia he went there as a Christian man who wanted to help when he came home he seemed disturbed for quite some time and refused to talk about what he had seen he rejected the catholic church and all its teachings and told me that What I taught him and believed in was mad and that I'm insane he screemed at me one day "there is no God only man's control " he is a good man and very charitable I leave him to Jesus now its all I can do..I take great comfort in the seven swords that pierced our Holy mother's heart it makes sense now
The wounds one's children and grandkids can inflict! Prayers for all of you dealing with such sadness. I remember when one of my relatives spoke harshly against my Mom. She didn't retaliate but simply picked up her beads and prayed! Mary, Queen of Heaven, pray for all on this thread who grieve! Therese, join with me in my Rosary!
I heard a good point made once. A man said he didn't believe in God because of all the suffering in the world. A counter point was made where they said "so then all suffering is because of mankind?". To which the other man agreed. At which point the man retorted "so then either way then God is not the cause of suffering in the world". Also not suggesting anyone get into debates with their kids, it's just something to hold in mind. Sometimes children rebel exactly because their parents have to let them go. The kids have to go through some things too. Sometimes parents forcing their will on their children doesn't help. I don't pray with my mother anymore for exactly that reason. If I don't pray exactly the way she wants (cadence, speed, volume) she just prays louder and forces it. I know a priest who can't pray the rosary anymore for a similar reason, his family was forceful with it. Not judging anyone here, or accusing others in a passive aggressive manner of doing this. Just sharing my experience. Also often times amazing things can come out of the pain
I highlighted the above to show on a parish level how the devil can prompt irritation and at times divisions even over how prayers should be recited. Always pray for humility. Prayer is a matter of the Heart ultimately. For instance, there are very devout Catholics who pray the Rosary together after Holy Mass at both of the parishes I serve. Apart from the traditional prayers: Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be, there are prayers added on after all 5 mysteries are completed. One can at times note slight variations in the wording of those prayers prayed. To allow myself to get annoyed over this and insist on one particular wording (for God looks into the heart), would be distracting and judgmental. The devil is always seeking ways to divide.
Haha. That’s reminds of today at Adoration. There was someone saying their personal rosary at a low vocal level and I was doing mental prayer. Normally, the Church is quite quiet. I was a little annoyed, because I couldn’t fully concentrate. Then I thought of St. Therese at prayer, with the nun who banged her rosary against the pews. I should be delighted this person was praying the rosary…..oh our human nature.
