A Springtime Witness for Christ

David and Mercedes Rizzo were recently reminded that their daughter, though she cannot speak, is still a witness for Christ. 

Special-needs parents are always busy educating, advocating and loving their children. Spring is an especially busy time. It brings renewal, activity, warmer weather, and Easter hope.   

Spring is also the season when several special days exist to highlight awareness and acceptance of certain developmental and medical conditions. March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day with its "Rock Your Socks" Campaign. This is followed by Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month in April, and Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month in May. Likewise, spring is the time when parents of school-aged children with special needs are busy advocating for individualized services and accommodations for the next school year.  

Educating, Advocating, and Loving 

Parents may not feel the true impact of all that they are doing on a daily basis to help their children. When this happens, it’s important to kindle the energy and strength we all need to keep going. Prayer is a good way to do this.   

Parents come from different starting places when it comes to spirituality and prayer. Some may have lots of experience. Others’ experience may be limited. Thankfully, as human beings we are all able to access divine mercy and guidance for our souls. Maintaining your relationship with God and cultivating that of your special-needs child or adult can make all the difference. Praying together, at home and at Mass, can help.  

Dance Like No One Is Watching 

There is a saying: “Dance like no one is watching.” When you are caring for your child well beyond childhood, you can forget that some people may be watching you and are inspired by you and your child. And that they admire you for it.   

Recently, we experienced this when we took our daughter Danielle, who has autism, to Mass. Normally things go off without a hitch; she blends into the crowd and follows along like all the other parishioners. Every once and a while, though, she is bothered by something, and is not her usual happy self at Mass.   

This Mass happened to be on a Saturday evening. Danielle was agitated so we stepped out to the vestibule and returned a short time later with her in a much better mood, happy and ready to participate.   

We did not know it, but a parishioner near us was watching. She had watched our interaction with Danielle. She watched us model appropriate behaviors: kneeling, sitting, standing. She watched us guide Danielle through the Communion line so she could receive Jesus reverently. She watched us prevent our daughter from immersing her entire hand in the holy-water font against the wall on her way to Communion. And she watched us at the end of Mass reminding Danielle to bless herself and genuflect appropriately.   

The woman could have simply watched all of this and not said anything. That did not happen. Instead, she came over to us and said, “Can I just tell you, you guys are lovely. I have been watching you with her. You are both simply beautiful and your daughter is beautiful.”  

She gave us a gift that we had been given before, but needed to be reminded of, that Danielle is a witness to Christ and that others are watching her in a positive way. We might have taken what we thought was the easy route and just simply left when she was agitated but instead, we returned.  

Chalk it up to the invisible guidance of the Holy Spirit, if you will. Staying allowed us to see the profound effect people with special needs have on others. When people are affected by our daughter, that is part of God’s plan. Danielle is truly a witness for Christ. She preaches the Gospel always, but cannot use words. For her, it is not necessary to use them. 

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Copyright 2025 David and Mercedes Rizzo
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