Allison Brown reflects on her son’s journey of faith, his preparation for his first reconciliation, and how God’s grace can overcome all barriers.

My son has always seemed able to grasp the concept of faith, despite his autism diagnosis and developmental delays. He readily embraced his understanding of who Jesus is and how loved he is by God. From my perspective as his mother, it seemed very easy for my son to understand that there is a God in Heaven who loves us very much and wants us to be united with Him one day. He also has a clear understanding that following Jesus means doing what Jesus would want us to do. It has become evident over the years how deeply my son naturally believes in and loves the Lord.

A Disciple in the Making 

When our son was older and in second grade, attending a specialised school and support class, we learned that the parents of his classmates were questioning the teacher about how much religion was taught in the class. Apparently, the children often went home and talked to their parents about Jesus. His teacher replied, “None,” which was followed by the question, “Then where are they getting it from?”

Turns out our beautiful boy would often talk about Jesus during class and remind his classmates to think about what Jesus would want them to do in the different situations they might find themselves in.

Preparing Our Son for His First Reconciliation

I started about one to two years in advance and decided to keep it very simple, teaching him through real-life situations and examples, with lots of repetition and gentle reminders. I wanted him to develop a holy habit so it would become second nature. 

I started by teaching my son to pause and to say sorry to God when he knew he had said or done something he shouldn’t have. I taught him a simplified version of the Act of Contrition.

With gentle reminders and prompts, my son soon developed the habit and would pause on his own, join his hands in prayer, look up, and say, “I am sorry, God. I promise I will try not to do it again.”

Over time, I would gradually build on this by teaching him what reconciliation looks like between two people. I would take opportunities as they arose. For example, one time he was overtired and struggling, and he wasn’t happy when I told him it was bedtime. He became upset with me, so the next day, after a good night’s sleep, I took the opportunity to demonstrate how two people reconcile (again, keeping it very simple).

I approached him and said I understood he was upset with me the night before. I told him I was sorry and asked if he would forgive me. “Yes, I forgive you,” my son responded. I gave him a big hug and told him how much I loved him. Then I explained that what had just taken place was a reconciliation between the two of us, just like when we go to meet our priest for Reconciliation. I explained to him that our priest acts on behalf of God, so we can reconcile with God, just as we did just now, with each other. 

A resource I also found helpful was Loyola Press’s Adaptive Kit for Reconciliation. The visuals (sequence puzzles, flip books and instruction cards for reconciliation) with prompts and simple wording were easy for my son to understand and follow.

During the preparation, I had been in contact with our parish. We arranged a date and time to meet with our priest for our son’s first Reconciliation. I chose the Feast of Saint Joan of Arc because our son is very proud to have been born on a feast day and understands its significance.

God’s Grace Overcomes All Barriers

The day finally came, and my husband and I arrived at the church. We met our priest outside the church courtyard, where he was hearing confessions that day.

The priest called our son over, and he approached nervously. I watched from afar and saw him listening and nodding. Our priest was so wonderful and patient with him. At the end, he handed our son a special bookmark and a necklace, congratulating him on making his first Reconciliation.

Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” After he placed his hands on them, he went away. (Matthew 19:13-15)

Our son walked back over to me, beaming with pride. He followed me into the church, where my son and I sat down together and had a quiet conversation about how special today is and how happy Jesus is! He listened as I prayed over him, thanking God for my precious child and for this special moment in our son’s life. For the rest of the weekend, our son continued to smile with pride, exclaiming to everyone how special the day was and hugging us with so much joy.

The graces poured out upon our son were evident. God blessed him in such a special way, and it was a perfect witness to how God can work through all of us and that our barriers are not His. My child’s disability didn’t prevent God from working through and overcoming the barriers associated with Autism. Instead, God saw a child who was willing to give his wholehearted yes to the Lord and to turn up despite his limitations.

What a powerful witness that is to all of us! Our limitations are not God’s limitations. In fact, our limitations give us more opportunities to surrender to the Lord with trust and faith.

One evening, my son said to me, “I want to work in the church.”

“Doing what?” I asked.

“Church stuff.”

I smiled with deep contentment because I knew, in that moment, that the Lord was stirring something in my son’s heart, a love without barriers or limitations. I thank the Lord for my son’s faith. I know, with certainty, the Lord is going to do magnificent things with this great love.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

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Copyright 2026 Allison Brown
Images: Canva