Daily Gospel Reflection for March 30, 2025: Fourth Sunday of Lent

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

My kindergartener was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder last year. It has been a journey.

I won’t sugarcoat that there are some really hard moments . . . and hilarious moments. At our son’s first baseball practice (with the league he had begged us to join), he had a complete meltdown and spent the next hour making “dirt angels” in the field while his new teammates gingerly stepped around him. No amount of cajoling could convince him to get off the ground.

Despite such incidents, the diagnosis and the subsequent assistance from teachers and therapists has significantly helped him develop. Other adults familiar with autism can easily see what we see: a sweet, affectionate boy with an uncanny knack for comic timing. Like the Lost Son, he is seen, cherished, and so loved!

In our family, there is also an older brother. Our oldest son has never met a rule that he doesn’t like to follow. Around the house, he is helpful and diligent. He makes friends easily and seems to thrive in school. We are so proud of him.

Like with the older son in the parable, it is difficult for our 7-year-old to understand the time and attention that we put into his younger brother. In our older son’s mind, his brother doesn’t listen to us, doesn’t follow directions, and occasionally provokes feelings of embarrassment when we’re out in public.

We have struggled to adequately express to our older son why we cheer with jubilation when his brother completes certain tasks or utilizes new words in his vocabulary. The parable of the Lost Son reframes this parental struggle for me.

Our older son has always had a sense of home, in our house and in the world around him. Our younger son is only beginning to feel understood in his.

Ponder:

How can the example of the father in this parable inspire my own parenting?

Pray:

Jesus, in all things, teach us Your gift of generosity and compassion. Like the father in this parable, let us celebrate our children without judgment or fear.

Daily Gospel 4