Small Things Count

“I’m sitting in church, praying.  There’s that obnoxious noise again.  A teenager should have better manners!  I open one eye to peer in his direction, then snap it shut to close out the interruption.  After all, Mass is a time to be extra respectful of God!”   The parishioner thinking this believes that the person with autism should stay home and those who are intellectually challenged be relegated to the cry-room.  He feels that such people are not full members of God’s family.  If the person next to you gives a disapproving glance in response to the youngster’s sound, remind him that Scripture tells us to make a joyful noise unto the Lord.  Offer the Sign of Peace to the joyously noisy one and his family.  Next Sunday, sit near that family, simply being a buffer against those who would be judgmental.  Act as a reminder that the teen is special not because of any difficulty he’s dealing with but because everyone is so special in God’s eyes that He created us all in His image.