How a disabled child is helping his parent grow in his Catholic faith and closer to Christ
Hi, my name is Darrin Hoffman and I am a member of St. John the Evangelist’s Human Dignity Group. My family has been a member of the parish of St. John the Evangelist in the past and currently we are members of the parish of Pax Christi.
I have two children, Francesco and Sebastian, who are fraternal twin boys. Francesco doesn’t have any disabilities, but Sebastian does. Sebastian has Down’s Syndrome as well as significant autism which has caused him to display challenging and difficult behaviors at times, to be nonverbal, and to be dependent on others for many of his activities of daily living such as toileting, bathing, getting dressed, taking medication, and eating.
As Sebastian’s father, I was initially ashamed and focused on the burden and difficulty his disability brought to my life. However, now that Sebastian is seventeen years old and I have cared for him throughout his whole life, my focus has gradually shifted and changed to become more of a Catholic focus. Sebastian’s presence in my life has helped me grow in acceptance, generosity, compassion, and hope. This spiritual gift in my life is now helping me to grow closer to Christ and my Catholic faith.
Prior to welcoming Sebastian into my life, I was far more focused on worldly and material pursuits such as gaining admiration from others, career prestige, hobbies, travel, and sports. While today I still enjoy a smaller portion of the material pursuits I mentioned, my focus has gradually shifted and changed from one of selfishness and self-centeredness to one of how I can be more helpful to other people. Particularly vulnerable people, such as my son Sebastian, who really needs my attention and love and care in order to survive and have a good life in our world.
The Bible, especially the New Testament, is full of verses which encourage Catholics and all other Christians to reach out and serve the most vulnerable humans in our world. One verse is Luke 14:12-14 “Jesus said also to the man who had invited him, ‘when you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection.’” Another verse is from John 9:1-3 “As Jesus went along, he saw a man blind from birth. Jesus’s disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.’”
St. John the Evangelist’s human dignity group meets on the last Monday of the month from 9:00am to 10:30am and is a group focused on the dignity of all human life from conception to death.
Darin Hoffman
In October, the Catholic Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month. Each week, as we celebrate the dignity of human life, we will share uplifting stories highlighting our call as Christians to embrace the beauty of the human person whether they be young, old, living with a disability, unborn, experiencing economic instability, etc. To get involved with more discussions about human dignity, consider joining the Human Dignity Group by contacting Megan Rodriguez at the parish center.