Paul Gondreau is Professor of Theology at Providence College. He and his wife Christiana have five children. One of their children, Dominic, has cerebral palsy. 

After Easter Mass in St. Peter’s Square yesterday, Pope Francis hugged their son Dominic. Paul shared what this meant to him and his family here. 

Here’s a snippet of his post:

Yes, I give much to my son, Dominic. But he gives me more, WAY more. I help him stand and walk, but he shows me how to love. I feed him, but he shows me how to love. I bring him to physical therapy, but he shows me how to love. I stretch his muscles and joke around with him, but he shows me how to love. I lift him in and out of his chair, I wheel him all over the place, but he shows me how to love. I give up my time, so much time, for him, but he shows me how to love.

This lesson, to repeat, confounds the wisdom of the world. Heck, it confounds me when I, as his parent, so often fail to see my son’s condition for what it is. The lesson my disabled son gives stands as a powerful testament to the dignity and infinite value of every human person, especially of those the world deems the weakest and most “useless.” Through their sharing in the “folly” of the  Cross, the disabled are, in truth, the most powerful and the most productive among us.

Again, you can find the rest of the story over at the Catholic Moral Theology blog.