Table of Contents
Introduction 1
My Life as an Autistic Priest 4
Language and Perspective 8
Part 1 "What Makes Autistic Prayer Different?
Chapter 1 Types of Autistic Prayer 15
Vocal Prayer and Liturgy 15
Stimming and Prayer 19
Prayer of Location or Object 23
Mental Prayer 25
Chapter 2 Deeper Prayer for the Autistic Christian 31
Difficulties Going Deeper in Prayer 32
Prayer in the Fast Lane 36
Autism at the Deepest Levels of Prayer 40
Autistic Missionaries to an Autistic World 43
Chapter 3 Myths About Autism and Prayer 51
We Don't Need the Autism "Prayed Out" 53
We Can Pray 58
We Aren't Automatic Psychics 61
Part 2 52 Meditations for Autistics and Those Who Love Us
God Protects Me 69
1 God Sees the Whole of Me 69
2 Jesus Loves Me as an Autistic 71
3 Jesus Wants My Heart 73
4 I Believe in You, Jesus 76
5 The Good Shepherd 78
6 Mary, My Mother 80
Entering the Lord's Presence 83
7 God's Peace Overpowers 83
8 Leaving Our Stress in God's Hands 85
9 God's Abundance 87
10 Seeing God in Creation 89
11 Facts Help Us Enter God's Presence 91
12 From Loneliness to Being Alone with God 93
Autistic Is as Jesus Planned 95
13 In God's Eyes, Being Autistic Is Not Wrong 95
14 Thanking God for Autism 97
15 My Autistic Identity in Jesus 99
16 God Has Wonderful Designs for Me 102
17 Imperfections Are Nor Sins 104
18 Our Stims Are Gifts 106
Personal, Autistic Prayer 109
19 Understanding God's Mind 109
20 Prayer Without Words 111
21 Keeping God in Our Autistic Memory 113
22 The Validity of My Personal Autistic Prayer 115
23 A Different Viewpoint Can See God 118
24 Repetition in Prayer 120
Deep Autistic Prayer 123
25 Our Senses and Imagination Lead Us to God 123
26 Seeing Particulars First 125
27 Beyond Just Emotions 127
28 Praying for Others 129
29 Mystical Contemplation 131
30 Coming Close to Mary 133
God Helps with My Autistic Struggles 137
31 Caring for Myself 137
32 When Sensory Overload Comes 139
33 A Meltdown/Shutdown Is Not the End 141
34 Dealing with Social Situations 143
35 The Humility to Accept Misunderstanding 145
36 Being the Good Samaritan 147
The Life of Jesus 151
37 Jesus as the Model of All Virtue 151
38 Seeing Jesus in Bethlehem 153
39 Seeing Jesus in His Passion 155
40 Seeing Jesus in His Resurrection 157
41 Pentecost 159
The Sacraments 163
42 A Sacramental Worldview 163
43 Our Baptism Changes Us 166
44 The Liturgy as a Schedule for Worshiping God 168
45 Seeing Jesus in the Eucharist 170
46 The Father of Mercies in Confession 172
47 Accepting Gods Mercy 174
Fighting to the End 177
48 Remain watchful in Our Own Lives 177
49 Death 179
50 The Resurrection: A World Without Social Disability 181
Go Forth Autistically 185
51 The Autistic Disciple 185
52 Missionaries to the Autistic World 187
Appendix A What Is Autism? 191
Appendix B Basic Catholic Prayers 197
Appendix C Method of Mental Prayer 205
Appendix D Advice for Autistic Penitents and Those Who Hear Their Confessions 207
