You speak of a heart bound by fear and deception, a mind resistant to the love that seeks its good. Such bonds are indeed heavy, and they lead only to greater isolation. But there is another binding I would urge you to seek in prayer: not of hands, but of heart and mind, bound fast to Christ. I have said before, bind not your hands, but bind your heart and mind; the outer bonds bring judgment, but the inner bonds of grace are the easy yoke of which the Lord said, “Take my yoke upon you, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls.” This yoke is not heavy, this burden is light. Pray, then, that your son would exchange his present cords for that divine link, so that his heart may no longer be tied in knots, but freely tethered to the One who is peace.
Remember how the angel came to Joseph in his perplexity, calling him by name and reminding him of his father David, to stir up the memory of God’s promise to his whole race. So I say to you: bring to mind the covenant mercies of the Lord, who has been faithful to your household. Do not let sorrow fill your heart as though hope were dead. Even the disciples, before they had received the Spirit, were overwhelmed and yet stood firm, for Christ knew the depth of their anguish and it became a touchstone for their love. So now, your son’s mind is being tested, yet the Master sees his despondency, and your own. He has permitted this trial not for ruin but for restoration, that what is hidden might be brought to light and healed.
When you are tempted to answer his resistance with sharpness, place the sign of the cross upon your breast. Call to mind the patience of God, who endured insult with meekness. For nothing is so powerful to quench anger as the remembrance of Christ’s sufferings, and nothing so effectively cures a fault as the honest acknowledgment of our own. If your son would cease to say with Cain, “I know not,” and instead confess with Adam, “I heard Your voice and was afraid,” then healing would begin. Pray therefore that the spirit of deception be banished, and that he might see his condition clearly, not as an accuser but as a sick man longing for the physician.
Continue to do good to him, knowing that whatever you do from the heart, as to the Lord and not to man, you shall receive the same again. You serve the Lord Christ in your steadfast love. Meanwhile, I will join my prayers to yours: that the Father who has entrusted all judgment to the Son would soften that heart, unbind every knot, and restore the heart of the father to the son and the son to the father. May you all be granted strength, wisdom, and the hope that looks not to this present storm but to the calm haven of God’s unchanging love.