PART I
God does not buy into the “big lie” that youth is precious and aging needs to be avoided at all costs. God only sees the gift of life moving toward the divine design for every person that is union with the Mystery of Love revealed in Jesus.There is a multibillion-dollar industry whose self-interest is to protect the myth that youth is both possible and preferable for everyone. Its propaganda permeates all levels of our society. It is propping up a lifestyle of deception and distortion. Eventually, the uncompromising demands of time demolish the lie. The myth of eternal youth gets shattered by the simple and relentless tic-toc of the clock. We are all getting older. For God, this is good. God asks us to go with the flow, get in touch with the program. Aging is good because death is very much part of life as God sees it.One of the more insidious “big lies” we live with is this: youth is good and aging is bad. God does not agree. Aging is very much part of God’s plan. In God’s eyes, a healthy middle age or a confused adolescence or a painful old age is all the same. God has no dread of the clock. God only sees life in its many manifestations moving toward the final purpose. We are all called to be one with God for eternity.
Many people who have not seen me in a while often say I look great. The unstated fact is for a guy in his eighties. I know the compliment is offered in good will. However, I am happy to be in the twilight of life. This is where God wants me. Any appearance of youth, relative or otherwise, is a total illusion. I experience something similar with my many visits to the doctors. Whether it is good news or bad news, I leave with the same thought: I guess I am going to live until I die.
II
God’s Plan
To be one with God is the ultimate and defining purpose of our existence. This is the deepest hunger in our heart. Therefore, in God’s eyes, the present moment is the precious possibility of new life and new love when we respond to God generously and in truth. In this context, every stage of life is equally beautiful but rooted in a different set of responsibilities.In this setting, the final years are a time of diminishment according to God’s design. God has built into the physical reality certain changes to help us keep our eyes on the prize: passage to eternal life. Our eyesight, our physical energy and strength, our memory, different parts of the body and growing vulnerability to disease are all factors in the relentless challenges of aging.
In his classic, Divine Milieu, Teilhard de Chardin offered this marvelous insight into the aging process:
“When the signs of age begin to make my body (and still more when they touch my mind); when the painful moment comes in which I suddenly awaken to the fact that I am ill or growing old…in all these dark moments , O God, grant that I may understand that it is you (provided only my faith is strong enough) Who are painfully parting the fibers of my being in order to penetrate to the very marrow of my substance and bear me away within yourself.” (pp 89-90)We need to break free of the myth that youth is so much more desirable than aging. Provers tells us, “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting.” (Pro 31:30) Recognizing and accepting death as an integral and inevitable part of life is a great gift. It is the beginning of liberation from the “big lie”. There is great freedom when we accept reality as it is, not as our consumer-driven culture proclaims it. Our present life is a means to an end, not an end in itself. We are destined to eternal life. This needs to be the If we are in tune with God’s plan, we will see aging in a truly positive light. We are called to embrace life in all its possibilities. We need to avoid the trap of seeing aging as a curse. Even more important, we need to reject any commitment to maintain a youthful lifestyle that flows from the “big lie.”
The aging process is not a tragic and crippling experience. We have to resist living in the past or seeking security in our pet. We are called to embrace our humanity in a new way, with growing wisdom that helps us to see the connection of love in our life as totally flowing toward the love of God as our true destiny. Our relations with others offer incredibly different and enriching possibilities in this fresh perspective.
