Teresa of Avila’s classic, The Interior Castle, is about purification and transformation on the pilgrimage to God. It has an uncanny similarity to the role of purgatory in our salvation. The following five reflections seek to flesh out some positive elements in this connection. In sum, it is our invitation to a deeper and more productive spiritual life.
Aging: A Decisive Part of God’s PlanGod Sees the Clock Differently
Donald Trump has no monopoly on the “big lie”. History has been filled with them. One of the more insidious “big lies” we live with is this: youth is a precious gift and aging is horrendous. 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 are 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 part of the greeting 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.
God does not buy into the “big lie” about youth. God only sees the gift of life moving toward the divine design for every person, which 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 a part of life as God sees it.
God’s Plan
To become 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 physical reality certain changes to help us keep our eyes on the prize: passage to eternal life. Changes in our eyesight, our physical energy and strength, our memory, different parts of the body, and an increased vulnerability to disease, are all factors in the relentless challenges of aging.
Aging and Purgatory
This is where the aging process and purgatory connect. The depletion, pain and physical, personal and social losses hold the real possibility of purification. God is looking for our submission to make us open and prepared for the new life.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 contrary to our actual age. 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 that the love in our life is totally flowing toward the love of God. Our relations with others offer incredibly different and rich possibilities from this fresh perspective. Rather than negating our humanity in old age, we need to see it as the flowering of our life on the way from here to a new horizon of God alone. The desire to seek God, and to find that goal in love, slowly emerges as the only thing that matters. This allows us to have a positive experience of the impoverishments of the aging process. This draws us into God’s truth that life on this earth is good, but limited, whether in the beginning, the middle, or the end. Our latter years have the special potential to fulfill the goal of purgatory: purifying and transforming us to be ready to meet our true destiny of being one with God.
