You hear it all the time - somebody in your life has a birthday rapidly approaching and the next thing you hear is something about growing old. If we are to continue our life on this Earth - there is no way to avoid the ageing process. When you are a child you just can't wait until you are older and when you are a teen being twenty-one seems like the ultimate goal. Approaching thirty or forty or sixty brings feelings of wishing you were younger once again. Throughout life we all age physically and intellectually - hopefully in the process we take care of our bodies and minds so that over time we get better with age - like fine wine! But I say there is a difference between getting older and getting old. Being older means you have lived another year - being old means you have stopped the living process and have resigned yourself to the end of your life. Personally I hope to never get old no matter how much older I become. Although the numbers of years tallied in my own life have become quite numerous - mentally I still think and act like someone half my age.
Spiritually I am at an older stage in my life - but I have not yet become old to the point that I do not need to continue my spiritual development. Seeking God's presence in my life - in the lives of the people around me - in the lives of people that I influence - is a quest that hopefully will continue for many many years to come. None of us can ever really know God - that is not a reason to stop trying. Knowledge of God - of His Will - of His desire for us to achieve spiritual maturity - all comes with age and the amount of time we invest in spiritual inquiry. The Bible and the Catechism contain pages and pages of information on how to live a good and spiritual life - the best way is to make a personal commitment to Jesus - to get to know Him on a personal level - but to do that you must be spiritually older!
Deacon Dale
Deacon Dale
