OUTLINE OF FIVE DAY RETREAT FOR SENIOR RELIGIOUS
Rev. Peter Schineller, S.J.
INTRODUCTION.
These are notes that provided the basis for five talks which composed the
annual retreat given at the Jesuit infirmary, Murray-Weigel Hall, New York, in June 1999.
There is more than enough material to further divide the material into additional meditations, and it
easily be expanded to lengthen the retreat to eight days if so desired.
Goal of the retreat. The goal is to encourage, confirm, strengthen the faith life, prayer life,
and mission of these senior religious, who for the most part are retired, and who may be infirm.
They have lived apostolic lives and now face the challenge of retirement, and the approach of
death.
THE OVERALL GRACE OF THE RETREAT:
MAY THE DIVINE AND SUPREME GOODNESS GIVE US ALL HIS BOUNTIFUL
GRACE SO THAT WE MAY ALWAYS KNOW HIS MOST HOLY WILL AND
PERFECTLY FULFILL IT.
With this prayer St. Ignatius Loyola concludes many of his letters and expresses well what he
desires to happen in the lives of those he writes to, Jesuits and others. We should see these words
as a prayer and wish addressed to us by St. Ignatius.
THEME, AND OUTLINE OF THE FIVE DAYS.
1. A LOOK BACK - GRATITUDE TO GOD FOR BEING PART OF THE HUMAN AND
CHRISTIAN FAMILIES, AND A MEMBER OF MY RELIGIOUS
CONGREGATION
2. A LOOK BACK - GRATITUDE TO GOD FOR MY OWN FAMILY AND LIFE AS A
RELIGIOUS, AS A LABORER IN THE VINEYARD OF CHRIST.
3. IN THE PRESENT WITH JESUS IN JERUSALEM, WHEN HE BECOMES LESS
ACTIVE, FACES DIMINISHMENT, AND YET IS MOST REDEMPTIVE AND
LIFE-GIVING
4. OUR PRESENT MISSION WITH JESUS, AS PERSONS OF PRAYER AND GOOD
EXAMPLE IN AND FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST
5. THE FUTURE: LIFE LEADING TO EVERLASTING LIFE. CALLING FOR THE
VIRTUES OF HOPE AND COURAGE , FOR LIFE AND FOR LOVE.
Method and Resources: the structure of the five conferences will reflect the structure of the
Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. That is, the first day will approximate the beginning of the
1
retreat; the second day will echo the 2nd week of the Exercises; the third day echoes the 3rd day; the
fourth and fifth days echo the 4th week.
But there is something different in this retreat. We are not simply looking out beyond
ourselves, and meditating or contemplating the life, death, resurrection of Jesus as we do in the 2nd
to 4th week of the Exercises. Rather we are focusing on how our lives have echoed and repeated,
and now echo and repeat, the life, death, and risen life of Jesus. On day two, we review how we
have, like Jesus, lived busy, active, apostolic lives. On day three, we reflect on how NOW - in our
retirement and possibly our illnesses, we draw close to, and echo the Jesus of the 3rd week of the
Exercises. We reflect on how we share even now, and have shared in the risen life of Jesus, but
also hope to experience that risen life more fully.
For the meditation of each day there will be the usual composition of place, the particular
grace to be asked for, points for meditation, and suggested colloquy. With most of the points for
meditation we will link a series of Scripture texts that can be prayed over, and we will frequently
offer some texts, readings, often from the Jesuit tradition, that cohere with or exemplify that
particular point of the meditation.
One related theme running through the retreat is meditation upon the petitions of the Our
Father. Thus the first day of gratitude corresponds to AOur Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be
thy name.@ The second day, reflecting on our life of labor in the Lord=s vineyard, echoes AThy
Kingdom Come.@ The third day, looking more at our own struggle and union with Jesus Christ in
his suffering, corresponds to the petition AThy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.@ On the
fourth day, we look to our life of prayer, including prayer of petition. We pray AGive us this day our
daily bread.@ The final day looks in hope to the future as we pray with the Lord=s prayer, ALead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.@
One further related way to see the thrust and direction of the retreat would be to see how it
builds upon the daily examen. At the beginning of the retreat, for the first two days, we look to the
past, to how God has been with us and we have been with God. In the third day and fourth day, we
look to the present, to examine where God is with us in our struggle, and how we are missioned by
our congregations today. The final, fifth day, looks from the present to the future, with the hope
that as God will be faithful to us, we in turn will remain faithful, and thus worthy of the new life
God wants to share with us.
During the retreat there might also be also opportunity for Benediction, prayer in private,
prayer in common, as well as opportunity for confession, private consultation with the retreat
director, and the possibility of communal anointing of the sick. As part of the review of one=s life,
there might be opportunity for individuals to tell and share their stories to the retreat director, or to
other members of the community.
The attitude desired as one enters the retreat: the attitude or virtue of trust should be strong.
Two citations describe the attitude we desire. They emphasize that God is even more willing to
share his Spirit and Love with us than we are to receive it.
2
ATHERE IS THAT NEAR YOU WHICH WILL GUIDE YOU. O WAIT FOR IT, AND
BE SURE THAT YOU KEEP TO IT.@
(Isaac Penington, Quaker leader)
AIT IS NOT FOR YOU TO STALK THE VISION. THE VISION IS
(Wisdom of a North American Indian)
STALKING YOU.@
++++++++++++++++++++++++
DAY ONE. A LOOK BACK - GRATITUDE TO GOD FOR BEING PART OF THE
HUMAN and CHRISTIAN FAMILIES AND CALLED TO OUR RELIGIOUS
CONGREGATION
Theme from the Our Father for Day One: OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN,
HALLOWED BE THY NAME.
We praise and thank God, and pray in gratitude that
our lives have been dedicated to the Agreater glory of God.@
COMPOSITION OF PLACE: Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth, rejoices with her as God gives
new life to them, and Mary praises and thanks God with the words of her Magnificat.
GRACE: AN INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF THE BLESSINGS RECEIVED, THAT FILLED
WITH GRATITUDE, I MAY IN ALL THINGS LOVE AND SERVE THE DIVINE
MAJESTY.
This is the graced desired in the AContemplation to Attain the Love of God@ from the end of the
Spiritual Exercises (233). We desire to review, remember, recall, and appreciate once more the
many ways the good Lord has blessed us.
1. THE VIRTUE OF GRATITUDE: Gratitude has been called Athe memory of the heart.@
Gratitude is at the center of being Christian, and the daily Mass or Eucharist is a thanksgiving
celebration. The word Eucharist means Agiving thanks.@
A. MEISTER ECKHART once wrote: AIf the only prayer you say in your whole life is THANK
YOU, that would suffice.@ To thank is to acknowledge our indebtedness to one who has loved us.
B. DOROTHY DAY living a life of Christian charity, wrote: - AGratitude brought me into the
Church and that gratitude grows, and the first word my heart with utter, when I face my God is
>Thanks=. And that goes, with the help of God, for the gift of free will even though it entails sin,
evil, suffering and death.@
C. ST. IGNATIUS in one of his letters speaks strongly of the sin of ingratitude:
AAmong all evils and sins imaginable, ingratitude is the most abominable in the sight of our
3
Creator and Lord as well as in the sight of all his creatures who are capable of enjoying his divine
and everlasting glory. Ingratitude is the total disregard for the benefits, graces, and gifts received,
and is the cause, beginning, and origin of all sins and misfortunes.@
2. HOW GOD HAS LOVED, AND CONTINUES TO LOVE US.
We are not alone. We have
received and continue to share in the love of God which comes to us in our many families. In
gratitude we explore the ways, the several families through which we have been blessed.
A. THE HUMAN FAMILY - Creation of the universe and the family of humankind.
God did not want to be alone, so created a universe with wonderful variety, and created
humankind, in God=s own image and likeness. Cf. Psalm 8.
We are part of a larger whole, an expanding universe, an extravagant garden. Recall the
story of creation in Genesis - the size, color, shape, sounds of birds, the color and beauty of the
fish, the size of the whale, the dignity of the lion, the countless stars in the sky, the Milky Way.
We are growing in our understanding of the extent, beauty and complexity of the universe.
Light from the North Star takes 680 years to reach us. Sunlight that reaches us left the sun over
eight minutes ago. Many television programs, such as those on Discovery Channel teach us of the
wonders and marvels and beauty of the world which God created for us to enjoy.
AThere is no little blade of grass, there is no color in this world, that is not intended to
make men rejoice.@ Jean Calvin
The world is filled with the grandeur of God, and now is filled with so many rich cultures,
languages, and traditions. The human quest is a search for God and every culture in its origins
shows deep religious sensibilities.
B. BIBLICAL FAMILY - OUR ANCESTORS IN FAITH
The particular religious tradition that has given us life is the Judeo-Christian tradition. In
its written Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, we have found stories that give life and hope.
Recall your favorite books of the Bible or favorite stories or passages and verses. These
are the stories and words that have given life, and continue to give hope.
My favorite book in the
Bible is the book of Jonah. It is brief, filled with humor and irony, and it is a story. And its
message points to the boundless love of God for all God=s people. My favorite image is found in
the story of the Prodigal Son. The father seeing the son in the distance, runs out, embraces, covers
the son with his love and welcomes him home.
C. OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH AND FAMILY - HOLY MEN AND WOMEN.
Recall how the Catholic Church has been an integral part of western history, with its service
to humanity through hospitals, schools, the arts, works of charity and institutions of educations,
from monasteries to universities.
Recall your favorite saints, your patron saints. Review stories from the lives of the saints. I
4
remember how the story of St. Martin giving part of his cloak to the beggar impressed - and
challenged - me. Recall the non-canonized men and women of history who have influenced our
world and touched our lives, such as Mother Teresa and Dr. Martin Luther King.
Recall a favorite image of Mary, such as the pieta, or other works of art, such as the Last
Supper by da Vinci, or the crucifixion by Cimabue.
D. ONE=S PARTICULAR RELIGIOUS CONGREGATION
TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH - MISSION SPIRIT,
We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, beginning with our founder or
foundress. Surely God was at work in the founding and growth of the Congregation
AThe sense of belonging and responsibility that each individual one of Ours has toward the
whole Society should be manifested in a knowledge of our spirituality, our history, our
saints, our apostolic labors, and our men, especially of those who are suffering difficulties
for the sake of Christ...@
Complimentary Norms of the Society of Jesus 411.
E. OUR PARTICULAR PROVINCE ;
We think of the various missionary efforts of our province. We recall the institutions, large
and small, through which we have served the Church. We recall the heroic efforts of those of our
congregation who have been an inspiration and model for us. We recall superiors and teachers we
have had in our course of studies.
We recall the more important and perhaps famous member of our province, ancestors in the
faith. We recall them and thank God for their life and light.
COLLOQUY.
We ask for the grace to be gracious and grateful, the grace of a grateful heart to
the God who has loved us with an everlasting love.
We pray for insight into this boundless love
of God. Anthony de Mello once recalled the words of his novice director to him:
ATHE BIG DAY IN YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE WILL COME NOT WHEN YOU BELIEVE
THAT YOU LOVE GOD, BUT WHEN YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH GOD LOVES
YOU.@
The Bible may help us to praise and thank the Lord for His goodness. The following
Scripture texts or others may be quietly repeated, possibly prayed aloud, to help us to express our
love and gratitude.
APRAISE THE LORD: O GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD, FOR HE IS GOOD,
STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES FOREVER.@ PS. 106:1
FOR HIS
AI HAVE LOVED YOU WITH AN EVERLASTING LOVE@ JER. 31:3
AWE KNOW AND BELIEVE THE LOVE GOD HAS FOR US. GOD IS LOVE.@ I JOHN 4:
5
16
ABLESS THE LORD, MY SOUL! O LORD, MY GOD, YOU ARE VERY GREAT.@ PS.
104:1
AMY SOUL PROCLAIMS THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD.@ LK. 1:46.
We join with Mary in her Magnificat as she praises the Lord for His Goodness.
AI AM WITH YOU ALL DAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF TIME.@ MT. 28 20.
The last verse of the gospel of Matthew. Jesus speaks to his apostles, to his
Church and to us individually. We express our gratitude for God=s loving
presence in our lives.
++++++++++++++++
DAY TWO. A LOOK BACK - GRATITUDE TO GOD FOR MY OWN FAMILY AND
LIFE AS A RELIGIOUS, AS A LABORER IN THE VINEYARD OF CHRIST.
Theme of the Our Father for Day Two: ATHY KINGDOM COME!@ Jesus proclaimed the
kingdom was near and labored to bring it about. We thank God that we have been privileged to
labor with Jesus Christ in the Lord=s vineyard.
COMPOSITION OF PLACE: LUKE 9:10. JESUS SENDS FORTH THE APOSTLES TO
PREACH AND HEAL. THEY COME BACK AND TALK TO JESUS: AON THEIR RETURN
THE APOSTLES TOLD JESUS WHAT THEY HAD DONE.@ We imagine ourselves with
them, listening, learning, and then we share what we have experienced in our labors.
GRACE: GRACE TO SEE HOW JESUS HAS BEEN WITH ME AND HOW, WHERE I HAVE
BEEN WITH JESUS, LIVING, LABORING IN HIS COMPANY.
TO SEE MY PAST AS
GOD SEES IT.
We might well recall the hymn:
ACount your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
1. GRATITUDE FOR THE LIFE, MINISTRY OF JESUS
Jesus is God=s greatest gift, the center, the way. He manifests and proves God=s
unconditional love for each and every human person. In the words and speech of Peter, God was
with Jesus, and AJESUS WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD...@ Acts: 10: 38. We might recall
favorite scenes from the gospel stories of Jesus.
Jesus speaks of himself, and offers his own life as a saving example to us: ATHE SON OF
6
MAN CAME NOT TO BE SERVED, BUT TO SERVE, TO GIVE HIS LIFE...@
MARK 10:45
2. GRATITUDE THAT I AS A JESUIT, HAVE BEEN CALLED, FORMED, TRAINED, AND
MISSIONED TO BE A >LABORER IN THE LORD=S VINEYARD.=
Jesus speaks to his apostles and speaks personally to us:
AI CHOOSE YOU AND
APPOINTED YOU THAT YOU SHOULD GO AND BEAR FRUIT, AND FRUIT THAT WILL
LAST.@
JOHN 15:16
The apostle Paul sees himself, and us and invited to share in the saving work of God. AWE
ARE GOD=S FELLOW WORKERS.@ 1 COR. 3:9
A. Testimony at the funeral of Fr. Thomas Bermingham, S.J. from a Vietnamese who had been in a
refugee camp: AHe brought us Jesus, he taught us about Jesus.@ This is high praise for anyone,
and very high praise for a religious. We thank God for our mission to tell the Good News of Jesus.
B. Father Pedro Arrupe reflects on our personal relationship to Jesus Christ and on his faithfulness
to each one of us:
ALook at it this way. We become Jesuits and continue to be Jesuits simply out of our enthusiasm for
Jesus Christ, and from our desire to work for Him and for others. Jesus Christ is very faithful. He
does not abandon those dedicated to his service.@
C. Fr. Horace McKenna, S.J. friend of the poor, once said that there are two symbols of the priest:
the stole and the towel. For those who are priests, w give thanks to God that we have been called
and enabled to serve at the altar in the Church, and in many other ways in the world performing the
spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
3. REVIEW OF MY LIFE AS IT CORRESPONDS TO, AND INTERSECTS WITH THE LIFE
AND EXAMPLE OF JESUS. WE RECALL PARTICULAR PERSONS, PLACES, CHURCHES,
MISSIONS, MILESTONES, SACRAMENTAL CELEBRATIONS IN OUR LIFE AS WEEK 2
OF THE EXERCISES.
Here we try to bring together and see the intersection of the life of Jesus and our own. We
move back and forth from the life and story of Jesus as we review aspects and experiences of our
own life.
HIDDEN LIFE. Our own childhood and youth reflects in small ways the Holy Family of Jesus,
Mary and Joseph. We recall the good example of family and neighbors, the education we received
before entering the religious life and since then.
PUBLIC LIFE AND MINISTRY. Jesus was a teacher and preacher. Recall how and where we
have taught, in the classroom, in the pulpit.
Jesus met the Samaritan woman, conversed with Nicodemus at night. Recall how we have
counseled and given spiritual direction.
7
Jesus reached out to the needy, fed the hungry, and healed the sick. Recall our own ways of
performing the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
He gathered disciples and formed community. Recall how we have been part of many
religious communities.
Jesus went about doing good. Recall some of the places, parishes, schools or hospitals, the
assignments, in the USA or overseas where we have labored in the Lord=s vineyard.
Jesus prayed and enjoyed times of rest and recreation with his apostles, with Martha and
Mary. Recall important retreats, places where we have found God in prayer, recall family
celebrations, times of relaxation with religious and friends.
Jesus misunderstood by the apostles and the crowds, and eventually rejected. Recall the
hard times, the disappointments in ourselves and in those we live with or minister to. But above
all, recall the good moments, where we were able to lead others to see the grace of God, the love of
God in their lives. We have indeed been privileged to share in the mission of Jesus Christ, as
laborers in His vineyard.
A.
A beautiful essay of Fr. Pedro Arrupe AThe Eucharist and Youth,@ describes various places
and times where he celebrated the Eucharist. He traces key aspects of his life through these
celebrations of Holy Mass. We might review our own history by recalling key places, events,
moments where we have celebrated holy Mass - sharing in the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ.
B.
Father Kolvenbach again reminds us how Jesus Christ must remain central in the life of the
Jesuit:
AThe whole of Ignatius=s stance and vision is centered on the person of Christ. We are
called to model our lives on Jesus, who shares our lot and becomes for us, way, truth, and
life - Jesus who shares his ministry with even clumsy fisherman, who has compassion on the
multitude...@
4. FOCUS ON THE AJOYFUL MYSTERIES@ BUT ALSO LET THE ASORROWFUL
MYSTERIES@ EMERGE.
A.
Every time we attend Mass, we admit that we are sinners, but sinners graced and loved by
God. We believe that grace is stronger than sin, and as Christians we even dare to speak of the sin
of Adam as a Ahappy fault,@ the Atruly necessary sin of Adam.@ Our own sinfulness too, overcome
and overwhelmed by the boundless love of God, is part of our journey to God. We entrust our
entire past, the good and the bad, the graced and the sinful, to the unconditional love of God.
B.
We always leave unfinished business. Whatever we have done, finished or incomplete,
good and not so good, we entrust to the boundless love of God. Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr
reminds us:
ANothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime; therefore, we must be saved by hope.
Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history;
therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can bee
accomplished alone; therefore we are saved by love. No act is quite as virtuous from the
8
standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own viewpoint. Therefore, we must be saved by
the final form of love which is forgiveness.@
C. With the words of Paul Claudel, we think of the end of life of the Jesuit missionary, St. Francis
Xavier:
Francis, captain of God, has ended his caravan.
His feet are unshod and his flesh is more worn than his old soutane.
He has done what they told him to doBnot all, but what he was able:
Now let him lie on the earth, for his legs are no longer stable.
COLLOQUY: BRING IT ALL TO THE LORD JESUS IN PRAYER - HAND IT ALL OVER TO
THE LORD. TALK OVER AREAS OF JOY AND SORROW.
TALK OVER
>UNFINISHED BUSINESS.@
We converse with Jesus, reviewing our life, just as the apostles recounted to Jesus what they had
done while on mission.
+++++++++++++++++
DAY THREE: IN THE PRESENT WITH JESUS IN JERUSALEM, WHEN HE
BECOMES LESS ACTIVE, FACES DIMINISHMENT, AND YET IS MOST
REDEMPTIVE AND LIFE-GIVING
Theme from the Our Father for Day Three: ATHY WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN
HEAVEN@
The prayer of Jesus, repeated in the Agony in the Garden, a prayer of trust
and resignation, becomes our prayer today.
COMPOSITION OF PLACE: THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN - AMY FATHER, IF THIS
CANNOT PASS UNLESS I DRINK IT, YOUR WILL BE DONE.@ MT. 26:42. Many of us can
recall to mind the well-known traditional holy picture of Jesus kneeling in prayer and agony in the
garden, resting on a large stone, looking up his Father while the apostles sleep in the background.
GRACE: TO SAY AYES@ TO THE PASCHAL MYSTERY AT WORK IN MY LIFE.
THAT I AM WITH JESUS AND HE IS WITH ME IN MY 3RD WEEK EXPERIENCE.
TO SEE
1. TRANSITION FROM FOOT-WASHING SERVICE, TO LETTING OTHERS SERVE US.
THE MOVE FOR JESUS AND FOR US.
ALET HER ALONE. SHE HAS DONE A BEAUTIFUL THING TO ME@ (MK. 14:6). Jesus lets
the woman serve and anoint him, minister to him. This occurs soon before he washes the feet of his
apostles and challenges them to wash one another=s feet. We must allow others to minister to us
in our needs.
In yesterday=s reflections on the Second Week, the public life ministry of Jesus and our own
active life, we reflected on how we actively helped and assisted others - in a sense, how we washed
9
the feet of others. Today we move to the Third Week. Here we less active, and must allow others
to minister to us, to wash our feet. This may not be easy for us, because we have been so strong
and active. We should not now see ourselves as a burden. Rather, with the gospel we now let
others serve us, and we joyfully and gratefully accept their loving service.
2. THE THIRD WEEK FOR JESUS AND FOR US. As Jesus prayed in the agony in the garden,
so we suffer and yet pray Athy will be done.@ Jesus arrested, is now in the hands of others, to be
mocked and beaten and moved about at their whim and will. We too are more immobile,
dependent upon others. Jesus is seemingly not in control; he is weak rather than strong. Jesus the
teacher, the Word of God, remains silent. The miracle worker shows no miraculous powers. We
suffer loss of mental and physical energy. Jesus feels alone, betrayed, abandoned even by his
apostles. We experience times of loneliness, distance from family and friends we have known.
We are somewhat marginalized. Jesus suffers physical pain, carries his cross. Our body weighs
down upon us.
Much of the Third Week of Jesus can be summarized under four AP@s; Patience, passivity,
pain, prayer. In our own way, in our own time, we share in each of these. We pray for grace to
understand and accept these realities in our lives. We pray with the two disciples on the road to
Emmaus: AStay with us Lord, for it is toward evening, and the day is now far spent@ (Lk. 24:29).
3. OLD AGE, EVERY AGE, SICKNESS AND HEALTH, AS GIFTS FROM GOD,
ACCORDING TO IGNATIUS.
A.
AIn their illnesses all should try to draw fruit from them, not only for themselves but for the
edification of others, by not being impatient or difficult to please, but instead having and showing
great patience and obedience toward the physician and infirmarian, and employing good and
edifying words which show that they accept the sickness as a gift from the hand of our Creator and
Lord, since it is a gift no less than is health.@ Constitutions of the Society of Jesus , 272.
B. AIF WE ARE AFFLICTED, IT IS FOR YOUR COMFORT AND SALVATION@ (2 COR.
1:6).
Even in our weakness, we remain fruitful members of the body of Christ as we bear and
offer our sufferings for the good of others in the body of Christ.
C. Fr. John La Farge, S.J. wrote: AOld age is a gift, a very precious gift. I thank God for it daily.@
We pray for the grace to see and appreciate the gift.
D.
AWINTER GRACE@ Several writers speak of the Awinter of our days@ and pray for the
specific graces of winter. We have sown seeds of good deeds. We now step back and let others
reap, while we continue to pray that the harvest yield be bountiful.
E. AIN MY FLESH I COMPLETE WHAT IS LACKING IN CHRIST=S AFFLICTIONS, FOR
THE SAKE OF HIS BODY, THAT IS, THE CHURCH@
(COL. 1:24).
Jesus never
experienced old age, and in this sense we can be pioneers, showing forth the way of Christ
10
4. THE PASSION/PASSIVITY/DIMINISHMENT OF JESUS AND OUR DIMINISHMENT.
AWITH CHRIST I AM CRUCIFIED...@
A. Old age is indeed a time of special grace. Teilhard de Chardin tries to fathom the mysterious
ways in which we draw closer to God:
AIN SPITE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL, PRIME, IMPORTANCE I=VE ALWAYS BEEN
LED TO ATTRIBUTE TO HUMAN EFFORT AND DEVELOPMENT, I REALIZE THAT
THE SOUL BEGINS TO KNOW GOD ONLY WHEN IT IS FORCED REALLY TO
SUFFER DIMINISHMENT WITHIN HIM.@
TEILHARD DE CHARDIN, The Making of
a Mind, p. 275.
B. Weakness and diminishment are no options or choices, but are now imposed upon me. It is up
to me to accept this condition joyfully and gracefully. Goethe once described this: AIn younger
years we live through our body. In later years, we are forced to live against our body.@
C. Teilhard again describes the mysterious ways of our movement to God:
AWhen the signs of age begin to mark my body (and still more when they touch my mind);
when the ill that is to diminish me or carry me off strikes from without or is born within me;
when the painful moment comes in which I suddenly awaken to the fact that I am losing hold
of myself and am absolutely passive within the hands of the great unknown forces that have
formed me; in all those 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 fibres of my being in
order to penetrate to the very marrow of my substance and bear me away within yourself.@
5. THE CROSS AS THE ONLY WAY TO LIFE, TO THE FATHER.
A. AWAS IT NOT NECESSARY THAT THE CHRIST SHOULD SUFFER THESE THINGS
AND ENTER INTO HIS GLORY?@ ( LK. 24:26). St. Ignatius constantly reminds us
throughout the Exercises, of the paschal mystery at work, the continual move from suffering to
glory. This is a lesson the disciples had to learn and one that we have to learn.
B. AHE SAID TO ME: >MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU, FOR MY POWER IS MADE
PERFECT IN WEAKNESS=. @ (2 COR 12:9) And, AWHEN I AM WEAK, I AM STRONG.@
When Jesus was powerless, even disabled on the cross, is precisely when he was most effective,
powerful and redemptive for the salvation of the world. On the cross we see the greatest proof of
God=s love: >What proves God=s love for us, is while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us@
(Rom. 5:6).
As religious, we have attended and or celebrated the paschal mystery ritually, liturgically,
when we celebrated the sacraments. Now we are called upon the live that mystery existentially,
actually, and not simply sacramentally.
The world is saved not through our success and activity, but through union with God, and this
11
union with God paradoxically is achieved on the cross with Christ Jesus.
C. ATHERE ARE NO EASY WAYS, NO SIMPLE SOLUTIONS. WHAT COMES EASY IS NOT
WORTH A STRAW. IT IS A TRAGIC ERROR TO ASSUME THAT THE WORLD IS FLAT,
THAT OUR DIRECTION IS HORIZONTAL. THE WAY IS ALWAYS VERTICAL. WE EITHER
CLIMB OR FALL. RELIGIOUS EXISTENCE MEANS STRUGGLE UPHILL.@ RABBI A.J.
HESCHEL
We entrust ourselves to the power of the cross, because that is the only way to life. We pray
to put on the Amind of Christ.@ AHAVE THIS MIND IN YOU WHICH WAS IN CHRIST
JESUS... HE EMPTIED HIMSELF... OBEDIENT EVEN UNTO DEATH, DEATH ON A
CROSS@ (PHIL. 2:5-8).
D. St. Francis de Sales writes of the wisdom and value of the Cross:
AThe Everlasting God has in His wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross that He now
presents to you as a gift from His inmost Heart. This cross He now sends you He has
considered with His all-knowing eyes, understood with His divine mind, tested with His wise
justice, warmed with loving arms and weighed with His own hands to see that it be not one
inch too large and not one ounce too heavy for you. He has blessed it with His holy Name,
anointed it with His grace, perfumed it with His consolation, taken one last glance at your
and your courage and then sent it to you from heave, a special greeting from God to you, an
alms of the all-merciful love of God.@
We pray that we see the cross in our lives as the wisdom of God and embrace it generously.
COLLOQUY: BE WITH JESUS, CONVERSE WITH HIM ON HIS
WAY, THE WAY OF THE PASCHAL MYSTERY. REVIEW, PRAY THE SEVEN LAST
WORDS OF JESUS ON THE CROSS. These express our feelings, our hopes, and our concerns.
--------
FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO:
WOMAN, THERE IS YOUR SON:
I THIRST:
THIS DAY, YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE:
MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME:
IT IS FINISHED:
FATHER, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMENT MY SPIRIT.
+++++++++++++
DAY FOUR: OUR PRESENT MISSION WITH JESUS, AS VOWED RELIGIOUS,
PRAYING AND GIVING GOOD EXAMPLE IN AND FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST
Theme of the Our Father for Day Four: AGIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.@
12
Jesus
wishes that we pray daily, and pray very concretely for our own needs and the needs of others. This
is part of our mission today and every day.
COMPOSITION OF PLACE: The Last Discourse, Jesus prays for his apostles and their
successors: AI pray for all those who believe in me...@ Jn. 17:20. We share in the priestly prayer of
Jesus in two ways - Jesus prays for us as those who believe in him, and in union with Jesus, we pray
in turn for others.
GRACE: In accord with St. Ignatius, we ask for the grace to Aalways know His most holy will and
perfectly fulfill it.@ We ask for a deep sense of God who calls and missions me now, to a life of
prayer, edification, and service.
1. Sense of call (second or third vocation/call/journey) Our mission from the Church, and from
our religious congregation.
A gift and a task/mission.
Religious, through their vows, are always sent on mission. As religious we find the will of
God through discernment, and especially in and through the assignment given to us in obedience by
our Superiors. Here we find our peace, hope and joy. In the words of Dante, Ain His will is our
peace.@ And so we live and move ahead with trust and confidence, because we are in the right place
at the right time.
There has been writing recently on the Asecond call.@ By this we mean that the first or
initial call to religious life may well be followed by another call as one matures in religious life.
Thus in mid age, Mother Theresa feels called to found the Missionaries of Charity. Thus St. Peter
after the Resurrection is called again by Jesus to follow him, to feed the lambs and the sheep.
Something similar occurs in the lives of many religious. This second call may have the following
qualities: it is sudden, thrust upon us, it raises doubts in our minds, it leads to a new inner and outer
journey, to new and unknown grounds, and one going through the new experience may well need a
solid spiritual friend or guide.
Might we not speak of the Athird call@ the call to love, serve and follow Jesus in old age, in a
time of diminishment? And might we not experience some of the same qualities as those listed
above in the Asecond call?@
Jesus, after the resurrection calls again, and then leads him to a further Athird call.@
APETER, WHEN YOU ARE OLD, YOU WILL STRETCH OUT YOUR HANDS, AND
ANOTHER WILL GIRD YOU AND CARRY YOU WHERE YOU DO NOT WISH TO GO....
FOLLOW ME...@ JOHN 21: 18-19
Jesus invites his followers to enjoy some rest and recreation and refreshment:
ACOME BY YOURSELVES TO AN OUT OF THE WAY PLACE AND REST A LITTLE@ (
MK. 6:31).
ACOME TO ME, ALL WHO LABOR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU
REST@ (MT. 11: 28).
Several passages from different sources contain much material for prayerful reflection.
13
Those from the Jesuit tradition can easily be seen to apply to those of other religious congregations.
A. A Mission received in obedience: COMPLIMENTARY NORM 244. #1. Our elderly and
infirm members continue to be apostolically fruitful and make others sharers in their own wisdom,
acquired by the experience of serving our mission. They ought to take care that others are
encouraged by the example of their filial and confident dedication to God in sickness and failing
strength.
#3. Major superiors should give to our elderly and inform members a special mission to pray
for the Church and the Society and to unite their personal suffering and limitations to the world wide
salvific ministry of the Church and the Society.
B. CONSTITUTIONS. # 595 As during his whole life, so also and even more at the time of his
death, each member of the Society ought to strive earnestly that through him God our Lord may be
glorified and served and his neighbors may be edified, at least by the example of his patience and
fortitude along with his living faith, hope, and love of the eternal goods which Christ our Lord
merited and acquired for us by those altogether incomparable sufferings of his temporal life and
death.
C. CG 34, Decree Six, AMinisterial Priesthood and Jesuit Identity@ Note that the description
which follows applies most especially to the Jesuit priest rather than the Jesuit brother.
29. Although the typical Jesuit priest continues to be engaged in apostolic work well beyond
Aretirement age,@ there generally comes a time when such external work must cease. When this
happens, he can be tempted to think that his life has lost its primary purpose; he needs to learn from
the Lord that, on the contrary, he is being offered a new way of carrying out his Jesuit apostolic
mission. Old age in no way diminishes his priesthood and true apostolic vitality. Even if he can only
attend the Eucharist and pray privately for the Lord=s blessing on the work of the Church and his
fellow Jesuits, it is precisely in this that he continues to be a valued apostle and worker. Here,
perhaps most of all, he is called to live a priestly prayer for others, in union with Christ the High
Priest who has gone before us as the pioneer of our faith (Heb. 12:2).
D. My God, I do not know what must come to me today. But I am certain that nothing can happen
to me that you have not foreseen, decreed, and ordained from all eternity. That is sufficient for me. I
adore your impenetrable and eternal designs, to which I submit with all my heart. I desire, I accept
them all, and I unite my sacrifice to that of Jesus Christ, my divine Savior. I ask in his name and
through his infinite merits, patience in my trials, and perfect and entire submission to all that comes
to me by your good pleasure. Amen.
St. Joseph Pignatelli, S.J.
E. Pope John Paul II to the elderly: You are Aactive subjects of a period in human existence which
is rich in spirituality and humanity. You still have a mission to fulfill and a contribution to make.@
F. John Paul II to the laity on their mission: AArriving at an older age is to be considered a
privilege: not simply because not everyone has the good fortune to reach this stage in life, but also,
14
and above all, because this period provides real possibilities for better evaluating the past, for
knowing and living more deeply the paschal mystery, for becoming an example in the church for the
whole people of God.@ Apostolic Exhortation on the laity AChrist=s Faithful@ (No. 48).
2.
Apostolic prayer - prayer of petition.
This is not the occasion for a formal study of prayer. But it is worth noting that apostolic
prayer especially involves the examination of conscience and prayers of petition. We are to be
regular and faithful in praying for one another - the superior for the members, the members for one
another, for guidance in their assignments and missions. We are to pray for our benefactors, for
those in authority in the Church, and prayers for the sick, the dying and the deceased.
Jesus prayed for Peter and the apostles. His prayer too was often very concrete and practical.
AHE (JESUS) TOLD THEM A PARABLE ON THE NECESSITY OF PRAYING
ALWAYS AND NOT LOSING HEART@ (LK. 18:1).
AAGAIN, I TELL YOU, IF TWO OF YOU JOIN YOUR VOICES ON EARTH TO PRAY
FOR ANYTHING WHATEVER, IT SHALL BE GRANTED YOU BY MY FATHER IN
HEAVEN@ (MT. 18:19).
It might be helpful to draw up a list of intentions, a list of those persons, groups, that you
regularly pray for. Included on this list would be the living and the dead, members of your
congregation near and far, family, those in special need such as refugees, the handicapped, civil
authorities, the poor, the sick, the dying, the homeless, the prisoners.
A. An example of a Jesuit at prayer.
AI was so weak... that I developed priorities in my prayers. I always prayed for the poor and
those who helped them because they both needed help. Then my sickness made me have a
second priority - namely the sick and those who helped them, including the nurses and
families. Then, more recently, I=ve added a third priority. I always pray for the missions
because the missions are the most neglected area of the church.@
Horace McKenna, S.J.
B.
AWhen I was young, I thought that prayer could be - should be - only in thankfulness and
adoration. A prayer of supplication seemed to me to be something unworthy. Afterwards, I
changed my opinion completely. Today, I ask very much.@
Pope John Paul II
C.
Prayer becomes more simple - being in the presence of God in faith, hope and love. Honesty
too becomes a trait of our prayer. As a novice, I recall hearing one retired Jesuit, Fr. John
Dixon, enter the domestic chapel, sit in the pew and then pray, rather loudly, but very
honestly more or less in these words: AO God, my backside hurts.@ I am sure that prayer
was heard by God.
A woman, aged 101 remarked: AI don=t suffer old age because I ignore it. The only way to
live well in old age is to live it IN GOD.@
15
3. Apostleship of Prayer - Prayer of Offering with Jesus: the world is my parish, and we pray for
the intentions of the Holy Father.
The Apostleship of Prayer and the promotion of devotion to the Sacred Heart are well known
devotions. Through the Morning or Daily Offering, we join our joys and sufferings with those of
Jesus, through the Sacrifice of the Mass. We offer our lives in prayer for the good of the Church,
and for the various special intentions of the Holy Father and other members of the Body of Christ.
We sanctify the day and offer the fruits of our labors and struggles for the good of others.
A. Vatican Document - The Dignity of Older People and their Mission in the Church and in the
World.
APrayer is a service. It is a ministry that older people may perform for the good of the whole
church and the world... Prayer is their strength; it is their life. Through prayer they can break
down the walls of isolation, emerge from the condition of helplessness, and share in the joys
and sorrows of others.@
B. Fr. John La Farge, S.J. reflects on the life of prayer in his old age:
The latter years are a time when we simply allow ourselves to become more familiar with
God and His saints in heaven. We should let ourselves grow closer to that source of life, the
ocean of love, toward which we are inexorably moving, just as the waterborne traveller on a
great river begins the scent the first tang of the mighty sea to which the current is noiselessly
carrying him. It means talking much to God: to our Father in heaven, to His Son, our
Redeemer, to the Holy Spirit, who is our invisible and ever-working companion, and to
Christ=s Blessed Mother Mary.
But the main thing is that prayer becomes more and more a part of the texture of our
lives. We dwell a little longer in meditating. We spend a little longer time in a visit to the
Blessed Sacrament. We refer things to God more naturally and frequently. We do much
praying for the Church, for the See of Peter, for all the body of faithful, for souls akin to us
outside the visible Church, for so many great intentions. In our later years we become more
conscious that we do not pray alone. The Church is praying with us and in us - the whole
Mystical Body of Christ.
4. According to St. Ignatius, in the Constitutions, the chief means to help the neighbor are by good
example and by prayer. In old age, we continue to help the neighbor by these means.
A.
St. Ignatius reflected carefully on the various means by which Jesuits assist the neighbor, in
chapter four of the 7th Part of the Constitutions, on missions. Among these means, he lists the
administration of the sacraments, preaching, lecturing, and teaching, conversation, the spiritual and
corporal works of mercy, and writing books.
But, notice carefully what he puts in the first and second places as the means to help the neighbor:
16
AThe first is by giving the good example of a thoroughly upright life and of Christian virtue,
striving to edify those with whom one deals no less, but rather even more, by good deeds than
by words@ (Constitutions #637).
ALikewise, the neighbor is aided by desires in the presence of God our Lord and by the
prayers for all the Church, especially for those persons in it who are of greater importance for
the common good. They should also pray for friends and benefactors, living and dead,
whether they request these prayers or not...@ (#638).
B.
Good example of a virtuous life: You show that it is all right to be old. You show how one
continues to live the Christian life of faith, hope, and charity into old age. Wherever we are,
whatever age or condition, we remain witnesses to the gospel of Jesus Christ, teachers of the faith by
our lives. As one person described it, we may no longer be a scorching flame, but rather a quiet
light. In old age, by our good example we radiate peace, a gentle, peaceful light that shines in the
darkness. Fr. Daniel Lord described being with old Jesuits Awho had attained a holiness which
seemed to permeate them with a kind of suffused light and controlled power.@
C. The virtues, gifts, charisms, we are called to exemplify and radiate. These might include:
wisdom (rich experiences, a sense of history); being over having; patience; courage (saying yes to
God strongly and joyfully); prayerfulness (familiarity with God); acceptance; peace; hope;
love/charity (visiting one another, a kind word); honesty (no pretense); graciousness and a grateful
heart; a sense of humor and a sense of freedom; simplification and focus in one=s life (Blessed are
the pure of heart, for they shall see God).
D.
A 17th Century Nun: Lord, you know better than I that I am growing older and will some day
be old. Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and
on every occasion. Release me from craving to straighten out everybody=s affairs. Make me
thoughtful but not moody: helpful but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a
pity not to use it all, but you know Lord, that I want a few friends at the end.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point. Seal
my lips on my aches and pains. They are increasing, and love of rehearsing them is becoming
sweeter as the years go by. I dare not ask for grace to enjoy the tales of others= pains, but
help me to endure them with patience.
I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility and a lessing cocksureness
when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others. Teach me the glorious lesson
that occasionally I may be mistaken.
Keep me reasonably sweet; I do not want to be a Saint - some of these are so hard to live with
- but a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil. Give me the ability to see
good things in unexpected places and talents in unexpected people. And give me, O Lord,
the grace to tell them so. Amen.
COLLOQUY: Thank God for calling me, missioning me at every stage of my life. Pray for the
deep sense of God=s accompanying me on my journey (AI am with you always@ - Emmanuel). Pray
17
for the grace to fulfil my mission. We have come from the Father, we now, in the power of the
Spirit, follow the Son on his journey as we return to the hands of a loving God and Father.
STAY WITH US, FOR IT IS TOWARD EVENING AND THE DAY IS NOW FAR
SPENT. LK. 24: 29
++++++++++++++++
DAY FIVE. THE FUTURE: LIFE LEADING TO EVERLASTING LIFE. CALLING FOR
THE VIRTUES OF HOPE AND COURAGE , FOR LIFE AND FOR LOVE.
Theme of the Our Father for Day Five: ALEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER
US FROM EVIL. AMEN.@
We pray for the grace of final perseverance, that we be ready to
meet the Lord when he calls.
COMPOSITION OF PLACE:
Two suggestions.
1. THE FATHER IN THE STORY OF THE PRODIGAL SON. AWhile he was yet at a distance, his
father saw him and had compassion, and ran, and embraced him and kissed him.@ Lk.15:20 This
is one of the most beautiful and powerful images in the Bible. A loving God, with outstretched
arms, watches, welcomes, and wants to give us new life.
2. JESUS, RISEN LORD APPEARS TO HIS APOSTLES ON EASTER SUNDAY. AWhy are you
troubled?.. See my hands and my feet...@ While they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered, he said
to them: AHave you anything here to eat?@ Lk. 24:38-41. The risen Lord is in our midst too, in
mysterious, faith-filled ways.
GRACE: We ask for strength and courage to continue on the path, the paschal journey with Jesus
to new life -- from grace to glory. For a deepened conviction of God=s love, the love of the Sacred
Heart, in the present, leading us to everlasting love.
1. The Paschal journey continues, from life to death to new life. Our pilgrimage to the Athird day.@
The mystery of the Christian life, how we are already saved and we are not yet saved. During his
public ministry even though he was already graced with the baptism of John, Jesus explained AI
have a baptism still to be baptized with.@ By this he was referring to his death and resurrection.
We move through the Second and Third Weeks to the Fourth Week of the Exercises. One
might even say that we are even moving ahead in our imagination to the Fifth Week - to the eternal
sabbath of the kingdom of heaven.
A. The Lord is my Shepherd... Psalm 23. Pray the entire Psalm slowly, with confidence and trust.
B.
AI press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus@ Phil. 3: 14
Paul employs the image of the race. The journey or race we are engaged in leads to everlasting
18
life.
C. ANow that we are reconciled, we shall be saved by his life@ (Rom. 5:10). Paul points to
reconciliation already present and at work, yet its fullness still lies ahead of us.
D.
Jesus Christ, may your death be my life and in your dying may I learn how to live. May your
struggles be my rest, your human weakness my courage, your embarrassment my honor, your
passion my delight, your sadness my joy, in your humiliation may I be exalted. In a word,
may I find all my blessings in your trials. Amen.
Blessed Peter Faber, S.J.
E. The Experience of the Third Day. In the Bible, the experience of the third day refers to an
experience of new life after a time of suffering and waiting. Thus Jonah on the third day is ejected
onto dry land from the belly of the whale. Paul, after being blinded, receives his sight back on the
third day. Lazarus returns to life on the third day. Jesus is found in the temple on the third day, and
above all Jesus is raised from the dead Aon the third day.@ We pray that we move to this third day of
new life.
2. Eucharist as the food for the journey, the bread of life, the pledge of the future banquet.
The Eucharistic celebration spans time past, present and future. At the holy banquet (sacrum
convivium) we look back to the Last Supper and the sacrifice on Calvary; in the present we
experience God=s saving grace, and we look forward to future glory.
A. Isaiah, 25:6. AOn this mountain, the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of fat things,
a feast of wine... He will swallow up death for ever, and God will wipe away tears from all
faces...@
B. Jesus assures his disciples: AI assign to you a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table
in my kingdom@ (Lk. 22:29-30).
3. Death as the way to life - preparation, planning for life.
A. AIt is the only real thing to look forward to!@ J.C. Murray, S.J. The best is yet to come.
A story on the inevitability of death: The preacher=s topic was the evil of sin.
He waxed eloquently on death, on the punishments and sufferings in hell. He shouted out: APrepare!
Everybody in this parish is going to die!@ A small man in the front pew began to laugh. The
preacher, shocked, asked how he could be laughing. The small man answered: AThank God - I=m
not from this parish. I=m just visiting my sister here.@
B. St. Paul, who has labored for Christ, looks forward to eternal life with Christ. AFor me, to live is
Christ, and to die is gain@ (Phil. 1:20). The friendship with Jesus which began in this life
progresses steadily and joyfully to its completion in the kingdom of heaven.
C. AIf we live, we live to the Lord; if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or die, we
19
are the Lord=s@ ( Rom. 14:7-8). We live free from fear, because we are in the hands of a loving
God.
D. Preface for the Mass for the dead: ALord, for your faithful people, life is changed, not ended.@
We look forward not to death, but to eternal, unending life.
E. Preparing for Death: One might, with the help of family, friend, or fellow religious, concretely
imagine one=s immediate preparation for death, and one=s funeral Mass and burial. This could be
written out made available for one=s superior. Among the items to be discussed would be the
songs and the Scripture readings, the person you would like to preach the homily. Who might be
asked to be with you in your last days, what photo you like to be remembered by. You might think
of a Amemory box@ into which you place special items that remind you of your family, travels,
assignments, contributions, items or mementos that might be present and part of the wake and
funeral Mass celebration. You might even sketch an obituary, what you consider important and
memorable from your own life.
4. Imagining the new heaven and the new earth.
A. In the Fourth Week of the Spiritual Exercises, # 229. We are to think ahead, imagine what life
in heaven might be like. A ...Call to mind and think on what causes pleasure, happiness, and spiritual
joy, for instance, the glory of heaven.@ Heaven is our true home, and so it makes eminent sense to
look ahead and try to imagine what it might be like.
B. The last part of the final contempation of the Spiritual Exercises, # 237, the Contemplation to
Attain the Love of God, has us AConsider all blessings and gifts as descending from above....
Justice, goodness, mercy, etc. descend from above as the rays of light descend from the sun, and the
waters from their spring.@
We see now pale images of justice and love. In heaven we meet the
fullness.
C. AI create new heavens and a new earth.@ Is. 65:17 In the words of Anthony de Mello, heaven
must be at least as good as the best we can imagine or experience here on earth. Yet of course, we
fall short, because
AEye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man
what God has prepared for those who love him@ (1 Cor. 2:9).
D. AThe wolf shall be a guest of the lamb. The baby shall play by the cobra=s den... There shall be
no harm or ruin on my holy mountain@ (Is. 11:6-9).
E. AI go to prepare a place for you. I will come and take you to myself@ (Jn: 14: 2-3). Jesus speaks
of heaven as the mansion with many rooms, prepared and waiting for those who are faithful.
F. Horace McKenna, S.J. reflects on his death: AWhen (and if) God lets me into heaven, I think
I=ll go off in a corner for a half hour or so and cry, because the strain will be off and the work
20
will be done, and I haven=t been unfaithful or disloyal.@
G. AAt that time, together with the human race, the universe itself will be perfectly re-established in
Christ.@ Lumen Gentium, 48. Not only the human, but all life, indeed the entire universe
will be renewed in Christ.
St. Augustine begins his Confessions professing: AYou have made us for yourself O Lord,
and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.@ God is our creator and wants to be our
goal, and destiny, and wants to meet us at the end of our journey.
At the end of the Confessions he describes heaven as the day of rest, eternal rest.
A Give us the peace that is repose, the peace of the Sabbath, and the peace that knows no
evening. The seventh day has no evening and sinks toward no sunset... when our works are
finished we too may rest in you, in the Sabbath of eternal life... And then you will rest in
us, as now you work in us, and your rest will be rest through us...@
St. Augustine,
Confessions, Bk 13.
H.
5. Courage and freedom.. Self-transcendence, saying YES to life and to love.
Death remains a mystery, and our response to that mystery involves especially the virtues of
faith and hope. In faith and hope, we say YES to the mystery, trusting that the God of life is
stronger than death, that not even death can separate us from the love of God.
A. In the 2nd letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes poignantly of his sufferings and struggles, his
experiences and hopes. We pray for the courage and confidence that Paul speaks of in these
passages. 2 Cor. 1: 4-10; 2 Cor. 4: 7-18, and 2 Cor. 6: 3-10.
Dying, yet we live; sorrowful,
yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, yet possessing everything;
afflicted, but not crushed; struck down, but not destroyed.
B. COME, LORD JESUS! REV. 22:20 The second last verse of the Bible. Maranatha. The
bible ends not by looking back in faith, but by looking ahead in hope to the new heavenly Jerusalem.
C. AFather, into your hands I commend my spirit@ (Lk. 23:46). We, like Jesus, attain freedom
because we place ourselves in the hands of a loving Father. Everything is safe and secure in the
hands and heart of God, where the Father kisses away the tears from the cheeks of His child.
D. ANothing can separate us from the love of God...@ (Rom. 8:38-39). Do we take God at His
Word? This Scriptural verse might be considered our entrance ticket into heaven. The entire
chapter 8 of Paul to the Romans provides much to ponder.
E. ABe of good cheer. I have overcome the world@ (Jn. 16:33). In spite of hardships and
sufferings, we remain optimistic, with a deep down peace, following the life and example of Jesus
Christ who overcame the world.
21
F. AOur citizenship is in heaven. From it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change
our lowly body to be like his glorious
body.@ Phil. 3: 20.
G. I have come to think that the only, the supreme, prayer we can offer up, during these hours when
the road before us is shrouded in darkness, is that of our Master on the cross: INTO YOUR HANDS,
I COMMEND MY SPIRIT. To the hands that broke and gave life to the bread, that blessed and
caressed, that were pierced... to the kindly and mighty hands that reach down to the very marrow of
the soul - that mould and create - to the hands through which so great a love is transmitted - it is to
these that it is good to surrender our soul, above all when we suffer or are afraid. And in so doing
there is a great happiness and great merit.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J.
H.
AMore than ever, I now find myself in the hands of God. This is what I have wanted all my
life, from my youth. And this is still the one thing I want. But now there is a difference: the
initiative is entirely with God. It is indeed a profound spiritual experience to know and feel
myself so totally in his hands.@
(Father Pedro Arrupe, S.J. after his resignation was accepted)
COLLOQUY: Prayerful conversation with Jesus, the Sacred Heart. Jesus Christ is with us, and has
also gone before us, and awaits us with open arms at the heavenly banquet. Say YES to the mystery.
Entrust oneself, hand oneself over to the boundless love of God.
One might also pray to the Trinity, to our God who is Father, Son, and Spirit. Thus:
Colloquy with God, a loving Father, our origin and destiny, source of all love. Colloquy with the
Son, the revelation and sign of God=s boundless love. Colloquy with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of
love who dwells in our hearts.
We conclude with the offering at the end of the Exercises:
AThen I will reflect upon myself, and consider, according to all reason and justice, what I
ought to offer the Divine Majesty, that is, all I possess and myself with it. Thus, as one would do
who is moved by great feeling, I will make this offering of myself:@
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all
that I have and possess. You have given all to me. To You, O Lord, I return it. All is Yours,
dispose of it wholly according to Your will. Give me Your love and Your grace, for this is
sufficient for me (234).
++++++++++++++
Select Bibliography:
22
AThe Dignity of Older People and Their Mission in the Church and in the World,@ Issued from the
Pontifical Laity Council, October 1, 1998 In Origins
Pedro Arrupe, S.J. AThe Eucharist and Youth,@ In Other Apostolatges Today, 283-307.
John C. Futrell, S.J., AGrowing Older Gracefully,@ Human Development, Vol. 3, No. 3, Fall
1982, 6-12.
William C. McInnes, S.J., ARespect for Third-Age Religious,@ Human Development
Vol. 13, No. 1, Spring 1992, 26-31.
Kathleen Fischer, Autumn Gospel ,
N.Y. Paulist Press.
Spirituality and Ageing. A series of essays, most helpful would be:
AThe Spirituality of Old Age,@ by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
AThe Lord=s Prayer, a Prayer of the Ageing,@ by James A. Crampsey, S.J.
Karl Rahner, S.J.
The Challenge of Growing Old,@ in The Religious Life Today
AA Basic Theological and Anthropological Understanding of Old Age,@ in
Theological Investigations, Vol. 22 (N.Y., Crossroads, 1992).
23