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In writing this article on faith and aging, I must first make the disclaimer that I am no expert in the field of geriatrics and still consider myself a relative novice in the life of faith. I am at that stage of life in which I am coming to the acceptance of myself as middle-aged. (That term of course is relative, for some people at my age of 43 might be near the end of their lives, while others never grow this old.) I am no expert then, and write as a student and an observer of others older than I.
In my work as a priest, I have been amazingly blessed in coming to know many wonderful older people who are role models for me of faith, grace-full living, self-acceptance, generous self-giving, joy, and love. The week of my fortieth birthday, I called upon a parishioner who is more than fifty years my senior, who continues to be intellectually vibrant, and was at the time, working on a speech she had been asked to give at an event at the university. Since it was a pleasantly warm June afternoon, she offered me a cool drink while we sat on her verandah. She served our iced cranberry juice with bright yellow napkins that were printed with the phrase "Hill? What hill? I don't remember any hill!!" Laughing, I told her the message was especially appropriate since I had just turned 40. She grinned saying, "Take a whole stack of them then!"
Persons who reach old age will have experienced many joys and blessings and also experienced many losses. There is the loss of professional identity at retirement, along with the focus and structure employment provides. With old age there is a decrease in physical stamina, strength, and coordination. Often vision or hearing becomes impaired, mental acuity generally decreases. Then there is the loss of close friends, spouse, or perhaps even one's own children. One's mortality is difficult to ignore or deny. The trick seems to be, through the working of the Spirit, to receive the gift of joy and wonder in all God's works, including the process of growing old.
I recently asked some older parishioners how they coped with the losses of old age. One person spoke of having a certain sense of detachment from her physical body. Her sense of identity was not dependent upon her body's condition. Though she looked different from the young woman she had once been, she was still the same person inside.
A couple of others spoke of their confidence in eternal life, and their experience of the communion of saints. Though loved ones had died, they don't seem so far away. Somehow their love continues and is a source of comfort.
Another parishioner, despite considerable personal losses and a debilitating illness, has been able to find beauty in each day, to recognize each day, each person met, as a gift.
Each of these people view life through the eyes of faith.
Faith enables us to:
* recognize ourselves as loved and precious in the sight of God;
* gracefully let go of youthful vigor as well as the material "treasures" of this world in favor of God's kingdom;
* experience loss, suffering, and death as temporary afflictions;
* recognize God's kingdom breaking through into this life even in the midst of trials and tribulations;
* and know God's eternal, abundant life and love abide with us forever.
Over the past decade, research published in the American Journal of Psychiatry and Hospital and Community Psychiatry has found that a lively faith contributes to better health and a greater sense of well-being, especially among older people. Among people who rely on their faith to cope with adversity, anxiety and depression are less prevalent. Blood pressure tends to be lower, and there are fewer incidents of stroke and cancer among those who regularly attend religious services. ["Aging and God," by Harold Koenig, M.D.]
I only know that the courage and faith evident in so many of our oldest parishioners are inspiring to me.
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