M<\/span>y age is the right age.<\/p>\nAt least that\u2019s what one of my seminary profs taught:<\/p>\n
\u201cMy age is the right age, and it increases annually.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of our Parish Ministry Teams consists of a group of ladies (occasionally a gent), along with a priest, who go together to call on those requesting a visit and\/or the recently or terminally ill. On second glance, you must admit, that previous sentence is curiously \u2014 technically poorly \u2014 worded. Without a doubt, we are all terminal! And there\u2019s no other occasion that reminds us of this quite like Christmas.<\/p>\n
Recently, on one of the Visitation Team\u2019s outings, we were accompanied by a little girl. My wife had a doctor\u2019s appointment, which (probably due to age) I\u2019d forgotten when scheduling, thus my youngest got to ride around with the Team. I\u2019ve even gotten to that stage of life where I can join in the conversations about physical ailments, skin blotches, surgeries, creams, vitamins, and the like. In fact, on that day, I mentioned something I recently noticed about myself and one of the ladies said, \u201cFather, it\u2019s probably just Ay Gee Eee.\u201d It took me a sec \u2014 A.G.E. \u2014 we laughed. This started the swap-a-woe dialogue where we all lamented our various ailments. After a while a four year old voice piped up from the back seat: \u201cI had an ear infection one time!\u201d<\/p>\n
Even at an early age, we try to fit in, to find our place.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re like me, you\u2019re often tempted to wish you\u2019d been born in another age \u2014 one with a little less of this, a bit more of that \u2014 leaning toward Virtue, goodness, Andy & Barney; fleeing today\u2019s fickle flash, flesh and flunkies.<\/p>\n
But, really. Age plays tricks on you.<\/p>\n
For instance, this time of year, there\u2019s lots of picture-taking. I\u2019ve been known to see the most recent photo of myself and think, even say: \u201cGosh! That doesn\u2019t even look like me!\u201d Someone, maybe wife or kids will say: \u201cYes you do!\u201d I\u2019ll study the picture and think to myself, \u201cBoy, I\u2019m old \u2026 fat \u2026 ugly\u201d \u2026 something. Years later I might happen upon the same picture and think: \u201cWow! Look how good I looked!\u201d Or, I think to myself, \u201cHmm \u2026 I was skinny, young \u2026 handsome\u201d \u2026 or some such.<\/p>\n
Maybe it\u2019s just me, but you really can\u2019t judge by age. I wouldn\u2019t trust pictures either. Watch the national news \u2026 \u201cThere\u2019s bad news tonight \u2026 the country is bad \u2026 the president is bad \u2026 global warming \u2026 everything is bad (now a word from our sponsor).\u201d The local news \u2026 \u201cA murder today \u2026 a kidnapping too \u2026 a gun at school \u2026 auto accident \u2026 poverty \u2026 (now this).\u201d The internet is certainly no better.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy age is the right age \u2026 and it increases annually.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is true, not only for our individual ages, but the age in which we live. God knows what He\u2019s about \u2014 which means we are placed right where we\u2019re supposed to be. The earth continues to circle a star; thus, that age increases annually.<\/p>\n
Ages ago, St Paul wrote:<\/p>\n
When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry (Col.3:4-5).<\/em><\/p>\nMind you, he\u2019s talking to Christians here!<\/p>\n
On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you once walked, when you lived in them. But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and foul talk from your mouth (Col.3:6-8).
<\/em>
Sound familiar?<\/p>\nDo not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all (Col.3:9-11).
<\/em>
Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, I confess, it is true \u2026 we are living in the latter days. But when it comes to sin, transgressing the law, prejudices, falling short, and really making a mess of things \u2014 there is nothing new under the sun. It has been so in every age. And, undoubtedly, this side of Paradise, the same shall occur till the end of the age.<\/p>\nIn the meantime, this is our time. This time, ever fleeting and often disappointing, is the time that God has given us. It may look better in the rearview mirror or in the crystal ball, yet both are an illusion. The time that we have is now. We, by God\u2019s grace, are the light of the world \u2014 in our age, for this age \u2014 because we have entered into that Life which is the Light, none other than the God-Man, Christ the Lord.<\/p>\n
Brethren, let us not be conformed to this age. Rather, whatever our age, this is our age to bear witness to the Light \u2014 Who has promised to be with us always \u2026 even until the close of the age.<\/p>\n
And, in any age \u2014 at<\/em><\/strong> any age \u2014 that\u2019s Good News.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"My age is the right age. At least that\u2019s what one of my seminary profs taught: \u201cMy age is the right age, and it increases annually.\u201d One of our Parish Ministry Teams consists of a group of ladies (occasionally a gent), along with a priest, who go together to call on those requesting a visit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1691,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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