| Eventually Yours
November 16, 2003
Fr. George Smiga
Mark 13:24-32
There was a very successful funeral director who developed his own personal style of letter writing. Before he would sign his name at the end of the letter, he would always close with “eventually yours.” There is no doubt about it. We all will be eventually his, as we will be eventually God's. The reality of death is certain. The older we get, the more clear the certainty of death becomes. Such realizations can lead to fear and discouragement. That is why the image that Jesus uses in today's gospel is so important. Jesus is describing the end of the world and there are many fearful signs: the sun will be darkened, stars will fall from the heavens. But in the midst of this description of gloom and fear, he gives us the example of the fig tree. It is a positive image. It is an image of new life. In the midst of the old world dying, the fig tree buds and puts forth new leaves. I think what Jesus is saying is that as the end draws closer, whether it is the end of the world or the end of our individual lives, there is hope. There are signs of new life. It is a hopeful description, isn't it? It also leads to a question. What are the advantages of growing older? What are the new buds, the new life that come with advancing years?
I would suggest two blessings: wisdom and miracles. The older we get, the wiser we can become. Now, of course, it is true that you can find some dense and stubborn old people. But most of us learn from our experiences. Most of us realize that we have the opportunity to become wiser. A famous Islamic Sufi teacher describes his development this way: “When I was a young man, I used to pray daily and fervently that I would have the courage to change the world. By the time I became middle-aged, I realized that I had not changed one single person, and so I changed my prayer. I began to pray for the grace to change the people around me, to influence my family or friends. Now that I am old, I have changed my prayer again. Now I pray for the grace to change myself. Had I had the wisdom to pray that prayer from the start, I would have so much more to show for my life.”
Wisdom can grow as we grow older. We can learn to think before we speak. We can learn to consult before we act. We can recognize the ebb and flow of life and determine when we need to push forward and when we need to hold back. In the famous prayer of Alcoholics Anonymous: “Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Wisdom grows with age. So do miracles. Now when I talk of miracles, I am not talking about the sun standing still or the appearance of some heavenly being. I am referring to the ordinary miracles that shape and direct our lives. Those miracles become clear in retrospect. It is only when we look back over many years of living that we begin to discern the powerful ways that God has been loving us.
It is here that those who are older have a distinct advantage. It is when you are celebrating your fortieth wedding anniversary and you look back, that you realize the miracle of that day long ago, when you overcame your hesitation and accepted that blind date and therefore met the person that you now have loved for almost a half a century. It is when you retire after a successful career and look back, that you recognize the miracle of meeting that person who by example was the one who showed you the value of the career which has now blessed you for a lifetime. It is when you have been friends with someone for many years that you understand the miracle of the relationship—that despite all the ups and downs of life and the many friendships that came to an end, this one continues. Here is someone you can still talk to, you can still laugh with, you still care for. Most important dimensions of life seem like “business as usual” when you're living them. It is only when you look back, that you are shocked by the power they have had to shape your life. It is only in retrospect that they emerge as true miracles. And the older you are, the more miracles you see.
Wisdom and Miracles are the gifts of growing older. They are meant to be shared. So if you have been around for a half a century or more and you are beginning to feel the limitations of growing older, would it not be a good idea to claim its benefits, as well? You have a wisdom. Spread it around. There are miracles that have happened in your life. Tell them to others, to your family, to the people you know, even to strangers that you meet. If you are a young person, this homily is for you, as well. If you are fortunate to know elderly people who you respect, why not choose to ask their advice, to seek their wisdom? Why not invite them to tell you what are the miracles that they have seen in their lives? Think of all that we are losing by not asking our grandparents, our parents and others: What do you know? What are the miracles that have shaped your life?
I am serious about this! Think of the power that would be released if you provide an opportunity to others to tell you of the wisdom and miracles which they have accumulated over a life-time. Please make a decision to do it. Ask them today. Call them up this week. If you are embarrassed, tell them you went to church and the priest told you, you had to do it. Do not let the opportunity slip by. Time, after all, is growing short.
What are the advantages of growing older? They are certainly not increased flexibility or greater energy. But there is more wisdom and more miracles to share. So share them. Claim them as your own, as part of the gift of growing older. So that when, in time, you become eventually God's, you might be able to say, “Lord, I thank you for all the blessings of my life. But the ones that you gave me at the end—they were the best of all!”
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