Fr. Jack and his mother, Florence Loughran, in
Annecy, France. They were celebrating her 76th and his 48th birthday.
This week is my birthday and it’s a big one! I just turned 70! Although, it’s not as big as my mother’s who turns 98 the same day. She’s a pro at this aging stuff. Like many people, I don’t think of myself as being as old as I am, but that fact remains - I am 70. I don’t have the stamina or even the ambition to do all that I did when I was younger. I even find myself thinking about stepping back from ministry to some degree and lightning my schedule.
The rub is that I have vowed to be an Oblate for a lifetime, and the life-view of an Oblate is a man passionate and fully engaged in the service of God’s people. Looking back over my life as an Oblate, I can’t say that I’ve always fulfilled that view in my ministry, but I certainly have given a lot of myself to the mission of the Oblates and the church. When I think of stepping back, I find myself thinking of the excitement and joy I had when I first began priestly ministry, and I ask myself, “What happened to all that? Am I being selfish or self-centered with this idea of stepping back?”
At least part of the answer to those questions came in a reflection by Fr. Ron Rohlheiser, OMI in his weekly column. Published on January 1, 2002, he composed ten commandments for the new year, these commandments are intended as spiritual sustenance, sustaining food, for those who walk the lonely, long road of faith and often find themselves discouraged and running out of gas. They don’t offer a quick fix, but point out the right direction within which we should be walking and where, if we cast our eyes at the right spot, we might find God’s food for the journey. The answer to my aging dilemma is found in his 9th commandment. Rohlheiser writes:
Commandment 9: Accept Aging
“Rely more on the paschal mystery than on cosmetics. All that dies brings rich new life, even our own bodies. Paschal wisdom will do more for your joy than a face-lift. Aging needs to be defined aesthetically. Your soul must be properly aged before it leaves your body, like an old wine-barrel, it takes on a different function and beauty as you age. Aging is an art form.”
Remembering the words of Luke 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” I am mindful of this wonderful, precious gift Christ has given us for a lifetime. It is meant to shine on the darkness of sin and evil as a beacon of healing and hope. God has given each and every one of us a different way to love and serve. The light He’s asking us to shine is Him, not us. He wants us to showcase His love, mercy and might, not our own. There is no such thing as a light that’s too small or too plain. The Gospel encourages us to trust Him to point us to the places that need His light, and He promises to send us with exactly the perfect wattage to show Him to those who need to see. Certainly Christ knows this light will be tempered by our gifts and abilities, and yet effective through his grace regardless of the type or the power of the gifts we have been given. No matter how youthful and full of vigor, or seasoned and weary we may be, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!
Blessings,
Fr. Jack
Fr. Jack Loughran, OSFS
Toledo-Detroit Province
