I was in the doctor's office on Thursday and decided to look at two magazines, which catered to those who are retired.
These types of magazines have names like "Maturity Plus", or "The Best Years", or "Modern Retirement",
I was shocked at what I saw.
An entire world of retirement unfolded in the pages which dealt with one thing only-pleasure.
Articles on sex after retirement, romantic relationships, advertisements for cruises, holidays in every warm place in the world, diets for the retired and even clothing for the comfort of the retired. Housing is also advertised.
The extremely depressing articles in these magazines were the calendars of events for the local retirements condos and communities. Let me make a list. These were daily occurrences.
Bridge and other card games
Dances
Movies
Talks on Flowers or whatever
Craft sales of trivia
Special theme dinners
Field trips
Fashion shows
Parties to cover all the holidays
Health issues seminars
Insurance seminars
More holiday information
Aerobics and other exercises
Golf
Swimming
Shopping trips (Why buy more?)
This is one reason why God lets us age and lose our outward beauty, so that we are faced with working on our inward beauty.
Where is there anything about the following?
Preparing for death
Examination of conscience
Developing a prayer life
Moving into the journey and final stages of purification
Meditations on the Last Four Things: Death, Judgement, Hell, Heaven
Outreach to charities
Counseling younger Christians
Going to Adoration
Praying outside the abortion clinics
Volunteering in churches, food banks, etc.
Spiritual direction
Bible studies
The other worrying thing I saw were services in some of these places in non-denominational chapels with non-denominational chaplains.
Mass? Confession? Adoration?
What have we done and why? God has blessed many of us with the declining years of our lives in order to come closer to him. These years should not be a mirror image of the active years of career or house making, child-bearing or making money.
These are the years left for the building of the interior life of the soul. But, if this generation of the elderly are being taught and encouraged only to think of the exterior and pleasure, as if they are getting their heaven on earth, their earthly reward, they are missing out on the possibility for true holiness, for perfection, which comes not from the pursuit of busyness or trivia, but from reflection, study, reading the Scriptures, intense prayer, quiet.
Not only have we created in the West a youthful generation of narcissists, we have allowed our elderly to fall under the spell of "me-ism". How sad, that some, who thought they were on the way to heaven in their youth, may find the door shut to them at the end of a long life.
Matthew 25:11-13
Douay-Rheims
11 But at last come also the other virgins, saying: Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But he answering said: Amen I say to you, I know you not.
13 Watch ye therefore, because you know not the day nor the hour.
