195th Meditation
“Fear not old age; I am eternity” (Inner Word).
Age can bring wisdom. When a person has matured under God’s guidance, they will also be able to pass on this wisdom to others. The Father Himself is present in them. The greatest wisdom consists in doing all that God has entrusted to us in this life with an eye to eternal life.
As long as we do not spoil the garment of grace, the Father will transform our mortal body after our death: “Because this perishable nature of ours must put on imperishability, this mortal nature must put on immortality” (1 Cor 15:53).
In a way, these words of the Letter to the Hebrews also apply to us: “Heaven and earth pass away, but you remain” (Heb 1:11).
As we grow older, each day that passes brings us closer to our heavenly Father, if we remain in His love. God waits for us in eternity, as He accompanies us through this time. Thus, old age becomes a privilege: every day we are closer to eternity and we depart towards the One of whom the Scriptures say:
“Heaven and earth wear out like a garment. Like a cloak you will roll them up, like a garment, and they will be changed. But you never alter and your years are unending” (Heb 1:11b-12).
In eternity the Father will give us the grace to be forever anchored in Him, and nothing and no one – neither from within nor from without – can separate us from God. We will be firmly rooted in Him. There will be no more temptations, no more uncertainties, no more hesitations, no more enemies. Towards this goal we are heading, and we are getting closer to it every day.
Therefore, let us not fear old age. Rather, let us place ourselves in the hands of our Father, who, in His loving kindness, is especially close to those who have to walk the last stretch of their lives. Not much longer, and the joy of eternity awaits us, in unbreakable union with our Father.