Pilgrimage Into The Last Third Of Life

How shall we spend our God-gift of an extra three decades? The Last Third of life (age 60 and beyond) offers significant challenges that Thibault and Morgan propose we approach as a pilgrimage. Their scripture-based meditations and reflection questions examine 7 tasks essential to living the Last Third fearlessly and with purpose:

Is there any good news in the "Good News" for older adults? We're living longer. In fact, people 85 and older are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. Life expectancy is increasing in all developed countries in the world. With the gift of longer life, though, comes pain. The worst physical ailments and frailties may seem inconsequential when compared to the feelings of emotional and spiritual abandonment that many elders report today: "I can't relate to Jesus' message any longer. The gospel calls for action. I can't do what Christ wants me to do, and I feel guilty." "The Old Testament comforts me more than the New Testament. These writings relate to my situation more since I'm old, flat on my back, and utterly dependent on others." "The church has no place for old people." "I feel that I have outgrown Jesus —he's for beginners in the spiritual life." Out of Thibault's reflection on the relevance of the gospel to later life comes hope. "While secular society offers long-term care insurance, Jesus offers the promise of abundant life in the here and now as well in heaven," Thibault says. Each chapter of 10 Gospel Promises for Later Life addresses a fear about aging and faith and gives an example of its negative effect on a person's daily life. Next you'll find a response, the promise of the gospel, the assurance of God's constant love that offers hope in all circumstances. Identify your own fears (or the fears of a loved one) about aging, and learn from Thibault's sensitive study how to make the most of God's gift of longer life. Questions for personal reflection or group discussion are included at the end of each chapter, making it an ideal book for individuals or classes.

You can only go so far for so long before you find the limits of yourself. For Phileena Heuertz that moment arrived, mercifully, around the same time as a sabbatical to mark her twelfth year of service with Word Made Flesh, a ministry to some of the poorest people in the world. With six months' respite from the daily task of serving those who have nothing, Phileena rediscovered the genius of contemplative spirituality. Activists often see contemplation as a luxury, the sort of thing that must necessarily be laid aside in the quest to see the world set aright. But in Pilgrimage of a Soul we see that contemplation is essential--not only to a life of sustained commitment to the justice and righteousness of God, but to the growth in faith and discipleship that the Holy Spirit beckons each of us to. Tracing seven movements from a kind of sleepfulness to a kind of wakefulness, Heuertz shows us that life is a journey that repeats itself as we are led by Christ deeper and deeper into our true selves and a truer knowledge of God.

We all encounter times when our spirit feels dry, when doubt looms. The opportunity to tour Israel came at a good time. For months, my life has been a mindless plodding through necessary routine, as monotonous as an all-night shift on an assembly line. Life gets that way sometimes, when nothing specific is wrong but the world around us seems drained of color. Even my weekly worship experiences and daily quiet times with God have felt as dry and stale as last year's crackers. I'm ashamed to confess the malaise I've felt. I have been given so much. Shouldn't a Christian's life be an abundant one, as exciting as Christmas morning, as joyful as Easter Sunday? With gripping honesty, Lynn Austin pens her struggles with spiritual dryness in a season of loss and unwanted change. Tracing her travels throughout Israel, Austin seamlessly weaves events and insights from the Word . . . and in doing so finds a renewed passion for prayer and encouragement for her spirit, now full of life and hope.

Elie tells the story of four modern American Catholics who made literature out of their search for God: Thomas Merton; Dorothy Day; Walker Percy; and Flannery OConnor.

A book about aging and dying, written in the language of hope and peace. Also features a surprising amount of Philadelphia Soul.

From "No Use Denying It" to "Keeping the Spirit Renewed," Dick Morgan here offers six themes right on target for older adults. The sixty-two meditations in No Wrinkles on the Soul are ideal for individual or small-group devotions. Each meditation presents a suggested Scripture reading, a printed Bible verse, and a reading for reflection. These meditations relate honestly to the variety of situations in which older adults may find themselves living--in their own home, in a retirement center, in a nursing home, or in the home of a relative.

Let's go for walk. A very long walk. A journey down the pilgrim's path. Traipsing through the forest of life. Climbing over the mountains of adversity. Enduring the climate of challenge. Over the course of countless miles and numerous days, we will mine the golden wisdom hidden within our pilgrimage experience.

Peace Pilgrim was born Mildred Lisette Norman to Ernest and Josephine Norman in 1908 on a poultry farm in Egg Harbor City, New Jersey. Her father was a carpenter, and her mother was a tailor. Mildred Lisette Norman adopted the name "Peace Pilgrim" in 1953 in Pasadena, California, and walked across the United States for 28 years. 'Peace Pilgrim: her life and work in her own words' was compiled by some of her friends in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1982. Composed mainly in her own words except for the reproduced newspaper articles and the introduction. There are comments by people she met while on her 28 year pilgrimage for peace.