Forever young and new

THOUGH we cannot avoid aging and getting old, we have to

understand that we are meant to be forever young and new. Aging and

getting old are a matter of time. They are temporal or temporary. They

are more a matter of the physical, material and external. They only

happen in this life here on earth.

  

            But since we are meant to be in eternity with God, we are

actually meant to be young and new and never fading, just like God

himself. To be forever young and new is more a matter of the

spiritual, supernatural and the internal in us.

  

            Though to be forever young and new cannot be achieved here

on earth, we have to understand that we should try our best, together

with God’s grace, to approximate that ideal here on earth. The secret

is in loving—loving God himself and because of our love for God, then

also loving everybody else.

  

            It’s love that is a participation of God’s love for us

that will keep us forever young and new. It will keep us fervent amid

the vagaries of life, strong and focused and with good fighting spirit

as we go through the ravages of life.

   

            We need to keep this love burning always. And again the

secret is always to look for Christ wherever we are, whatever the

situation we will have. We have to learn how to find Christ in

everyone and everything, how to relate everything to him. Everything

is always relatable to Christ, including our mistakes and sins. It’s

he who will show what to do with them.

  

            Toward this end, we have to fight against laziness, both

physical and mental. We always need to submit ourselves to a certain

discipline to keep us fit physically and mentally so as to be able to

engage God properly.

  

            We have to fight against our tendency to take God for

granted. We have to fight against the tendency to fall into

complacency, spiritual dryness and coldness. Indeed, we really need to

sharpen our spirit of mortification, for without it, we really cannot

go far in our prayer and our spiritual duties.

             It’s clear that to keep ourselves young and new in this

life, we need to wage war, a spiritual warfare. And this can be in the

arena of our work today that is now flooded with many new,

fascinating, if also absorbing things. We have to be most careful not

to fall into self-indulgence, obsessions and addictions.

  

            The new technologies will surely give us some high

feelings, but they will only be fleeting and will gradually tie us

down into some kind of addiction. We need to be extra careful with

them, always rectifying our intentions and clearly keeping a sense of

limits in their use so as not to be separated from God. They can be a

sweet poison.

  

            That is why we need to keep ourselves in the presence of

God, and maintain a spirit of prayer. Prayer, combined with recourse

to the sacraments, spirit of sacrifice and ascetical struggle, is the

best anti-aging tool we have at hand. Wrinkles may still come, though

they for sure will be delayed, but the spirit will be forever young

and new.

  

            It is important also that we keep away from any sign of

negativity in thoughts, desires, feelings and words. Try to avoid

keeping grudges. These tire and age our spirit fast. If we cannot say

anything good or positive, it’s better just to keep quiet. When some

critical thoughts come, and they can come quite spontaneously, try to

banish them as soon as possible.

  

            Smiling also helps a lot. Even in physical terms, it makes

us look younger, removing many years away from our face. Let’s always

have a good disposition whatever the situation. All of these can only

happen if we are truly identified with Christ.