by Maureen Pratt
Much has been said of the historic nature of Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to resign, but I am struck by something much more personal, something that resonates with those of us who are aging.
When we approach a certain age, frailties begin to surface and they interfere with the desire to keep carrying out our respective vocation. It brings up a variety of questions.
When is it time to stop working? When do we let go? When do we move from one career, one way of living, to another type of living? This new way of living might seem less productive, active or prestigious.
How do we make the transition? Do we go kicking and screaming? Hastily? Gracefully?
Well before these questions loom, what tools do we use to answer, to make our decisions? Do we rely on financial calculations or on careful assessment of our physical condition?
In my case, the transition from being a full-time employee to not working at all was abrupt and unplanned. I walked into a doctor’s office to find out that something was wrong with me. I was diagnosed with lupus. I had doctor’s orders to stop working and doing the leisure activities I had enjoyed. I was in my mid-30s and immediately began to struggle with the question, What’s next?
Some people plan for decades what they will do when the time comes to retire. Even then, economic and lifestyle factors might be easier to assess than those deeply human longings of serving and doing something of value.
With retirement, life does not end. It changes, profoundly, in personal and professional ways. Adapting to these changes can be difficult, even when the moment is eagerly anticipated.
I appreciate Pope Benedict’s humility expressed in his explanation for his decision. I am encouraged and inspired by his acknowledgment that he will not sit idle but will continue his ministry, albeit different in form from that of his work as supreme pontiff. And I am grateful that he communicated to us his reliance on prayer as central to the decision he ultimately made.
Perhaps at a certain age or stage in life our current occupation is no longer something to which we can do justice or for which we are no longer fit. Perhaps we are right in stepping away and allowing others to serve at work, at a volunteer position or at another activity. But this does not mean that God is finished with us yet.
In retirement, the closing of one door opens others. Along with our financial calculations and retirement planning, reliance upon prayer and discernment of God’s will can assist us in knowing when and through which door we shall go.