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4.5
Earlier this year (2013), the Huffington Post reported on a conversation between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama about God and Religion. Titled "God Is Not A Christian" the piece reflected wisdom seldom seen in the Roman Catholic Church that seems to be encumbered with discipline-oriented leaders who focus on orthodoxy, rules, regulations, and sex-related issues.How refreshing it was to come across the book, The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully, by a Catholic nun that exuded wisdom on just about all of its 222 pages. The nun, Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, is a past president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and is the founder of "Benetvision."The book is structured around 41 reflections, beginning each reflection with a well-chosen, tone-setting quotation and ending with succinct remarks related to the burdens and the blessings of the end years. Although aimed at the elderly (65 and beyond), based on more than 82 years of life experience, I believe the book is a gift for a whole lifetime of reading and reflection. Chittister teaches that the end years can be the best years of our life, perhaps the time when we learn what life is actually about. Barring debilitating illness, we have an unfettered opportunity to become the best we can be and so leave the world an incrementally better place for our having there.Because the book is so rich in insights, I found it quite difficult to put it down and take time to think deeply about each reflection -- necessitating a more thoughtful subsequent reading. It was well worth the time and then some.Finally, in its review of The Gift of Years, Publishers Weekly said that Chittister is: "well-known in Catholic circles for her willingness to take on anybody -- even the pope -- in defense of women's rights." Would that the Roman Catholic Church not only had bishops who exhibit her holiness, wisdom and charisma, but also bishops who are dedicated to the service of the People of God rather than to blind allegiance to the Vatican that lacks credibility and is presently burdened with a crisis of faith in its leadership.This book is to be savored by all who think about theirfaith, spiritual life, legacy and ultimate destination.
