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September 1
Saint John Paul II talk for im 1999 Letter to Old People say: “We need to quickly get back the correct way to look life as one whole. The correct way na to look am with eternity for mind, because every stage of life na preparation wey get meaning for eternity. Old age too get im own proper role for this process as person dey mature small-small along the road to eternity” (#10). Na true—we dey live for one very important time for our lives, as we dey prepare for eternity.
September 2
Saint Gregory Nazianzus share one beautiful thought for im Talk as I Return from Countryside, wey Saint John Paul II quote. E say person “no go grow old for spirit, but e go accept the end of im body as the time wey dem don set for the freedom wey must come. E go gently cross enter the life beyond, where young age or old age no dey, but where everybody don reach perfect maturity for spirit” (Letter to Old People, #12).
September 3
For the years wey I don serve as priest, bishop go sometimes give me new assignment, and I go need tell the people wey I love goodbye, then move go parish wey I never know. Acts 18:10 na one great comfort for me whenever I do like that. E describe how Paul dey move go another port, with these words wey Jesus tell am to give am courage: “…because I get plenty people for this city.” I never know anybody for my new parish, but God Himself don give me Im word say Im people don already dey there dey wait for me. You know, those words still fit work when we apply dem to Heaven.
September 4
Na something wey plenty people dey experience: as we dey old, that strong desire to rise for life and get power dey pass, or at least e dey reduce well-well, and Peace dey take im place. Plenty people dey wonder at how much time and effort dem use pursue those things before, as dem now dey enjoy the “space to breathe” wey dem get because dem don let go of those strong desires for power and high position.
September 5
The blessings of old age dey important, dem deep, and dem real. As we dey old, we hope say we go fit see life as one whole. We go fit know which goals truly suppose come first. We go gain understanding of history, wey young people too need receive from us. We fit help people know wetin truly dey important. In short, the years fit bring wisdom and understanding of the meaning of life, wey go be blessing for both young people and people wey dey middle age.
September 6
The more we dey aware of the loving plan wey God get for each of us as we dey go through life, the less e go likely be say we go need struggle with regret when we don old.
September 7
Saint John Paul II talk about the extraordinary grace wey dey for growing old: “…dem (people wey dey grow old) don enter one period of extraordinary grace, with new opportunities for prayer and union with God…(dem don) receive new spiritual strength (na me put the words for italics) wey dem fit use serve other people and offer their lives with strong devotion to the Lord and Giver of life” (Talk wey John Paul II Give to People wey Attend the International Forum on How to Stay Active as Person Dey Old, #4).
September 8
I hear one sweet little saying the other day: As person dey grow old, e go move from asking “How I take bear with am?” to “How e (and even God) take ever bear with me?”
September 9
E get one way wey, as we dey old, we need free our hearts from the things wey we fit don hold tight for the earlier parts of our lives. One of the most important things wey we need let go of na any anger or refusal to forgive wey remain from those earlier days. We fit need forgive ourselves and other people, and some people fit even feel say dem need “forgive” God. No doubt, none of us don live exactly the kind life wey we plan. To forgive na important work as we dey old.
September 10
We hope say humility go dey grow inside us as we dey old. We no need make everybody attention dey on us again. We fit happily watch the joy, energy and goodness of the generations wey dey come after us.
September 11
We hope say we go dey live with more simplicity as we dey old. We go let go of any pretence say we sabi the ways of the world pass others. The best way to approach the deepest truths of life na with simplicity and honesty like that of small pikin.
September 12
Meister Eckhart once talk say, “Nothing resemble God reach silence.” As we dey old, God dey call us to enter deeper and deeper into that language of silence.
September 13
Wetin fit help person stay strong and active for old age: Heart wey dey thankful and dey wonder at great things; value for life; desire to learn and grow; mind wey dey expect good things.
September 14
For old age, we fit thank God say we still get some time left, and at the same time thank Am say that time no go last forever. To realise say we no go live forever dey really help clear our mind and, where e need, help us correct some things.
September 15
Pray for death wey bring joy. Those words no dey contradict each other. Death wey we don ready for, and wey we enter with our Lord Jesus, na death wey bring joy true true.
September 16
You don ever hear the expression “greatness of soul?” Person wey get this kind greatness for soul na person wey dey first show love, wey ready to forgive, wey the beautiful things for life dey fill with wonder, and wey love im God well well. Na wonderful way to be, wey good make person aim for.
September 17
Catholic tradition dey talk about the “four last things.” Dem be Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. Even to think about that list dey show us how important those realities be.
September 18
Write your own list of “things wey dey bring joy wey old age keep for us.” I sure say some things for there go surprise you. We don dey used to the list of “crosses of old age,” and those crosses real, no doubt, but things wey dey bring joy dey too. E good make we dey fully aware of dem.
September 19
The Catholic writer Thomas Howard quote one list of attitudes wey the saints recommend for us for old age: to accept wetin come, to gather our mind for God’s presence, to give things up, to no let things hold our heart, silence, waiting, patience, to draw back from activities, simplicity, stillness, and contentment. Na serious list, no be so? (Howard 2007)
September 20
One Jesuit theologian, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, leave one beautiful prayer and reflection about death for us inside im book The Divine Milieu. For one part, e pray, “…for that last moment when I feel say I dey lose hold of myself and I no fit do anything at all inside the hands of the great unknown forces wey don form me; for all those dark moments, O God, grant me to understand say na You…dey separate the fibres wey make up my being with pain, so that You fit enter the very innermost part of wetin I be and carry me away inside Yourself” (Teilhard de Chardin, 89-90).
September 21
The words wey John the Baptist talk about Jesus fit us well too, no be so? E cry out, “E must dey become greater, and I must dey become smaller.” That one na good prayer for our lives too.
September 22
For one real way, as we dey grow old, we dey enter new world, where we dey become smaller and E must dey become greater. Work wey we dey finish quick before fit now take the whole day; words wey we fit remember anytime before, we no fit remember dem again; our health don weaken; our mind dey wander more when we pray; we no dey finish work; some faults wey we hope to overcome still dey there, and dem no gree go; the sleep wey we plan to get when life don slow down no dey come. In short, we dey become smaller—dear Lord, abeg, become greater inside me!
September 23
I love the “Suscipe” prayer of Saint Ignatius of Loyola: “Take, Lord, receive all my freedom, my memory, my understanding, my whole will…Na You give me all of dem, and I dey return dem to You.” Na prayer wey person use surrender im whole self with peace into the arms of our God.
September 24
Saint Paul talk say, “We carry this treasure inside clay pots” (2 Corinthians 4:7). E good make we reflect on the two sides of that comparison. We truly be clay pots wey no go last forever. But the treasure wey go last forever dey inside us too—our Lord Jesus Christ and life with Am.
September 25
One beautiful prayer to Saint Peter: “O glorious Apostle, pray for us, so that as we dey free from all sin, we go fit live and die inside God’s grace…as we dey draw nearer to the end of life, make we grow every day for how we know and love Jesus Christ…pray for us now and for the hour of our death. Then come, blessed Apostle, and carry us go meet Jesus, so that we too go fit love forever. Amen.”
September 26
When Pope Benedict XVI visit Lourdes on September 15, 2008, e give us this beautiful prayer: “To those wey dey suffer and those wey dey struggle and dey face temptation to turn their back on life: turn towards Mary!…With her too, we dey find the grace to accept, without fear or bitterness, to leave this world for the hour wey God choose.”
September 27
Pope Francis talk about growing old: “I dey happy! And na calm happiness, because for this age, person no dey get the same kind happiness wey young person get again; difference dey. One kind inner peace dey, one strong sense of peace, of happiness, wey dey come with age…For me, e truly be grace from God” (Inside the Vatican, April 2014).
September 28
For im 1999 Letter to Old People (#13), Saint John Paul II give these words wey dey encourage us: “When God allow us to suffer because of sickness, loneliness or other reasons wey concern old age, E always dey give us the grace and strength to join ourselves with greater love to the sacrifice of Im Son…Make we sure of this: E be our Father, Father wey full of love and mercy!”
September 29
Life for Heaven na life wey dey full to the highest degree with strength and blessedness—one kind blessedness wey we no dey find for Earth.
September 30
Heaven na di moment of love wey no dey end. Nothing dey separate us from God, wey our souls don dey seek all our life. To see God face to face na one moment of love wey no go ever end.
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