Often called the “Midlife Crisis”, this significant period of transition in life is an encounter with the increasing limitations of aging, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Our middle life is a time to reassess our first decades in which the focus is primarily the building of identity (who I am) and intimacy, belonging, connection (who I am with). It is also a time that challenges us to consider what we will leave behind us when we die – will we be remembered for a worthwhile presence in the world that brought insight, laughter, alleviation from suffering, or some other generative wisdom? Or will our lives be forgotten as meaningless and fruitless, or remembered for being “cranky old people”, difficult to live with, “old fools”, or embittered men and women? Hopefully the former.
This two-day seminar was offered in June 2022 by Chris Chaplin MSC for the Divine Word Missionaries sabbatical program held at Nemi, an hour out of Rome. A PDF version of the PowerPoint of his presentation is made available here for your reflection along with some of the texts and exercises he referred to.