"The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman
took and mixed in with three measures of flour until
all of it was leavened." Matthew 13:33
took and mixed in with three measures of flour until
all of it was leavened." Matthew 13:33
Spiritual Eldering vision mediated by a rabbi and a nun
Originally published in E-Leaven, August 30, 2009, Issue
14
by Carol Sullivan
Carol Sullivan, PhD, is an MPB member who took Spiritual Eldering two years ago. She has written previously for Leaven. She adds that an exercise on forgiveness, framed as “A Banquet for My Severest Teachers,” permeates her prayer life, as does the biblical exhortation to “Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ (Eph. 4:32).”
It’s a quirky mix: a course on spiritual aging offered by a Catholic educator-scholar-Franciscan nun who studied with a rabbi. The 22-week course, Spiritual Eldering, is grounded in the work of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. His book From Age-ing to Sage-ing, helps participants face the losses of aging while harvesting their life’s experiences and releasing anger and bitterness through forgiveness.
Macrina Scott, OSF, teaches the course. She affirms Spiritual Eldering as a path that “makes us free to serve our world as wise elders." Director of the Wisdom Center at Most Precious Blood in Denver, she is an author of numerous books and the founder and former director of the Catholic Biblical School.
Nora Jacquez, a retired attorney and member of St. Ignatius Parish, undertook Sr. Macrina’s Spiritual Eldering course three years ago at MPB and found herself “evolving from a rote learner to someone who really began to understand what it means to have the gift of faith. My sense of gratitude for my life has become an integral part of me. I believe that this gratitude helps me be more aware and compassionate of others.”
Sal Varela, a parishioner at Queen of Peace in Aurora, wryly observes that aging can bring a loss of familiar things, a loss of independence, and “I have lost most of my friends so that they may not attend my funeral.” Sal, who took the course two years ago, attests, “My dependence on God increases faith and allows me to shape my death, and each event calls out to me to change.” A retired independent mediator, Sal was given "The Archbishop Jose H Gomez Award” in 2005 for leadership in social justice.
A Good Shepherd parishioner, Bobbie Hobbs describes herself as a member of the sandwich generation, who alongside her husband raised two children while caring for ill parents and working full time. Four years ago she retired as head of Children's Garden Montessori School in Denver.
“Sr. Macrina's 22 weekly sessions gave me a chance to make sense of my life's journey,” Bobbie said, noting that the sunset years are portrayed in popular culture as couples walking along a beach or playing golf, bolstered by pharmaceuticals. In contrast, Spiritual Eldering nurtured “a wonderful year of sharing, of learning more about myself and learning of opportunities to give to others.” Three years later, “We are still meeting on our own to support each other as we travel down the road as elders.”
Classes meet weekly from 9:30-11:30 am Tuesdays starting Sept. 29 at Queen of Peace in Aurora, or Thursdays starting Oct. 1 at MPB in Denver. Fee is $220, with a $50 discount for members of the two parishes where the classes are to be held. Scholarships and payment plans are available.
The Wisdom Center office is at MPB, and Sr. Macrina can be reached there at (303) 756-3083, e-mail macrina@mpbdenver.org. For a PDF brochure on the web, click here - scroll down to “Wisdom Center” and the link to the brochure is just below this heading.