Br. Ray Albers
Techny

Psalm 90 says, “The span of our life is seventy years, and eighty for those who are strong, but their whole extent is anxiety and trouble, they are over in a moment and we are gone.” Is it possible that in adding quality, not years, we can come to terms with anxiety and trouble? Probably. As the same Psalm says, wisdom can “teach us to count the days that are ours, and we shall come to the heart of wisdom.” Wisdom adds quality to our life span by integrating faith, hope and love in all our life stages.

Jesus came to the heart of wisdom by passing through the human developmental stages. Already at age twelve Jesus brimmed over with wisdom. So much so that while he was in Jerusalem with his parents, he got carried away in discussions with the temple teachers and missed his caravan going home. Searching anxiously, Mary and Joseph finally found him in the temple. After he returned to Nazareth with his parents, Jesus grew in wisdom, stature and favor with God and people.

I imagine Jesus cried as an infant. Our infant cries are acts of faith. We trust with anxious insistence, hoping someone will take care of our needs. Such faith and hope develop under the authority of caring parents. We learn from our parents to resist impulse and temptation. Faith, hope and goodwill cannot be over-stressed in the initial stages of life. Service to others and faithfulness are built on these virtues. As we grow older, wisdom guides faith and hope into a better understanding of love: memories heal, life takes on meaning and we move genially on.

When the time comes for us to retire, however, love comes into question as never before; faith struggles with doubt and hope struggles with despair. Retirement is one of those transitions in life when we either trust or mistrust the One who is leading us onward. In this state of mind we invariably pray, “God, help me to hang on.” Our intuition might tell us: “Let go, accept feelings—the journey continues through gloomy days as well as through bright sunny ones.”

Entering retirement can be as hope-filled as entering a new career. Faith and good works are part and parcel of the trip ahead. But we may also ask, “How can good works be found in old age and infirmities?” Again the answer is in the wisdom of appreciating the present moment, not in dwelling in the past. If ever there was a prayer for the aging process, it is the Serenity Prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Wisdom uses anxiety as a fulcrum to balance our ups and downs. On the downswing, I may think, “I can’t do this any more.” On the upswing, I may think, “I can try something new.” Eventually you will have to decide what to do. The trouble is you may think it’s too late. Here Henry Wadsworth Longfellow tossed me a lyric from Morituri Saltamos: “Ah, nothing is too late, till the tired heart ceases to palpitate. For age is opportunity, no less than youth itself, though in another dress.”

All my life I wanted to play a musical instrument. I dreamed of getting a keyboard, but thought my brain cells were too old for that sort of thing. Fr. Ray Quetchenbach, another member of the SVD Techny community, overheard my wish, and the next day I found a keyboard by my door. Grateful for the gift, and the brief lessons he offered, a month later I played my first song ever.

I was once again pleasantly surprised, when knowing my interest in watercolor painting, Fr. Harrie Vanderstappen invited me to go with him to demonstrations by a professional artist. News travels fast. Soon I received two packages in the mail from a ninety-three-year-old friend, Fr. Ray Weisenberger, retired in East Troy, Wisconsin. One package contained a book on how to paint in watercolor, and the other contained the materials. Does God hear our prayers? Does God answer them through others? You bet, but we have to keep a keen eye out for how God works through others.

Watching carefully for how God comes to us through people, for example, I encountered a community member in a wheelchair. There was gloom in the demeanor of Br. Joachim Oros as he wheeled down the corridor. Looking over his glasses, he motioned to me with his crooked finger. “Now what!” I thought, bending over to hear him. “I think I’m losing my mind,” he said, “I can’t reflect anymore.” Knowing his genius, I asked, “How old are you?” Without hesitation he replied, “Why do you ask? I’m ninety-one!” I said, “That’s a very good reflection.” He smiled and wheeled himself into the dining room for lunch. Joachim is an independent fellow. When a helper offered to carry his lunch tray, Joachim waved him off with, “I can do it myself.” In the end Joachim followed the helper to the table and graciously thanked him for carrying his tray.

If in the past we have felt good about helping others, then we should be able to let go and let others feel good about helping us. Faith, hope and love are reciprocal virtues. Our caregivers also believe that, “as long as you did it for the least of your fellows, you did it for me.” Now we should be willing to let others do likewise, because wisdom has the knack of integrating love and gratitude. Mindful of the many people who help us, our Techny residence business manager, Br. Mat Zemel, offers a daily petition for them at our daily Mass: “Let us pray for the benefactors of our Society who have asked for our prayers, for our employees and their families, and for all those who have helped us.” Gratefully, the community responds, “Lord, hear our prayer.”

Wisdom increases as we learn from others. We have many positive ways of learning in our Techny community: one is the ongoing education program of workshops and seminars; another is intergenerational sharing with our young novices who spend their novitiate year in Techny. In this dynamic exchange, the older confreres tell the novices about their ministerial experiences, while the novices listen and learn and sometimes raise questions about new ways of doing ministry. The Spirit is moving the young men into unknown territories, and love pulls the older confreres along with them.

Retirement challenges us not to live in the past but to engage in on-going education. In doing so, we become more supportive of others. Ongoing education does not add years to our lives, but it does enhance the quality of our lives. Wisdom comes in learning how to live more peacefully in a changing world, as we grow older. When we learn, our brain cells actually make new connections. Brain cells are abundant and, as the old brain cells degenerate, new ones are programmed. My friend Fr. Walter Bunofsky drew a good analogy, “The mind is like a parachute, and it works best when it is open.”

Longevity ought not be our goal so much as seeking ways to enhance the quality of our lives through continued growth in understanding and interest in others. The wisdom in my heart knows what I cannot do and what I can do to cross new horizons. As we tread the path to our happy destiny, we can grow into an ageless wisdom—integrating faith, hope and love.

Fr. Ray Quetchenbach, left, gave Br. Ray a keyboard and some lessons on how to play it.

Fr. Harrie Vanderstappen, an accomplished artist himself, invited Br. Ray to attend some painting demonstrations.

Fr. Ray Weisenberger, 93, crafted the wood lectern, altar and candlesticks for Techny Towers’ Africa Chapel. Fr. Ray sent Br. Ray a set of watercolor paints and a book on how to paint in watercolors.

Ninety-one-year-old Br. Joachim

Fr. Walter Bunofsky, 74, retired at Divine Word College, Epworth, Iowa, does carvings in wood as a hobby.

Br. Mathew Zemel has served as treasurer for the Techny community for more than twenty years.