by Brother Boniface
(Muensterschwarzach Abbey)
Abraham
The most memorable stories of the Old Testament are surely of those we would call heroes today. Think of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt with the help of the powerful arm of the Lord. We can imagine Noah building the ark and then loading it with animals of each kind known to man at the time. Or remember Abraham searching for new land and leaving his home land of old. What a man of great faith.
So seniors in the bible are certainly powerful personas for whom it is fairly easy to have some kind of deep admiration for their achievements. And when you get into the stories a little deeper and read them or hear them read in the course of the liturgical year one stands in awe of what these people have done in their time.
Yet even today there are seniors you and I know, friends we have, may be relatives who have gone through a lot in life and have become upright and strong people to be an example for others, specially the young. Often people in their later years experience suffering and illness. So is this less powerful witness today then it was then in the Old Testament times?
What perplexes me some is that Moses, who let his people through the desert for so many years, was only allowed to see the Promised Land from the distance but not given the joy and satisfaction to enter the land of plenty himself and live there.
You might want to think of one of these Old Testament persons, woman or man, and meditate a bit on this person and then look into the world around you and try to find a person that inspires you today.