Elders in Transformation:
a Spirituality for the Second Half of Life
with Bob Purdy
Spiritual teachers describe a different spirituality necessary for the first and second halves of life. The first half is necessarily concerned with three questions:
- What makes me significant?
- How can I support myself?
- Who will go with me?
If we have done this work well, we may be ready to move into a deepening, maturing spirituality in the second half of life.
Such growth does not come easily though. Often it begins in times of pain, loss, failure, sin or grief. Out of despair and suffering can bloom a new openness to God’s love, a new more inclusive way of thinking and being, the spirituality of a true Elder.
We will begin by identifying some of the key moments of our spiritual journey. What changes have happened over the years? What clues help us recognize God’s handprint in our lives? Can we celebrate where Love and Mercy have grasped us?
Then we will look at the possibilities of divine grace lifting and transforming us into the spirituality necessary for the second half of life.
BOB PURDY is a priest with 50 years experience in Western Canada. Since retiring from St. George’s-in-the-Pines in Banff where he led a program in wilderness spirituality, he has built a house and recently published Without Guarantee: in Search of a Vulnerable God. Now some of the losses that begin to come with aging are forcing him to ask, “Can I be open to new possibilities, new growth, new peace in my relationship with God and with life?”
- Course Fee: $250*
- *Senior’s discount of 10% off accommodation during this week for anyone age 55 or older
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