This week’s featured book: Light of Setting Suns by Richard L. Morgan
Today’s Reflection
At ninety, I need some social interaction; but more and more, I prefer my solitude. In my earlier years of being older, I favored my “Martha” side, staying active with writing and volunteering for people with dementia and offering support for caregivers. I still needed that activity then to feel significant and needed. Now, I focus on my “Mary” side, where I can be still and listen to the Holy Presence. There is no need, any longer, to be productive but much more need to be contemplative.
—Richard L. Morgan, Light of Setting Suns: Reflecting on Realities and Mysteries at Ninety Years of Life (Upper Room Books, 2021)
Today’s Question
In what ways have you relinquished the need to be productive as you have grown older? Join the conversation.
Today’s Scripture
[Martha] had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying.
—Luke 10:39, NRSV
Prayer for the Week
Lord of all ages, I feel blessed that you have given me these
bonus years. Help me to live each day as if it were my last,
redeeming whatever time remains. Amen.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.
Something More
Find out how author Richard L. Morgan has stayed resilient into his 90s despite the many losses that accompany later life. Read more about him here.
Lectionary Readings
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)