Duchowość wieku dojrzałego – czasu starości
Spirituality of mature age – time of retirement

Summary/Abstract: Religious life, understood as life resulting from the actions of the Holy Spirit, called „spiritual life”, should cover all aspects of human existence. This article has been written from this point of view, i.e. Catholic theology. It is difficult to speak of human development,about stages of his achieving maturity, as well as internally integrated personality when you do not take into account spiritual life. Acts of spiritual struggle should cover life in the periodof old age in its specific phases, or even appear as the culmination of a lifetime’s spiritual maturity. Specific forms of this spiritual experience – highlights are acts of confrontation in the senior age with the truth of impending death. They can take place on the level of specific values. It is an experience of freedom, hope and solitude. Acceptance of the truth concerning the final existential status and being fully aware while carrying these states testifies the ability for transcendence acts. In a natural, thus inborn way, living beings, especially humans, are focused on being andon development of life. Behavioral defense actions appear when facing any threats. And so the entire human culture, from means and development of disciplines, practice of science, all the way to different methods of creating politics of consent and cooperation with people, is focused on protecting against loss of life. On the grounds of medical science continual attempts are being made to overcome death ultimately. Unfortunately, the final defeat of thefact of death is still very far away. Becoming aware of the upcoming moment of death without panic and paralyzing fear is a higher level of worthy living of one’s humanity. A fairly common practice proposed by institutional care centers and assistance offered to people at senior age is the method of running away from the final confrontation and offering substitution procedures such as proposals of many forms of physical and mental activity. This offer includes continuation of professional work, traveling, and participation in studies, dancing clubs and all types of entertainment. There is no need to depreciate these proposals, butthey cannot be the only model of experiencing the period of old age. They cannot be selfdeception techniques. It is striking how much vita activa dominates over vita contemplativa in the general culture. There are too few proposals for the continuation of Christian religious development in the form of performing spiritual acts of transcendence. There is no program to learn the ability of „crossing any spiritual limitations” in the sense of hope for „being” in the future, despite the fact that old people are to the greatest extent engaged in church and religious communities. Nothing can substitute for proposals of spiritual maturity. Unfortunately, church orthopraxis in this respect is also limited and neglected.

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