Fruit cakes? Celibacy gets better

Just thinking today about Granny’s fruit cake …. cakes really were her thing. She cooked them continuously for family, people in her village and, yes, the ‘old ladies.’ (I did point out to her once that she herself was actually older than her ‘old ladies’.) Even when she died, aged 91, one of her fruit cakes sat half-eaten in a tin in my room.

The thing about fruit cakes is: they improve with age.

On Saturday I interviewed a young sister about her celibate call; she is on the threshold, dare I say, of middle age – give it another few years. (The crossover line to middle-age gets higher as you get older. Now it’s about 42 - it used to be about 35.)

Anyway, I do sometimes surprise myself by what comes out of my own mouth. You see, I found myself encouraging her that celibacy actually improves with age. After all, you know yourself better, your limitations as well as your gifts and you definitely discover more gifts as you go along; you know God in a deeper way, hopefully rest a little more on/in who He is and that bonding brings a solid, inward security.  Yes, all this but more … I have found more possibilities are opened up to you. Bluntly, not so many men fall in love with you. Young men look to you as a mother, not an eligible partner.

Yes, the door widens, not narrows; the field gets wider. And anyway, for goodness sake, let’s stop worrying about age. After all, how old was Moses when he began to lead God’s people? 80. And think about Anna, the prophetess - definitely a celibate. She was so single-eyed in her vision that she didn’t even leave the Temple at the age of 84. It’s hard to find an equal to match her passion to see the coming of God’s kingdom (Luke 2:36-38.)

There’s life in the old fruit cake still. Improved life. If I know anything about God, I’m sure He wants things to get better and better anyway – even if it means more heartaches, humblings, breakings on the way. My celibate friend, you are on the threshold .. nearly. Now is the time to take heart, look forward, anticipate .. the better half of your life. Like fruit cakes, your gifting will improve with age.

 

Joseph and Mary take Jesus, as a baby, to the Temple in Jerusalem

 ‘There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them (Mary, Joseph and Jesus) at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.’ Luke 2: 36-38