The reconciliation demanded in mid-life is not a return to a former balance and maturity, from which I have fallen during this time of crisis or distress. It is a reconciliation within myself and of myself with God. Reckoning with the dream and reordering the polarities in my life are part of the task. I become reconciled with my past, acknowledging personal limitations and sinfulness in a way not possible before. This interior reconciliation (with myself and with God) must often be accompanied by reconciliation with loved one – spouse, parents, children, friends. In the liturgical celebration of mid-life passage, in the midst of the Eucharist or as a part of a communal experience of the sacramental rite of reconciliation, for example, this reconciliation is acknowledged and celebrated in the community of faith. The person, after some difficulty and struggle, has reached a new and grace-filled stage in life. The healing and reconciliation which have been experienced will release new energies in the person, which, in the shape of a broader care and a more altruistic concern for others, will benefit many in the believing community and beyond.
Evelyn Eaton Whitehead and James D. Whitehead
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