True Radiance Chapter 6: The Beauty in Every Vocation

Last updated on: October 28, 2015 at 4:00 am by Jennifer Fitz

True Radiance Chapter 6: The Beauty in Every Vocation 2015-10-27T21:44:33-05:00 Jennifer Fitz

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

My friend Lisa Mladinich asked me to write today on chapter six of her beautiful new book, True Radiance: Finding Grace in the Second Half of Life.

Lisa’s going to be doing a giveaway of her book for readers of this blog over at her place, and yes, I completely forgot to ask whether that will be at AmazingCatechists.com or Water into Wine, so check both! I’ll update here when I have the direct link.

(I explained to her that me putting things in the mail was not a good way to make sure it arrived before Christmas. Any Christmas. She gamely agreed to host “my” giveaway herself. She’s super that way.)

***

Mostly people don’t talk about vocations late in life. When they do, in our youth-obsessed culture, it’s to run some rah-rah post about the 97-year-old who just got her law degree or something like that. You can still be just like a young person! Even at your age!

The error isn’t in thinking that there’s nothing new to be done, no new part of yourself to be discovered and delivered to the world. There most certainly is, and I love watching that newness unfold in the women around me — some my age, just getting started on the second half of life, others easing into what you might reasonably call the third half of life.

The error, rather, is in thinking that the vocation thing is all about degrees or jobs or exciting new travel destinations or I’m not sure what. That’s not what your vocation is.

Your vocation, Lisa writes, is something much more than that:

“The lifeblood of every vocation is the realization that we are most completely ourselves when we love sacrificially, strengthened by prayer and sacramental life. Living in divine love is the only answer to our human longings. We are made in the image and likeness of God, so it is only by loving as he does that we find fulfillment.”

The book looks into the lives of a handful of women in various states of life — married, vowed religious, consecrated virgins. There are some very down-to-earth comments about the difficulties and joys of each state of life. I felt, in reading those stories, that I’d finally found my people. I felt that I’d finally run into that meeting point of authenticity and maturity that’s missing in so much of the chit-chat of popular culture.

(For those who are single-but-not-consecrated, I think several of the different vocations reports will have something to resonate with what’s going on in your life. The chapter isn’t about having a special vocational label, it’s about living out our universal vocation to love.)

It’s not lip gloss and nail polish. There’s nothing about how much fun it will be now that the kids are gone, or you’re only as old as you feel, or any of that nonsense. It’s about the Christian life. It’s about reaching the age when you realize all the shiny categories and awards aren’t the big thing. The big thing is showing up every day and loving God and neighbor in whatever way is handed to you that day.

If you’ve ever met a lady who does that, you know all about true radiance.

If you’d like to follow along with the True Radiance Blog Tour, here’s the whole schedule, and then Lisa’s going to announce a couple surprise stops at the end:

- 10/19/2015 – Inner Beauty: Seasons of Grace
- 10/20/2015 – Changing Bodies/Sacred Mentality: Tales From The Bonny Blue House
- 10/21/2015 – Brain Health and Changing Spirituality: Cause of Our Joy
- 10/26/2015 – How Our Spiritual Lives Bless Others: CatholicMom
- 10/27/2015 – Friendships: Snoring Scholar
- 10/28/2015 – Maturing Vocations: Sticking the Corners (that’s here)
- 10/29/2015 – Pitfalls to Avoid in the Second Half of Life: Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle
- 10/30/2015 – Roadblocks to Peace:A Blog by Maria Johnson

There’s a giveaway at every stop, to enter early and often!

Previous Post

October 25, 2015

Post Flood Recovery, Catholic Edition #SCFlood

Next Post

October 28, 2015 Gender Stereotyping is the Hot New Thing

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Catechesis Catholic Q&A Chastity Church Craziness Come See Me Talk Disability & Chronic Illness Economics Evangelization Facepalm Forgiveness Good Things History Homeschooling Human Rights It's All Catholic Listen to Me Survey Series Liturgical Living Marriage Modesty Not Satire. But almost. Rant-o-Rama Sacred Art & Music Satire South Carolina Spark Clutter Stick that Corner Suffering Thinking Topics Writing Stuff

Select a Month September 2026 July 2026 June 2026 January 2026 December 2025 September 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 November 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 May 2019 April 2019 February 2019 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Jesus do for Jairus' daughter?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Raised her from the dead Healed her blindness Made her invisible Fed her