It is a common thing to be amused at the sight of older people "acting" like younger people. As a youngster, seeing on television a group of blue haired ladies swooning over a very grey haired Frank Sinatra was a thing of amusement. And, the drama continues: forty years after Woodstock we have pudgy hippies getting misty eyed in the presence of the poets and minstrels who remain from that generation. I was amused at this behavior when I was a kid, my kids are amused at people of my generation who try to "act" like them. But, the fact is this: I can hear a song from the 1960's or 1970's and smell the interior of my 1968 Torino, or remember the feel of a particular day long ago, or be reminded of a person or an event. These memories of youth, evoked by a song, have a way of transporting one back to a far away moment. And, if one is dishonest to the self, one is once again young, healthy, and free from the baggage of growing old. The same can be said for the Christian experiences of my youth. It's easy to be transported by a Larry Norman song, to feel the warmth of a Son House worship service, or revisit the excitement of Friday night evangelism in the parking lot of the McDonald's. So, it is easy to understand (with time) why we are drawn by singers and songs back to earlier (perhaps simpler) times. Nostalgia reigns. Nostalgia deceives. Nostalgia distracts.
The truth is that the oldster cannot and should not go back. Youth is not a thing to long for. Wisdom comes with age. Would I trade my thimble of wisdom for the youth of my children? The answer is a resounding "no". Having their youth could not guarantee that I would find my way (or be drawn) to Holy Mother Church. It has taken my lifetime of faith, lack of faith, pain, joy, failure, distractions, steps and missteps to get to the lowest rung of the ladder that leads to the Eternal City of the King. It is better to let the past go. It is more profitable to look toward the eternal future, acknowledging that it will bear little resemblance to what I have become all too comfortable with in my earthly sojourn.
To the young people I say: your laughter at the old folks "acting" like you is a denial of your own mortality. If you live long enough you will be them. If you don't change your ways you may emulate them. Youth is an illusion. Some of the Fathers caution us not to be too attracted to youth. Men are reminded not to let their eyes rest too long on the young female forms that they pass on the street. After all, we are told, in a few short years those forms will be lying in the grave, unattractive, repulsive, fleshless bones covered with worms.
You don't have time to revel in your youth. You don't have time for the distractions that this world offers. You don't have time to put off till tomorrow the preparation for your eternal reward. You were made to walk in the Garden in the cool of the day with your Creator. Even in youth, you don't have enough time to prepare adequately. For this reason, we should all be thankful for God's grace and God's mercy.
So, when you hear that singer, whether it is Sinatra, McCartney, Bono, or whoever is popular today: let the voice pass in one ear and out the other. Take as little time as you can to savor it (if you must), and then dismiss it. Don't let it transport you anywhere for very long. Dwell on the heavenly things, and strive to be more ready each day for the angelic hand that will most certainly lead you before the One who made you and loves you more than you can possibly know.
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