I'm presently seventy. On my last birthday I realized I had a choice between tapering my present life off and quietly passing on or taking a new path into life and participating in the contemporary workings of the Spirit wherever I might be welcome. I chose the latter, and am finding it bringing me the most exciting and meaningful experiences I've known.

I grew up in a dysfunctional family and learned the importance of kingdom togetherness by experiencing the pain of its absence. In my search I converted to Catholicism at age 18. I was told (by a priest) that the priesthood was the highest, most God-pleasing way of life. I believed him and spent 12 years in the Society of Jesus. After ordination the discrepancy between who I am and the way I was being treated became revolting. The roman collar quite covered the Spirit within. Thankfully my Jesuit training had helped me develop the maturity and wisdom I needed to do what I knew God wanted of me rather than be controlled by men and the institutions of men. I moved into the challenging and growth producing adventures of marriage and family. My wife, Lee, and our three children have been angels of light for me.

I graduated from being a "priest" to knowing that Jesus is the only priest. I realized that my formal ordination had merely made me a cleric. And life as a cleric only occasionally overlapped with my fellowship in Jesus' priesthood. Upon leaving clericalism I more deeply experienced the Church as really the affiliative community of those gathered in Jesus' name, as those known by the fact that they love one another, as those living out the peace Jesus gives his family members, as those accepting Jesus' gift--his joy. My fellowship in Jesus' priesthood has grown exponentially ever since. And my seventh birthday has opened a new dimension of the Spirit's presence for me.

I now have little use for religious institutions unless they genuinely support and advance the work of the Church. I do not believe it necessary to give anyone power if they abuse it. In the spirit of the Church I find the essence of healing powers. This is of special interest to me since I earn my living as a marriage and family therapist. As a onetime Jesuit I know something about contemplation in action or as I would call it now "mystical healing." I'm part of the big plan of co-creation and co-redemption within which divine love so marvelously embraces us all! Those in harmony with divine love in terms of peace, compassion, truth, justice, joy and on, have the essence of healing power at hand. Those not in harmony with divine love (including some parts of me) need healing. A dance goes on between healers and healies. People, insofar as they are in the Church, provide the healing. They are mystical healers.  Everyone else needs the healing. It seems to me that many people entranced by the Roman religious institution at the expense of the Church need the healing. The situation seems to me to be everyone's opportunity to grow in the way of love as modeled by God. We have access to divine delight in action.

I would like to see more openness to and utilization of training programs in which people could learn to optimize their mystical healing gifts. The world needs to bulge with such healers who can fulfill Jesus' prediction that those truly with Him will do even greater works than He did. I would like to see mystical healers touch the hearts of our brothers (and sisters if relevant) who dominate the Roman Institution. I want to witness that life at seventy can get very good.

Don Moncrieff