So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
—PSALM 90:12
AT THE AGE OF SEVENTY-NINE, Pope St. John Paul II wrote a letter to the “dear elderly people of all languages and cultures” as encouragement in the autumn of their lives. It was also a moment of personal reflection as he faced his imminent arrival to eternity: “from life to life!”
Stephen Gabriel has taken the pope’s words and advice to heart. This book is his shared perspective on how to effectively adopt a proper state of heart and mind during the retirement years. He addresses the Lord’s call to both give and receive: give of your time, talent, and welling wisdom, while opening yourself to fully receive the graces the Lord wishes to bestow. Count on Gabriel’s own wisdom to give you both a spiritual and practical means by which you can live these years vibrantly.
Stephen Gabriel was born in Quincy, Massachusetts. The son of a merchant sea captain and a homemaker, his family moved to Florida and then to the Panama Canal Zone. He is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago and the University of Illinois and holds a Ph.D. in agricultural economics. His career spans federal government service and chief economist of a small government agency. His books include topics on finance, fatherhood, aging, and spirituality. Gabriel lives in Falls Church, Virginia, with his wife, Peggy. They have eight children and forty grandchildren.
| SKU/ISBN | 9781594175312 |
| Product Number | 75312 |
| Size | 5x7 |
| Format | Paperback |
| Pages | 128 |
The Homestretch is a home run! Gabriel’s comprehensive guide to retirement is both deeply spiritual and eminently practical. It is loaded with helpful suggestions for Catholics who want their golden years to be faith-filled and fruitful.
Too many people worry that retirement will mean no longer being useful or needed. It doesn’t have to be this way. As Stephen Gabriel shows in The Homestretch, retirement can be designed to serve God and others—and be the best years of your life.
If life is a road that leads to God, we better be sure we have the GPS turned on. Steve Gabriel provides an excellent map for the last part of our life’s journey. But who wants to think about our last days? It’s critical that we do. The Homestretch helps us add color, contour and hope to that important period in our life.
This delightful new book by Stephen Gabriel is a gem. Like the lessons in Scripture’s Book of Proverbs, it’s both practical and sublime. It spells out optimistic advice to “life’s veterans” for filling their days with God-centered faith, joyful hope, and never-failing love—a perfect gift for grandparents.
The Homestretch is a wonderful guide for the retirement years, most especially for Catholics. Gabriel covers topics like interior life as developed through daily Mass, prayer, and the Rosary. He addresses new relationships with family members and developing new interests, like mentoring young couples, going on pilgrimages, or teaching religion in the parish. Final chapters deal with suffering and dependency. All the treatments are insightful and, taken together, provide positive support for what will be for many the best period of their life.
