Page 10 - June 2022 - Truth & Tidings

n Western society, with its affluence those “golden years” and turn them into
(affluenza, as it has been termed), the gold of heavenly currency.
Ithere is a great stress upon preparing The “empty nest” years, the years when
for the retirement years. With the increase the children have grown and have become
in longevity due to improved health care, independent, the years just before and
many retirees live 20 years beyond their following retirement, are years filled with
retirement date. This places a great strain potential for you as a couple and for the
on financial resources. So the questions furtherance of the work of God. And as
begin. Do you have a good retirement with your retirement plans, you need to
plan? Does that job to which you are ap- invest to maximize this opportunity.
plying have a decent pension? Are you When
vested yet in the company’s plan? Have When do you begin investing in light of
you opened your own IRA or 401K (for the time characterized as “empty nest”?
our non-USA readers, these are all retire- As the saying goes, early and often! It is
ment plans)? Ensuring the economic vi- difficult to prioritize your marriage when
ability and stability for your spouse is not one is trying to build a career in the busi-
wrong, but, to restate a worn-out cliché, ness world and mother is involved with
“the most important thing is to make sure the children, their schooling and activities.
that the most important thing is the most It is easy to allow each to concentrate on
important thing.” individual responsibilities and to allow a
What, then, is the most important thing disconnect to develop in your marriage.
for your marriage? God intends that your But nothing must be allowed to accom-
marriage reflect something of the beauty plish that fatal result.
of Christ and the Church (Eph 5:22-33), A husband and wife must set aside time
and that your marriage be a tool for glo- for each other. This does not have to entail
rifying Him (1Co 7:17-24). In the grand expensive getaways, vacations without
scheme, financial stability is only a means the children or exotic retreats. It might
to that end, the means to be able to live be simply a time each night for a cup of

170 TRUTH kTidings June 2022