This morning's General Audience began at 10:00am in Saint Peter's Square where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful who had come from various parts of Italy and from every part of the world.
In is speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catechesis on the family, focusing today on the figure of grandparents.
After the summaries of his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father addressed greetings to each of the groups of the faithful who were present.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today's catechesis and the one for next Wednesday are dedicated to the elderly, who, in the context of the family, are grandparents, uncles and aunts. Today, we will reflect on the current conditions that can be problematic for the elderly, and next time, that is to say next Wednesday, on a more positive note, we will focus on the continual vocation of those who are at that stage of life.
Thanks to the progress being made with medicine, human life expectancy has been prolonged: but society has not been enlarged to embrace life! The number of elderly has multiplied, but our society is not organized enough to make room for them, with the respect that is due them and with concrete considerations for their fragility and dignity. When we are young, we tend to ignore old age as though it were a disease to be avoided; then when we are older, especially if we are poor, if we are sick, if we are alone, we experience the shortcomings of a society that is focused on efficiency and consequently ignores the elderly ... but the elderly are a treasure, we can't ignore them.
Benedict XVI, while visiting a home for the elderly, using some clear and prophetic words, said: The quality of a society, I mean to say of a civilization, is also judged by how the elderly are treated and by the place that is accorded them in community life (November 12, 2012). It's true, paying attention to the elderly makes a difference in civilization. Does our civilization pay attention to the elderly? Is there a place for the elderly? Our society will do well if it knows how to respect wisdom, the wisdom of the elderly. If a society has no room for the elderly or if they are discarded because they are problematic, such a society carries with it a deadly virus.
In the Western world, scholars speak of the present century as the century of aging: the number of children is diminishing and the number of the elderly is augmenting. This imbalance presents a challenge: first, it is a great challenge for contemporary society. However in a culture that insists on profit, the elderly are portrayed as a liability. Not only do they not produce, such a society reasons, but they are a burden: in sum, what is the result of thinking like this? They are discarded. It's sad to see discarded elderly; it's a very sad thing, a sin! No one dares to say it openly, but it happens! There is something vile in the spreading reality of a disposable society. We are accustomed to discarding people. We want to renew our growing fear of evil and of vulnerability; but by doing this, we make the elderly more anxious about being badly supported and even abandoned.
During my ministry in Buenos Aires, I had first-hand knowledge of this reality and its problems: The elderly are abandoned, and not only find themselves in materially precarious situations. They are abandoned in the self-centred inability to accept their own limits, reflected in our limits, in numerous difficulties which must be overcome in order to survive in a society that does not allow them to participate, to have their say or to be referred to according to the consumerist model which believes that 'only young people can be useful and can enjoy life'. The elderly should instead be, for all of society, the custodians of their people's wisdom! How easy it is for our consciences to sleep when there is no love (Only love can save, Vatican City, 2013, p. 83). And so it continues. I remember, when I used to visit the nursing homes, I would speak with everyone and many times I heard: How are you? And your children? - Good, good. - How many do you have? - Many. - Do they come to visit? - Yes, yes, always, yes they come. - When was the last time they came? I remember one woman who said to me: Well, for Christmas. It was in August! Eight months without being visited by her children, abandoned for eight months! That's called a mortal sin, do you understand? Once, as a child, my grandmother told a story about an elderly grandfather who always made a mess when he was eating because he couldn't manage to reach his mouth with the soup spoon he was using. His son, who was the father of this family, decided to move him from the family table and place him at a small table in the kitchen, where no one would see him, and he had to eat alone. In this way, when friends would visit for lunch or supper, he wouldn't present a bad image. A few days later, he arrived home to find his youngest son playing with some wood, a hammer and some nails; he was making something, so his father asked him: What are you doing? - I'm making a table, daddy. - A table, why? - For you when you get old, so that you can eat there. Children are wiser than we are!
In the tradition of the Church, there is a wealth of wisdom that has always supported a culture of closeness to the elderly, a disposition of affectionate accompaniment and solidarity in the final years of life. Such traditions are rooted in Sacred Scripture, as we can see in the words of the Book of Sirach: Do not disregard the words of the elderly, for they too have learned them from their fathers; from them, you will learn discernment and how to respond in times of need (Sir 8:9).
The Church cannot and does not want to comply with a mentality of impatience, and even less of indifference and contempt toward the elderly. We need to rediscover a collective sense of gratitude, of appreciation, of hospitality that will make the elderly feel that they still have a part to play in the life of their community.
The elderly are men and women, fathers and mothers who lived in our streets before we did, in our homes, in our daily battles for a more dignified life. They are men and women from whom we have received much. The elderly is not an alien. We are the elderly: soon, at some time, inevitably, even if we don't think about it. And If we don't learn to treat the elderly well, we too will be treated in the same way.
We are all a bit fragile, we elderly. Some however, are particularly weak. Many are alone and marked with illness. Some depend on the care and attention of others. Do we make room for these? Do we abandon them to their fates? A society that is not close, where closeness and gratitude are not returned - even between strangers - will eventually die, it is already perverse. The Church, faithful to the Word of God, cannot tolerate such denigration. A Christian community in which closeness and gratitude are no longer considered indispensable is at risk of losing its very soul. Where there is no value placed on the elderly, there is no future for the young.
Following the Holy Father's catechesis, summaries of the above teaching were also presented in various languages, and the Pope addressed greetings to each of the linguistic groups of pilgrims who were present. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from Great Britain, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Japan, Korea and the United States of America. Upon you and your families I cordially invoke joy and peace in the Lord Jesus. God bless you all!
In is speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catechesis on the family, focusing today on the figure of grandparents.
After the summaries of his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father addressed greetings to each of the groups of the faithful who were present.
The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing.
Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
for the General Audience
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today's catechesis and the one for next Wednesday are dedicated to the elderly, who, in the context of the family, are grandparents, uncles and aunts. Today, we will reflect on the current conditions that can be problematic for the elderly, and next time, that is to say next Wednesday, on a more positive note, we will focus on the continual vocation of those who are at that stage of life.
Thanks to the progress being made with medicine, human life expectancy has been prolonged: but society has not been enlarged to embrace life! The number of elderly has multiplied, but our society is not organized enough to make room for them, with the respect that is due them and with concrete considerations for their fragility and dignity. When we are young, we tend to ignore old age as though it were a disease to be avoided; then when we are older, especially if we are poor, if we are sick, if we are alone, we experience the shortcomings of a society that is focused on efficiency and consequently ignores the elderly ... but the elderly are a treasure, we can't ignore them.
Benedict XVI, while visiting a home for the elderly, using some clear and prophetic words, said: The quality of a society, I mean to say of a civilization, is also judged by how the elderly are treated and by the place that is accorded them in community life (November 12, 2012). It's true, paying attention to the elderly makes a difference in civilization. Does our civilization pay attention to the elderly? Is there a place for the elderly? Our society will do well if it knows how to respect wisdom, the wisdom of the elderly. If a society has no room for the elderly or if they are discarded because they are problematic, such a society carries with it a deadly virus.
In the Western world, scholars speak of the present century as the century of aging: the number of children is diminishing and the number of the elderly is augmenting. This imbalance presents a challenge: first, it is a great challenge for contemporary society. However in a culture that insists on profit, the elderly are portrayed as a liability. Not only do they not produce, such a society reasons, but they are a burden: in sum, what is the result of thinking like this? They are discarded. It's sad to see discarded elderly; it's a very sad thing, a sin! No one dares to say it openly, but it happens! There is something vile in the spreading reality of a disposable society. We are accustomed to discarding people. We want to renew our growing fear of evil and of vulnerability; but by doing this, we make the elderly more anxious about being badly supported and even abandoned.
During my ministry in Buenos Aires, I had first-hand knowledge of this reality and its problems: The elderly are abandoned, and not only find themselves in materially precarious situations. They are abandoned in the self-centred inability to accept their own limits, reflected in our limits, in numerous difficulties which must be overcome in order to survive in a society that does not allow them to participate, to have their say or to be referred to according to the consumerist model which believes that 'only young people can be useful and can enjoy life'. The elderly should instead be, for all of society, the custodians of their people's wisdom! How easy it is for our consciences to sleep when there is no love (Only love can save, Vatican City, 2013, p. 83). And so it continues. I remember, when I used to visit the nursing homes, I would speak with everyone and many times I heard: How are you? And your children? - Good, good. - How many do you have? - Many. - Do they come to visit? - Yes, yes, always, yes they come. - When was the last time they came? I remember one woman who said to me: Well, for Christmas. It was in August! Eight months without being visited by her children, abandoned for eight months! That's called a mortal sin, do you understand? Once, as a child, my grandmother told a story about an elderly grandfather who always made a mess when he was eating because he couldn't manage to reach his mouth with the soup spoon he was using. His son, who was the father of this family, decided to move him from the family table and place him at a small table in the kitchen, where no one would see him, and he had to eat alone. In this way, when friends would visit for lunch or supper, he wouldn't present a bad image. A few days later, he arrived home to find his youngest son playing with some wood, a hammer and some nails; he was making something, so his father asked him: What are you doing? - I'm making a table, daddy. - A table, why? - For you when you get old, so that you can eat there. Children are wiser than we are!
In the tradition of the Church, there is a wealth of wisdom that has always supported a culture of closeness to the elderly, a disposition of affectionate accompaniment and solidarity in the final years of life. Such traditions are rooted in Sacred Scripture, as we can see in the words of the Book of Sirach: Do not disregard the words of the elderly, for they too have learned them from their fathers; from them, you will learn discernment and how to respond in times of need (Sir 8:9).
The Church cannot and does not want to comply with a mentality of impatience, and even less of indifference and contempt toward the elderly. We need to rediscover a collective sense of gratitude, of appreciation, of hospitality that will make the elderly feel that they still have a part to play in the life of their community.
The elderly are men and women, fathers and mothers who lived in our streets before we did, in our homes, in our daily battles for a more dignified life. They are men and women from whom we have received much. The elderly is not an alien. We are the elderly: soon, at some time, inevitably, even if we don't think about it. And If we don't learn to treat the elderly well, we too will be treated in the same way.
We are all a bit fragile, we elderly. Some however, are particularly weak. Many are alone and marked with illness. Some depend on the care and attention of others. Do we make room for these? Do we abandon them to their fates? A society that is not close, where closeness and gratitude are not returned - even between strangers - will eventually die, it is already perverse. The Church, faithful to the Word of God, cannot tolerate such denigration. A Christian community in which closeness and gratitude are no longer considered indispensable is at risk of losing its very soul. Where there is no value placed on the elderly, there is no future for the young.
Following the Holy Father's catechesis, summaries of the above teaching were also presented in various languages, and the Pope addressed greetings to each of the linguistic groups of pilgrims who were present. To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from Great Britain, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Japan, Korea and the United States of America. Upon you and your families I cordially invoke joy and peace in the Lord Jesus. God bless you all!
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