Old age has "a grace and a mission," and one of the testimonies that can come to young people from this period of life is "fidelity." Pope Francis said this today in St. Peter's Square during the General Audience dedicated to grandparents and their role in the family, which concluded the catechesis he began last week.
"The first thing that is important to point out: it is true that society tends to discard us, but certainly not the Lord, who—ensures the Pope—never discards anyone. He calls us to follow him in all stages of life, and old age also contains a grace and a mission, a true calling from the Lord."
If this period of life "is different from the previous ones—according to the Pope—we also need to somewhat 'invent it', because our societies are not ready, spiritually and morally, to give it its full value. Once, in fact, it was not normal to have free time; today it is much more so. Christian spirituality was also caught a little by surprise, and needs to outline a spirituality of the elderly. But thank God there is the witness of the aged saints!"
Francis made reference to the "Day of the elderly", which was held in St. Peter's Square last year: "We heard stories of elderly people who spend themselves for others, and stories of married couples who came to say 'we are celebrating 50 years of marriage', 'today we mark 60 years of marriage'… and I say: 'Show this to the young people who grow tired so quickly, this is a witness of fidelity."
"Grandfathers and grandmothers—added the Pope—form the permanent 'choir' of a great spiritual sanctuary, where their prayer of supplication and praise support the community that works and battles on in the field of life." "How ugly is the cynicism of an old man who has lost the sense of his witness, despises the young and does not communicate his life's wisdom! How beautiful, on the contrary, the encouragement that an old man manages to convey to the young man in search of the meaning of faith and life is! This really is the mission of grandparents, the vocation of the elderly. The words of grandparents contain something special for the young. And they know it. I still carry with me the words that my grandmother gave me in writing on the day of my priestly ordination; they’re always in my breviary, I read them often, and they do me good."
"How I would like—said Francis—a church that challenges the culture of waste with the overflowing joy of a new embrace between the young and the old! This is what I ask the Lord for today: that embrace."
