Since early June, Pope Francis has repeatedly used Values of the Old Age as the theme of his catechesis given at his Wednesday general audiences, imparting specific characteristics of the elderly. He also encouraged the elderly to accept the reality that illnesses and the loss of youthful vitality inevitably come with aging. “When you were younger, you girded yourself and walked whenever you wanted. But when you are older, you will extend your hands, and another shall gird you and lead you where you do not want to go” [John 21:18].
The pope advised the elderly not to be jealous even when others pay more attention to the young people than to themselves, even when is not easy to be no longer in the limelight. He encouraged them to focus on the Word of God, stressing that it is most important to follow in the footsteps of Christ.
Indeed, there is no standard definition of the term “old age”. According to the World Health Organisation, most developed countries use the age of 65 to delineate elderly from non-elderly people. The population of a society is not homogeneous. It is made up of different age groups, broadly categorised into the four major ones: the elderly, the middle-aged, the young and children.
Children and young people are the early stages of life. Society naturally invests more in nurturing and developing them to lay a good foundation for their futures. Middle-age is a period to strive for and reach maturity. Old age is the last stage of life. It is, however, not a worthless stage. On the contrary, elderly people have accumulated much experience, borne witness to numerous happenings in life, and gathered a wealth of life wisdom.
The pope encouraged the elderly to be less self-centred, to accept imperfection, and to refrain from regarding people of other age groups as competitors. Age should not create gaps or cause conflicts among people. On the contrary, elderly people, children and youngsters should communicate with each other, learn to appreciate each other, and to ally with each other. He hopes that children and young people can proactively dialogue with the elderly about trendy things, and listen to their stories to learn more wisdom. Elderly people should be more approachable and try to pass on their precious experience to the next generation.
The elderly can develop their personal charism. Life Ascending HK, one of the associations of the faithful of the Diocese of Hong Kong, is composed of a group of retired or about to retire elderly Catholics. It does its best to serve the diocese and its parishes in different capacities. Caritas-Hong Kong also launched its “Third Age Vocational Learning and Training Programme” (?) for the elderly, to enable them to unlock their potential so they can help themselves and others, and live happily at this mature stage in life.
Let us pray that the elderly, now in their sunset years, will continue to shine and be able to live a wonderful life with no regrets. SE
