Dear Friends,
Last Sunday we honoured Grandparents and the Elderly in response to the Day first proclaimed by Pope Francis in 2021. The day roughly coincides with the July 26 feast day of Sts Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the grandparents of Jesus. Of course, the mention of one’s age can be a bit of a trap. At St Cecilia’s last Sunday when the time came for the grandparents and the elderly to stand for a blessing, it was difficult to know how to do that diplomatically! So…. we all stood up!
Age is sometimes a hot topic. In my family one never asked any of the elderly members their age. It was usually a big secret and any inquiry quite rude. Over the years when working with children, some would ask me my age, to which I’d respond by asking them to guess. Generally, their guesses were more than complimentary!!
The present, increased number of COVID cases reminds us of the risks to older people and awakens painful memories of the lengthy but necessary lockdowns that deprived families and older members of the intimacy and close contact we need. In an age of pandemic how easy it is to see the frail-aged as less important if they contract a virus like COVID.
Acknowledging our elders is a sign of maturity and our society sometimes fails to do so adequately – symptomatic of the mindset of the ‘throw-away culture’ to which we are sometimes prone, when in fact Pope Francis points out, ‘…grandparents, are the ones who have passed on history, traditions, customs, and so many things.’
This year’s theme, taken from Psalm 92:15) – ‘In old age they will still bear fruit’ (Ps 92:15) – challenges us to name the value of ageing and in addition to think of ways in which we can overcome the fear of old age and approach it in a positive way. The Pope writes: ‘A long life – so the Bible teaches – is a blessing, and the elderly are not outcasts to be shunned but living signs of the goodness of God who bestows life in abundance. Blessed is the house where an older person lives! Blessed is the family that honours the elderly!’
Many Augustinians here in Australia are ageing and this has an impact on our capacity for ministry and leadership. At the same time, very few of us ‘retire early’ from all ministry, such is the commitment of the men and the support of our community life and the affirmation from yourselves. Francis spares a thought for older people in religious life:
‘And I would also like to remember, as a religious, the old men and women religious, the “grandparents” of consecrated life: Please do not hide them, they are the wisdom of a religious family; and that the new men and women religious, the novices have contact with them. They will give us all the life experience that will help us so much going forward,’
In conclusion, we should never underestimate the unique qualities and contribution of people of all ages.
A special task of grandparents and the elderly, Francis says, is: ‘to be artisans of the revolution of tenderness’ – a moving description of the beauty of persons growing in God’s image over the years and the wisdom that comes from a full life.
Fr Dave