His Holiness Pope Francis at Audience: Christian community must visit elderly, help them to serve

Continuing his catechesis on the value of old age at the General Audience, His Holiness Pope Francis invites the elderly to overcome the temptation to stand aside, because the Lord never discards them, but rather restores their strength to serve.

By Benedict Mayaki, SJ

During the Wednesday General Audience, His Holiness Pope Francis continues his catechesis series on the elderly, reflecting on the account of the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law in the Gospel of Mark

“We do not know if it was a mild illness, but in old age, even a simple fever can be dangerous,” the Pope said, adding “when you are old, you no longer command your body. One must learn to choose what to do and what not to do.”

He noted that in old age, the vigor of the body fails and abandons us even though our heart does not stop yearning and we must then learn “to purify desire: to have patience, to choose what to ask of the body, or of life.”

Illness and the elderly

Illness weighs on the elderly in a different and new way than when one is young or an adult, said the Pope, noting that an old person’s illness appears to hasten death and diminishes the time we have to live, which is already considered short.

For many elderly people, he explains, doubt begins to creep in that they would not recover and they may begin to lose hope in the future.

But the Gospel scene helps us to hope and offers a first lesson: that Jesus did not visit the sick woman alone, rather, he went there with the disciples.

In the same manner, “the Christian community that must take care of the elderly relatives and friends,” the Pope said.

Christian community and the elderly

Pope Francis insists that visits to the elderly should be done by many, together and often, especially in these days when the number of the elder has increased.

He adds that we should feel a responsibility to visit the elderly who are often alone and present them to the Lord with our prayers.

“A society truly welcomes life when it recognizes that it is also precious in old age, in disability, in serious illness and even when it is fading.”

Thus, Jesus sees the sick woman, takes her by the hand and heals her. With this gesture of love, noted the Pope, Jesus gives a first lesson to the disciples, that “salvation is announced or, better, communicated through attention to that sick person; and the woman’s faith shines in gratitude for the tenderness of God who bent over her.”…

This report was originally published on Vatican News website. Please click here to read the full text.