Dear
Brothers and Sisters!
1. Each year, the Lenten Season is set before us
as a good opportunity for the intensification of prayer and penance,
opening hearts to the docile welcoming of the divine will. During
Lent, a spiritual journey is outlined for us that prepares us
to relive the Great Mystery of the Death and Resurrection of Christ.
This is done primarily by listening to the Word of God more devoutly
and by practising mortification more generously, thanks to which
it is possible to render greater assistance to those in need.
This year, dear brothers and sisters, I wish to
bring to your attention a theme which is rather current, well-illustrated
by the following verse from Deuteronomy: "Loving the Lord…means
life to you, and length of days…" (30:20). These are
the words that Moses directs to the people, inviting them to embrace
the Covenant with Yahweh in the country of Moab, "that you
and your descendants may live, loving the Lord, your God, obeying
his voice, and cleaving to him." (30:19-20). The fidelity
to this divine Covenant is for Israel a guarantee of the future:
"that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your
fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them."
(30:20). According to the Biblical understanding, reaching old
age is a sign of the Most High's gracious benevolence. Longevity
appears, therefore, as a special divine gift.
It is upon this theme that I would like to ask you
to reflect during this Lent, in order to deepen the awareness
of the role that the elderly are called to play in society and
in the Church, and thus to prepare your hearts for the loving
welcome that should always be reserved for them. Thanks to the
contribution of science and medicine, one sees in society today
a lengthening of the human life span and a subsequent increase
in the number of elderly. This demands a more specific attention
to the world of so-called "old" age, in order to help
its members to live their full potential by placing them at the
service of the entire community. The care of the elderly, above
all when they pass through difficult moments, must be of great
concern to all the faithful, especially in the ecclesial communities
of Western societies, where the problem is particularly present.
2. Human life is a precious gift to be loved and
defended in each of its stages. The Commandment, "You shall
not kill!", always requires respecting and promoting human
life, from its beginning to its natural end. It is a command that
applies even in the presence of illness and when physical weakness
reduces the person's ability to be self-reliant. If growing old,
with its inevitable conditions, is accepted serenely in the light
of faith, it can become an invaluable opportunity for better comprehending
the Mystery of the Cross, which gives full sense to human existence.
The elderly need to be understood and helped in
this perspective. I wish, here, to express my appreciation to
those who dedicate themselves to fulfilling these needs, and I
also call upon other people of good will to take advantage of
Lent for making their own personal contribution. This will allow
many elderly not to think of themselves as a burden to the community,
and sometimes even to their own families, living in a situation
of loneliness that leads to the temptation of isolating themselves
or becoming discouraged.
It is necessary to raise the awareness in public
opinion that the elderly represent, in any case, a resource to
be valued. For this reason, economic support and legislative initiatives,
which allow them not to be excluded from social life, must be
strengthened. In truth, during the last decade, society has become
more attentive to their needs, and medicine has developed palliative
cures that, along with an integral approach to the sick person,
are particularly beneficial for long-term patients.
3. The greater amount of free time in this stage
of life offers the elderly the opportunity to face the primary
issues that perhaps had been previously set aside, due to concerns
that were pressing or considered a priority nonetheless. Knowledge
of the nearness of the final goal leads the elderly person to
focus on that which is essential, giving importance to those things
that the passing of years do not destroy.
Precisely because of this condition, the elderly
person can carry out his or her role in society. If it is true
that man lives upon the heritage of those who preceded him, and
that his future depends definitively on how the cultural values
of his own people are transmitted to him, then the wisdom and
experience of the elderly can illuminate his path on the way of
progress toward an ever more complete form of civilisation.
How important it is to rediscover this mutual enrichment
between different generations! The Lenten Season, with its strong
call to conversion and solidarity, leads us this year to focus
on these important themes which concern everyone. What would happen
if the People of God yielded to a certain current mentality that
considers these people, our brothers and sisters, as almost useless
when they are reduced in their capacities due to the difficulties
of age or sickness? Instead, how different the community would
be, if, beginning with the family, it tries always to remain open
and welcoming towards them.
4. Dear brothers and sisters, during Lent, aided
by the Word of God, let us reflect upon how important it is that
each community accompany with loving understanding those who grow
old. Moreover, one must become accustomed to thinking confidently
about the mystery of death, so that the definitive encounter with
God occur in a climate of interior peace, in the awareness that
He "who knit me in my mother's womb” (cf. Psalm 139:13b)
and who willed us "in his image and likeness" (cf. Gen.
1:26) will receive us.
Mary, our guide on the Lenten journey, leads all
believers, especially the elderly, to an ever more profound knowledge
of Christ dead and risen, who is the ultimate reason for our existence.
May she, the faithful servant of her divine Son, together with
Saints Ann and Joachim, intercede for each one of us "now
and at the hour of our death".
My Blessing to All!
From the Vatican, September 8, 2004.
JOHN PAUL II
