THE ELDERLY BY: JESSIE MALATESTA

THE ELDERLY, WHY SHOULD WE CARE? Many of the elderly live in a state of fear, helplessness, and abandonment. The Pope said that a society “without proximity [to the elderly] is a perverse society.” The Pope is saying that if we aren’t close with our elderly than we are a society that is unreasonable and ignores the consequences of being in a state of mortal sin. The elderly are our predecessors and have paved the way of life for our generation today. Many Asian religions revere their ancestors for giving them wisdom and knowledge and acknowledge them with high praise. They are held sacred in their communities and are called upon to bring wisdom to their people. Pope Francis calls us to bring our elderly back from the shadows and make them a prevalent part of our society. He considers them so important that he calls it a mortal sin if we discard them.

THE CHURCH’S PERSPECTIVE The Church believes during this time of discomfort before returning to the Heavenly Father should be filled with care and compassion. They support the hospice care movement, which helps make those at the end of their life comfortable and feeling loved. The Church held an assembly on March 21 st on end of life assistance to the elderly. During the assembly there was a workshop open to the public, especially scholars, healthcare and pastoral workers, and students. It gave them knowledge and insight of the theme from a number of different viewpoints: theological-philosophical, ethical and medical, cultural and social. Beauty of caring for elderly outweighs the burdens. God blesses all caretakers who sacrifice themselves for the comfort and good of others. The Carmelite sister are raising money to expand their “neighborhood of care” — what they call their Catholic assisted-living facility. The sisters help immeasurably during the “scary” life transition.

THE POPE’S VIEW In March of 2015 Pope visited St. Peter’s Square. The Pope called all members of the faith to turn their attention to the elderly. He said many view the elderly are burdensome. The Pope says it is a mortal sin to allow them to be abandoned, he says we are them and they were us at one point in time. We can not abandon them because we all one day will become the elderly and will need some help. The Pope says a society that discards the elderly is on who has a virus of death. We can not abandon the elderly because this is when they need us the most. As the archbishop of Buenos Aires he visited an elderly home and spoke with a woman whose family hadn’t visited her in 8 months, this the Pope said was a mortal sin. Pope Francis’ perspective on the elderly was a continuation of his catechesis on the family, which he began last fall. This was to prepare for this October’s synod on the family. He focused on the role of grandparents.

THE POPE’S VIEW

A CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP Discipleship is more than just a call; it is a lifestyle that should never stop until we are called to live in peace with our Lord. It is the impetus for the Christian life and it shows our continual devotion, worship, and practice in Christ as our LORD. To be a disciple is to be a learner. Jesus calls us to be His disciples and spread His love to all. As a disciple of Christ we are called in an intimate relationship with Jesus. The elderly calls all members of our faith to discipleship. Today we live in a world of disposable culture. This means we enjoy something for a short while and discard of it when we have no more use of it. This mentality is reflected in the way we treat the elderly. Since the elderly aren’t productive anymore, they are considered a weight on society’s back and need to be discarded. As a disciple, we are called to love thy neighbor as thyself. In order to do this we need to call upon society to bring back the elderly and to value them, not see them as a burden. One day when we are older, we would like the same respect.

A CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP: WHAT YOU CAN DO The call to discipleship to help the elderly is a very simple one. We are called to seek out the elderly in our community and show them care and love. This can be done by visiting a nursing home to spend time with them, visit your grandparents or elderly neighbors. You can sit and listen to there stories and show there are people that care about them in their community.

THE YEAR OF MERCY This year of mercy calls us to be merciful like the Father. In order to do this we must call all members of our community home. The elderly are left abandon which isn’t what the Father would want us to do. In the image of the year of mercy, there is 3 different colors in the background which represents the Father and son (Jesus) transcending through time. This means Jesus’ love transcends through time and to all people, including the elderly. In this year of mercy, we need to show mercy to our elders. They are left alone hopeless, and abandoned by our faith community. The purpose of the Jubilee Year of Mercy is to forgive the sins of those who have truly repented, so they can strengthen their faith and give testimony

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