Together in Spirit

Browsing From the Desk of Fr. Mike

The Very Young and Very Old

To caress an elderly person expresses the same hope as caressing a child, because the beginning of life and the end are always a mystery, a mystery that should be respected, accompanied, cared for, loved. Pope Francis, Feb 9, 2022 on Tweet Deck.

I appreciate the wonderful reminder that Pope Francis gives in the quotation above. On a personal note I love the smell, the softness, the cuteness of infants. They elicit in me a sense of hope and promise for the future, although by their present state they have yet to contribute much except their presence. As I grow older I find I am more challenged in my encounters with the elderly. I have been weighed down by the utilitarianism of our present culture that expresses the value of a person by their usefulness. In my visits to elderly persons who no longer are able to engage the world around them I sometimes find myself shrinking from physical contact, as if I might “catch” the disease of aging. I am repeatedly shocked by this reaction and disappointed in myself. My hope is that the person I am visiting does not perceive this weakness. I do not give in to this weakness, but I struggle with it all the same.

Pope Francis reminds me, (and us) that there is a mystery present in an infant and there exists a mystery in the aged. As Francis tells us that this mystery should be respected, accompanied, cared for and loved on both ends of the life spectrum. The mystery corresponds to the gift of life that God has given to each individual. It’s value comes from God and leads back to God. Life’s value is never determined by net worth, usefulness, popularity, or any other function. Sadly too many people struggle with this concept and easily get caught in the slavery of utilitarianism. This leads some to decide that assisted suicide and therapeutic abortions are positive expressions in the face of life struggles. The very young and the very old both exist to remind us that the value of human life is based on a mystery that goes beyond any human definition.

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