February 13, 2005

Observing Lent is like temporarily growing old

I was in Rome for meetings when Pope John Paul II was taken to the hospital because he was having difficulty breathing. When I came back to the United States, the press was eager to hear my impressions of the PopeÕs health and also eager to understand how it was possible for a man with diminished physical resources to continue to do his job.

The Pope's 'job' is to witness to Jesus Christ and to govern the Church. His very weakness makes him a better witness, even as it makes the task of managing Church affairs more difficult. So long as the Pope can make major decisions, however, Church management continues; and far more important is his witness to the value of life even when normal functioning is impaired. The Pope is not first of all a functionary; he is the visible head of a Church whose invisible head is a crucified Savior. The Holy Father entitled his Lenten Message for 2005: ÒLoving the Lord É Means Life to You and Length of Days.Ó (Deuteronomy 30:20) Length of days might not always seem an unmixed blessing. Old age often brings with it limitations and suffering, a sense of diminishment, possibly depression, a loss of mobility, loneliness, a lessening of material resources, loss of independence, more frequent sickness. Difficult as all this can be, it becomes even more difficult to live through in a culture that so values physical vigor and attractiveness that the very real blessings of old age cannot be appreciated. Those who attain old age can see life whole. They often have the capacity to draw attention to a truer priority of goals. Their memory can supplement the less measured approach of younger generations that lack a sense of history. Their experience is a help in judging what is really important. The passing years can bring wisdom, a longer perspective, a better grasp of the meaning of life that is a resource for the rest of society, including the young. But the wisdom of old age does not come automatically. It depends upon being in touch with an inner source of strength that will continue to grow as physical strength diminishes. An awareness of GodÕs loving plan for each one of us, if cultivated all through life, lifts us above regrets or the sense of loss that can accompany old age. Facing the end of life, one turns either to despair, sometimes stoically confronted, or to a renewed sense of gratitude for GodÕs providence. Growing older moves one from asking, ÒHow did I put up with him or her or them?Ó to musing ÒHow did they, including God, ever put up with me?Ó Finding peace and beauty and happiness in old age is possible when those upon whom older people depend are those who truly love them. The extended family can provide such support, but it is weaker now than in previous generations. Many parishes help to provide emotional and spiritual support for the elderly. The Little Sisters of the Poor maintain two marvelous homes for the elderly in the Archdiocese. The Pope writes: ÒIf the elderly are in situations where they experience suffering and dependence, not only do they need health care services and appropriate assistance, but they need to be treated with love.Ó The elderly also need to be part of shared projects that value their unique contributions, even in the work place and in leadership roles in society. Older people need to find themselves serving the community, not isolated from it. For disciples of Jesus Christ, old age can bring benefits if the asceticism it imposes is accepted as a way to identify with the mystery of the cross. If the goal of Christian existence is to become ever more like Jesus Christ, who was crucified for our salvation, then suffering, both accepted in sickness and death and sought in voluntary penance, is essential to our lives. In observing the season of Lent, we become voluntarily 'old' for six weeks. Lent is a time to die to self. More of our time is given to God in prayer. Less is given to our body when we fast. Money to pursue our own interests is given to the poor in alms. We despoil ourselves to live for God, which is a way of saying we anticipate our becoming frail and dying. We have the strength and courage to carry out such a program because we believe that God takes our dying and transforms it into eternal life. ÒKnowledge of the nearness of the final goal,Ó says the Pope, Òleads the elderly person to focus on that which is essential, giving importance to those things that the passing of the years does not destroy.Ó This Lent, spend some time with older persons, if youÕre young; and make yourselves available to the young and to others, if youÕre old. Together as an Archdiocese, may we spend time together with the Lord during this Lenten season and find from him the new life so necessary for our own salvation and for the renewal of the Church.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Francis Cardinal George, OMI
Archbishop of Chicago

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