ePub ► Catechesis on Old Age

PDF ► Catechesis on Old Age

“Our existence on earth is the time of the initiation into life: it is life, but one that leads you towards a fuller life, the initiation of the fuller one; a life which finds fulfilment only in God. We are imperfect from the very beginning, and we remain imperfect up to the end. In the fulfilment of God’s promise, the relationship is inverted: the space of God, which Jesus prepares for us with the utmost care, is superior to the time of our mortal life. Hence: old age brings the hope of this fulfilment closer. Old age, by now, definitively knows the meaning of time and the limitations of the place in which we live our initiation. This is why old age is wise: this is why the elderly are wise. This is why it is credible when it invites us to rejoice in the passing of time. It is not a threat; it is a promise. Old age is noble; it does not need to beautify itself to show its nobility.”