Every Christian must find a way to follow the path of Jesus, “even in the limited conditions of weakness and old age,” Pope Francis explained during the June 22, 2022 general audience, held in St. Rock.
This Wednesday, June 22, on the occasion of the last catechesis on old age, before the summer break, Pope Francis returned to “the conversation between the risen Jesus and Peter at the end of the Gospel of John” (Jn. 21), highlighting in particular the “direct, strong, free and open” tone of this dialogue, which goes against the watered-down spirituality in which Christians sometimes try to approach Jesus in a “veneration of circumstance”.
The pope referred to Jesus’ warning to Peter, in which Christ said to him, in essence: “When you were young, you were self-sufficient; when you are old, you will no longer be so master of yourself and your life”, explained the 85-year-old pontiff, referring to the arrival of illnesses linked to old age. But this dimension of old age is an integral part of Christian life: “This weakness will also accompany your testimony”. The pope left his text by evoking a piece of advice from Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who considered that the witness of a “disciple of Jesus” is expressed by life and by death.
The conditions of a life largely entrusted to others, largely dependent on the initiative of others, are an occasion for humility which makes it possible to verify the coherence of a life of faith.
Jesus said this clearly to Peter, explaining to him, according to the interpretation given by the pope: “Those who follow you must learn to let themselves be instructed and molded by your fragility, your helplessness, your dependence on others, even to dress you , your way of walking. But you follow me. This arrest is not linked to a criterion of physical vigor. We must always follow Jesus, whether we are “in good or bad health”, whether we walk “slowly or quickly”.
“This conversation between Jesus and Peter contains a valuable lesson for all disciples, for all believers, and also for all the elderly,” the pope explained. “The conditions of a life largely entrusted to others, largely dependent on the initiative of others” are an opportunity for humility which allows us to verify the coherence of a life of faith, the pontiff specified.
Do not be afraid to give way to young people
When Peter is worried about seeing another disciple take his place, Jesus answers him firmly: “What can it do to you? You, follow me”. The pope explained that this response from Jesus is a lesson to be learned “when we deal with the lives of others”.
“The elderly should not be jealous of young people who follow in their footsteps, who occupy their place, who survive them”, explained the pope, in a period marked by heavy misunderstandings between generations, including within the world ecclesial. “The honor of their fidelity as elders to sworn love, of their fidelity to following the faith in which they believed, even in the conditions which bring them closer to the end of their life, is a source of admiration for the generations to come and a sign of great gratitude on the part of the Lord”, underlined the pope.
“Learning to take leave” and to “leave with joy” is also a sign of the “wisdom of the ancients”, added the pontiff, hoping that they will be able to keep the faith by looking at the path traveled with serenity, saying to themselves “I have lived, I have been a sinner, but I have also done good”. “Even emotional contemplation and wondering listening to the word of the Lord can become the best part of a passive-looking disciple’s life, for it can never be taken away from him,” the pope explained.
“Let us look and listen to our elders” so that they can “give us what is beautiful and good in them”, concluded Pope Francis, also inviting us to “look at the young people” with confidence, because “they will follow what we will have shown them”.
For the pope, “Christian coherence is played out in old age and dependence”