Dear readers, I hope you’ll give this reflection a few minutes of your time. Please, read on!
How would you feel, if at an old age, when you’re retired from active service; your family, friends and society isolate and abandon you? Obviously, miserable I think! So, don’t you ever forget the sick and elderly. Jesus Christ didn’t! He comforted and showed profound compassion to the sick and downtrodden. In fact, I can say with all confidence and conviction, that the gospel of Jesus’ love and compassion is real hope to the world.
Almost all cultures across the globe regard care for those who’re aged and failing in health as a natural duty. The Jewish and Christian traditions regard this responsibility to the elderly parents as a basic duty for all human beings (Exodus 20:12; Sirach 3). Irish and African cultures, as many others, generally have utmost admiration and respect for elders. They share a communal tradition of valuing, respecting and caring for the elderly because of their wealth of experience and wisdom in life. Governments of the world too, have increasingly regarded care for the elderly as a crucial responsibility of welfare state, with the public providing old-age insurance and medical services for the elderly population (physically impaired, chronically infirm, handicapped and housebound).
It’s all very well talking about the care for the sick and elderly in our modern society, but I think that our greatest difficulty and temptation about old age, is in thinking of it as a ‘futile waste’. This is apparently evident in our today’s world that honor the strong and powerful, and those who have beauty and intelligence. Invariably, the sick and elderly then suffer the danger of isolation, neglect and abandonment. I think that there is the urgent need for an intensified collective human and pastoral response, to give the sick and elderly their dignity, and all necessary assistance they need to carry on with life.
Yes! The Social and Pastoral care for the aged can be a real challenge to the Church and Society. Perhaps, it is pertinent to frankly address some few questions here. Do the elderly have any relevance in our modern society? Can they speak to us today? Can they help us? The answer is a comprehensive “Yes.” Through her Pastoral Care Program for the Sick and Elderly, the Church has persistently, continue to help and support the society to prevail in the vital struggle to protect the value and dignity of human life, and to spread love and care for the elderly.
Pope John Paul II of blessed memory beautifully captures the essence of this challenge in his touching appeal during his visit to Britain: “Do not neglect your sick and elderly. Do not turn away from the handicapped and the dying. Do not push them to the margins of society. For if you do, you will fail to understand that they represent an important truth. The sick, the elderly, the handicapped and the dying teach us that weakness is a creative part of human living, and that suffering can be embraced with no loss of dignity. Without the presence of these people in your midst you might be tempted to think of health, strength and power as the only important values to be pursued in life. But the wisdom of Christ and the power of Christ are to be seen in the weakness of those who share in his suffering. Let us keep the sick and the handicapped at the center of our lives. Let us treasure them and recognize with gratitude the debt we owe them. We begin by imagining that we are giving to them; we end by realizing that they have enriched us.”
The Holy Father continually urges the society to support and help the weak, sick, elderly, and all those who suffer; even as His Prayer Intention for the month of February reads: “For the sick, especially those who are poor, may they receive care and treatment worthy of their human dignity.” Let’s pray earnestly, that God may grant strength and healing to the Pope, and keep him safe from harm. For all the elderly and the aged, that God may comfort them with contentment of heart. The society also must gratefully acknowledge its large and continuing debt to religious organizations, family members, voluntary humanitarian organizations, charity foundations, social institutions and specialized professionals offering their expertise in care, supervising medication, assisting with basic therapies and counseling. We must realize that we need each other to find help, care, relief, satisfaction and joy in the midst of all these human struggle and pains.
I want to conclude by saying that I’ll never forget my enriching experience with the sick and elderly in Portsmouth. Now that several days, weeks, and months have passed since my last summer pastoral experience with the elderly in Portsmouth, I’m even increasingly moved and touched by their tremendous gesture of friendship and humor which still lingers on in my mind, as I realize more and more, that I benefited so much from their great experiences and encouraging advice which continually motivate me toward appreciating and living life gratefully. To you all, I extend my heartfelt thanks for your warm and gracious hospitality, and with fond memories of my time with you. You are all simply unforgettable! I must confess that my time with you was an incredible experience I would always remember. I pray that you may all feel God’s presence and that He will keep you safe and warm always. Indeed, I’ll never forget the sick and elderly!
Ø Michael Adefemi Adegbola.
