«Sociedade que não
protege, não cuida,
não admira os mais
velhos, está condenada
ao fracasso»,
alerta Comissão Episcopal do Laicado e Família
Lisboa, 15 jul 2020
(Ecclesia) – A Comissão Episcopal do Laicado e Família (CELF) dos bispos
católicos portugueses desafiou a sociedade a celebrar o “tesouro” que os avós
representam, numa mensagem que assinala a festa de 26 de julho, memória
litúrgica de São Joaquim e de Santa Ana.
“Neste tempo que vivemos,
precisamos de o dizer de forma clara, de o defender de forma assertiva. E os
tesouros são protegidos, tocados com cuidado e admiração. Uma sociedade que não
protege, não cuida, não admira os mais velhos, está condenada ao fracasso”,
refere o texto do organismo episcopal, enviado hoje à Agência ECCLESIA.
O texto elenca um
conjunto de atitudes que são associadas ao papel dos avós, na relação direta
com os seus netos, destacando que “compensam em amor as ausências, as zangas,
as dificuldades de pais ocupados, de vidas separadas”, com um “amor
incondicional”.
Os avós sustentam a vida
das famílias, não só porque muitas vezes permitem a sobrevivência ou algum
desafogo, mas porque são as raízes de tantas vidas. Contam as histórias de cada
passado, ajudam a perceber a diferença entre essencial e supérfluo”.
A CELF destaca a
importância do “testemunho concreto e real de outros tempos, tantas vezes
marcados por dificuldades, lutas e carências”.
“O dia dos avós é uma
oportunidade para dar graças, abraçar e celebrar a presença dos avós no passado
e no presente, ir às próprias raízes e descobrir neles a ternura e o amor de
Deus”, sustentam os bispos.
“Talvez sintamos a
vontade de correr para os braços de um avô velhinho, de uma avó sozinha. Ou de
rezar por quem já partiu. Ou de contar a um filho, a uma neta, a história dos
avós, dos bisavós, de todos os que nos deram a vida”, acrescenta a mensagem.
“The Richness of Many Years of Life,”
Grandparents
can play a pivotal role in ensuring that the faith is passed on to their
grandchildren in secularized societies, Pope Francis said.
“God
has a large population of grandparents throughout the world … They are the
indispensable link in educating children and young people in the faith,” the
pope said Jan. 31.
Speaking
to a Vatican conference on pastoral care for the elderly, Pope Francis focused
his remarks on the gifts that the elderly bring to the Church and society
today.
“Nowadays,
in secularized societies in many countries, current generations of parents do
not have, for the most part, the Christian formation and living faith that
grandparents can pass on to their grandchildren,” Pope Francis said.
“The
elderly person, even when he is weak, can become an instrument of salvation
history,” he said. “They are not only people whom we are called to assist and
protect to guard their lives, but they can be actors in a pastoral evangelizing
ministry, privileged witnesses of God’s faithful love.”
The
global population of people over the age of 80 is projected to triple by 2050,
according to the United Nations. Today’s global population aged 60 years or
over is more than double what it was in 1980.
“In
the twenty-first century, old age has become one of the distinctive features of
humanity. Over a period of just a few decades, the demographic pyramid - which
once rested upon a large number of children and young people and had at the top
just a few elderly people - has been inverted,” the pope said.
Pope
Francis, 83, noted that as governments learn how to deal with demographic
changes, the Church can contribute to civil society by sharing the dignity and
meaning of old age.
“The
indifference and rejection that our societies manifest towards the elderly
demand not only of the Church, but of all of us, a serious reflection to learn
to grasp and to appreciate the value of old age,” the pope said.
“We
need to change our pastoral habits in order to respond to the presence of so
many older people in families and communities,” he added.
“Different
seasons of life correspond to old age: for many, it is the age in which
productive efforts cease, strength declines and the signs of illness, the need
for help, and social isolation appear; but for many it is the beginning of a
long period of psycho-physical well-being and freedom from work commitments,”
Pope Francis said.
“In
the Bible, longevity is a blessing. It confronts us with our fragility, with
our mutual dependence, with our family and community ties, and above all with
our divine sonship. Granting old age, God the Father gives us time to deepen
our knowledge of Him, our intimacy with Him, to enter ever more into His heart
and surrender ourselves to Him,” he said. “This is the time to prepare to
deliver our spirit into His hands, definitively, with childlike trust.”
“Life
is a gift, and when it is long it is a privilege, for oneself and for others,”
Pope Francis said.
