Pope’s teaching: “Practice of faith is not a thing for old people”

Vatican

At his public meeting this morning – which was held in St. Peter’s Square and attended by many believers and pilgrims from different countries – the Holy Father delivered his Eighth Catechesis on Old Age entitled: “Eleazar, Consolidation of Faith, Legacy of Honor.”

In fact, as an introduction, we set out to read some passages of the Book of Second Maccabees which narrate the vicissitudes of ancient Eleazar, one of the chief teachers of the law—whose life had been impeccable since his childhood—who refused to eat beef. Pig in respect of the sacred canons laid down by God, with the intent that the young see that he will not accept pagan customs for fear of losing the young life he left, without offending himself in his old age.

Pope Francis began by saying:

Before referring to Eleazar’s “quiet and resolute response” based on an interesting argument, the pontiff alluded to the pretense and religious and priestly hypocrisy that persists today.

To our dear brothers and sisters present, speaking in our language, the Pope, recalling the figure of Eleazar, affirmed that the Bible tells us “that this noble old man was proposed to gain a few more days of life if he betrayed the teachings of God, but he rejected this possibility resolutely and courageously.”

No to the temptation to separate faith from life

Francis said that “temptation Separating faith and life We can also find it today in different ways.” For example – he added – “We see that the practice of faith is often presented in a negative way, ridiculed or marginalized, or seen as something ‘old man’, something useless and even harmful to one’s existence.

Confronting this, the Pope added:

Reply to faith honor

Certainly – said Francis, speaking in Italian – “We know that the exercise of faith can become an outward phenomenon without a soul. But in itself it is not at all. Perhaps it is up to us elders precisely to restore the faith to its dignity. Make it consistent.”

He added,

Greetings from the Pope

In a warm greeting to the Spanish-speaking pilgrims and before blessing them, the Holy Father recommended:

Greetings dear Portuguese-speaking worshippers, the Pope welcomed in a special way the students and teachers of the Horizonte School in Porto. And he reminded everyone that we had just begun the month of May, “which traditionally invites Christians to multiply their daily gestures in honor of the Virgin Mary. The secret of his peace and courage was this certainty: nothing is impossible with God.”

To the English-speaking pilgrims present in today’s audience, Francis specifically addressed pilgrims from England, Norway, Canada and the USA.

The Bishop of Rome also warmly received the French-speaking pilgrims, especially the representatives of the Via Romana, the “Community of Astronomy” and the French youth.

To our dear German-speaking brothers and sisters, the Pope also reminded them that the month of May is dedicated to the Mother of God, Our Mother. Hence his call “to invoke his intercession for his personal intentions, the intentions of the Church, and peace in the world.”

And in welcoming the Poles, the pontiff noted that yesterday they celebrated the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Poland.

In his salutation to the Arabic-speaking believers, Francis reminded them that “faith has changed our lives, purified our minds, and taught us to worship God and love our neighbor. It is a blessing to all and deserves respect and honor.”

Finally, in his warm welcome to Italian-speaking pilgrims, the Bishop of Rome received in a special way the Assembly “SIMBA” of Taranto and the Carpi Choir “Voces y Manos Blancas”.

And after addressing his thoughts, as usual, to the elderly, the sick, the young, and the newlyweds, the Pope said:

Before conveying his blessing to everyone and singing Our Father in Latin, the Pope apologized for not being able to pass through the ranks of those present due to the pain in his knee, which he said was “accidental”.