20240928 PREPARING FOR OLD AGE
First reading |
Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:8 |
Remember your creator in the days of your youth
Rejoice in your youth, you who are young;
let your heart give you joy in your young days.
Follow the promptings of your heart
and the desires of your eyes.
But this you must know: for all these things God will bring you to judgement.
Cast worry from your heart,
shield your flesh from pain.
Yet youth, the age of dark hair, is vanity. And remember your creator in the days of your youth, before evil days come and the years approach when you say, ‘These give me no pleasure’, before sun and light and moon and stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain;
the day when those who keep the house tremble
and strong men are bowed;
when the women grind no longer at the mill,
because day is darkening at the windows
and the street doors are shut;
when the sound of the mill is faint,
when the voice of the bird is silenced,
and song notes are stilled,
when to go uphill is an ordeal
and a walk is something to dread.
Yet the almond tree is in flower,
the grasshopper is heavy with food
and the caper bush bears its fruit,
while man goes to his everlasting home. And the mourners are already walking to and fro in the street
before the silver cord has snapped,
or the golden lamp been broken,
or the pitcher shattered at the spring,
or the pulley cracked at the well,
or before the dust returns to the earth as it once came from it, and the breath to God who gave it.
Vanity of vanities, the Preacher says. All is vanity.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 89(90):3-6,12-14,17 |
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
You turn men back to dust
and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’
To your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday, come and gone,
no more than a watch in the night.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
You sweep men away like a dream,
like the grass which springs up in the morning.
In the morning it springs up and flowers:
by evening it withers and fades.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
Make us know the shortness of our life
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever?
Show pity to your servants.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
In the morning, fill us with your love;
we shall exult and rejoice all our days.
Let the favour of the Lord be upon us:
give success to the work of our hands.
O Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to the next.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ac16:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.2Tim1:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 9:43-45 |
They were afraid to ask him what he meant
At a time when everyone was full of admiration for all he did, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘For your part, you must have these words constantly in your mind: “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.”’ But they did not understand him when he said this; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had just said.
28 September 2024, Saturday, 25th Week in Ordinary Time
PREPARING FOR OLD AGE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ECCLESIASTES 11:9-12:8; LUKE 9:43-45]
When is the best time to prepare for old age? From the day we were born! The old man of tomorrow will be determined very much by the young man of today. What we do now, the values we imbibe, the lifestyle we live, the relationships we form will determine what kind of person we will be when we grow old. This is why it is important for us to prepare for our exit gracefully. Are we prepared for old age? Most of us only think of preparing ourselves financially – ensuring that we can afford our medical expenses, have a roof over our heads, being able to look after ourselves, especially when our mobility is impaired and we need a caregiver, or resign ourselves to stay in a nursing home. Such provisions are well and good, but more importantly, we need to prepare our emotional, mental and spiritual state of mind; not just our physical needs. Will we be able to live our life gracefully, contributing our talents, time, resources and wisdom to the next generation? What kind of legacy do we want to leave behind?
The gospel tells us how Jesus not only prepared Himself, but His apostles to meet His end. He did not want them to be scandalized by what would happen, or to lose hope when His passion took place. He knew that they would be carried away by success, glory and popularity, especially when they are sent out on mission to do what Jesus did, “cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.” (Mt 10:9) Jesus had just performed a case of exorcism when a boy with epilepsy was delivered from an evil spirit. “Everyone was awestruck by the greatness of God.” But instead of being carried away by His fame and popularity, Jesus immediately invited His disciples to prepare for the humiliation and scandal before them. Jesus said to His disciples, “For your part, you must have these words constantly in your mind: The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men.” Jesus was being frank and honest about the mission which His Father gave to Him. It would not be accomplished in terms of worldly wisdom, success, power and glory and victory over His enemies. On the contrary, He would suffer humiliation, persecution, unjust judgment, suffering and death on the cross.
What was the apostles’ reaction? “But they did not understand him when he said this; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had just said.” They could not accept what Jesus said and refused to confront the truth of what they heard. They could not believe that their master who worked miracles could be overcome by His enemies. It was something unthinkable because if He could perform miracles and raise the dead back to life, who could ever touch Him? At any rate, still basking in their success and the fame of Jesus in the ministry, they did not want to think about it. That was why even though they could not understand fully the prophecy of our Lord about His death, they were not ready to clarify with Him. They just presumed they had heard wrongly, or that Jesus never meant exactly what He said.
And this is true for us as well who are aging, whether we are still young or getting older chronologically. We are not ready to face death or old age. This is why the psalmist invites us to consider the shortness of our life so that we will be prepared. To know how short our life is should not make us feel depressed but help us to be realistic and learn to live fully now for the future, to prepare ourselves to be that old man and that old woman not many years from now. Indeed, the psalmist was being realistic when he said, “You turn men back to dust and say: ‘Go back, sons of men.’ To your eyes a thousand years are like yesterday, come and gone, no more than a watch in the night. You sweep men away like a dream, like the grass which springs up in the morning. In the morning it springs up and flowers: by evening it withers and fades. Make us know the shortness of our life that we may gain wisdom of heart. Lord, relent! Is your anger for ever? Show pity to your servants.”
To start preparing for old age, we must begin whilst we are still young. This is what the Preacher in the first reading urges us. He wrote, “Rejoice in your youth, you who are young; let your heart give you joy in your young days. Follow the promptings of your heart and the desires of your eyes.” Firstly, we must cherish our youth. This is a great blessing from God. When we are young, we are able to do many things. We have lots of energy and desire to do many things. We feel empowered when we give ourselves to excitement, ambition, fame, popularity. We like to be active, do things and feel great when we can execute them well. We want to learn. All these are good. It helps us to be truly alive.
Unfortunately, sometimes, youthful days can also be dangerous because the young tend to live recklessly, thinking that no harm will come to them, to their health and to their life. They feel invincible and have no thought or concern and care for their loved ones. They think they are young and have a long life ahead of them. So they drink, smoke, do drugs, engage in immoral activities, steal, cheat and live a flirtatious and lustful life. They just want fun and excitement. They live a carefree life, one without responsibility. The Preacher warned such young people, “But this you must know: for all these things God will bring you to judgement. Cast worry from your heart, shield your flesh from pain.”
We will suffer judgment for the things that we do today. If we do not live a responsible life, we will suffer the outcomes eventually. St Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.” (Gal 6:7-10) Indeed, if we do not study hard, we cannot expect to anchor a good career in the future. If we do not take care of our health, when we get older, then all the sicknesses will start surfacing. If we eat and drink unhealthily, we will suffer all kinds of illnesses. If we do not exercise, our body will lose its strength and at old age, the body will be weak and lose immunity against illnesses. If we live a sinful life, the past will catch up with us. If our heart is full of wickedness and evil, few would want to associate with us. If we are selfish, self-centred, grumpy and nasty, do not expect people to care for us in our old age, not even our relatives. They will all run away from us, for who wants to care for demanding and unreasonable people.
Hence, the Preacher urges young people to be ready for old age by living their life well and responsibly. “Yet youth, the age of dark hair, is vanity. And remember your creator in the days of your youth, before evil days come and the years approach, when you say, ‘These give me no pleasure’, before sun and light and moon and stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain; the day when those who keep the house tremble and strong men are bowed … And the mourners are already walking to and fro in the street, or before the dust returns to the earth as it once came from it, and the breath to God who gave it.” Truly, one cannot escape from old age and death. When the time comes, we will not be able to see or hear as clearly, or continue labouring as before. This is why we must cherish our youth whilst we are still young and strong.
When the time comes, let us be gracious as we gradually exit from the hurly burly of life. It does not mean that we wait for death to come. But rather, we must live a quiet life of tranquillity, pondering over the works of creation and especially the divine providence and majesty of our creator. Like the psalmist, we must be thankful to God for all that we have been and all that we are. We must be grateful for whatever help people give to us and with humility recognize our greater dependence on others. If we have formed ourselves in the right virtues, then we will be able to grow old graciously, full of gratitude for all that we have gone through in life, and without regret. We could then be ready to exit when the time comes, because we know the fullness of life awaits us in heaven when we are one with Christ and the Father in the Holy Spirit.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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