Growing Old
+ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
12 Jul 2009
Recently a good friend surprised me by asking unexpectedly what I thought heaven would be like. A practising Catholic, and a bit younger than me (about 60), she explained that as you get older you wonder about these issues.
Everyone dies and an increasing number have to face the prospect of growing old, since life expectancy increased by 27 years in the twentieth century.
Life is not equal, because for every 100 women aged 85, we find only 35 men. Testosterone wears out the males! Children now regularly have more grandparents than siblings. Nineteen of the oldest countries in the world are in Europe, although Japanese society is very old too.
Acknowledging that a sense of humour continues to be useful in old age, we might define the young old (65-74) as frisky, the middle old (75-84) as frail and those over 85 as fragile.
Bitterness at any stage, but especially in old age, makes us unhealthy as well as unhappy. As one grumpy old man explained: "At secondary school I was voted most likely to hold a grudge and I have never forgiven them". What we all need when we are old is a special hearing aid to filter out criticism and amplify praise. I concede that such a hearing aid would be dangerous for those in leadership positions, because leaders have to hear their critics and evaluate the truth in their claims. But this is another story.
Many seniors have claimed to me that old age is not for wimps, as energy levels diminish and parts wear out. Often the knees and hips are the first to go and then sight and hearing decline. Serious illness usually strikes unexpectedly.
Today however many wonderful helps are available cheaply to encourage people to live at home as long as possible. Company and friendship are always blessings and family, friends and church groups who regularly visit the "shut-ins" are performing important works of mercy.
Modern medicine now knows much more about ageing and also can effectively help many suffering from anxiety or depression. Depression descends upon more women than men, but often men are slower to seek help or recognize they are depressed.
However, it is only in the last fifteen years that gerontology courses have acknowledged how important religion and spirituality are.
Belief in a good God and in the happiness of heaven mean that prayer brings peace and strength.
