Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sep 17, 2008 / 20:58 pm
During a Mass for the elderly at the archdiocesan cathedral, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires said old age should be “a blessing” for others and that senior citizens should respond to young people’s thirst for hope with “silence, counsel and above all blessing.”
During the Mass, Cardinal Bergolgio reminded the elderly, “You have a mission to enlighten the path of others who are immersed in violence, hatred and envy.” “The elderly are like good wine, because their hearts have been matured by wisdom.”
He noted that young people are thirsty for models of hope and the elderly “can satiate that thirst with silence, counsel and above all with blessing. You have an immense responsibility in society, to give wisdom to our society that needs it so much.”
The cardinal thanked senior citizens for all they do for their country “as daily heroes,” and for their “testimony of desiring to continue living, despite sometimes suffering from poor care and slim pensions.”