Sunday 29.09.2013 *****Care of the Aged**** (Senior Citizens Sunday) Genesis 46: 28, 47:10-12 Psalm 71: 1-8 I Timothy 5: 1-10 Mark 7: 5-23 Collect: O God of grace and love, who has ordained the aged people as a blessing to everyone, grant them your strength and power; help them to put their trust in you. Give the people of God, we pray, the ability to accept the ministry of caring for the aged, as service to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever. Amen. Every year we observe one Sunday as the Senior Citizens Sunday. On this special Sunday we are reminded of the biblical mandate from the Book of Exodus chapter 20 verse 12 ”honour your father and mother”. We are expected to respect and love the elders in the family and in the society. Psychologists say that 60+ is the last stage of a human life. An aged person is like a child needing care and support. Mary Morrison in her book “Let Evening Come”, says , “Ageing takes courage”. One should enter the old age with courage and not with fear. In Western countries, the aged people prepare themselves to enter the old age. The Bible talks of a God who is nearer to the people especially the ones who suff er ,the widows and the orphans. In the Book of Genesis chapter 45, we come across the story of Joseph. When Joseph was in Egypt, his father Jacob was 130 years old. In Gen 45:10 Joseph says, ”you shall be near me”. These words indicate the love of Joseph for his aged father. Though Joseph was holding high position, great power and wealth, all these did not become and obstacle for his love towards his father. Joseph had the wisdom to comprehend that the power and position that he held, the wealth that he enjoyed were all attributed to the blessings of his parents. In I Timothy 5:1-10,Paul exhorts us to show affection and respect to the older man as a father and older women like mothers. In the apostolic church, concern towards widows was one of the basic priorities. Also James 1:27 says ” religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unstained from the world.” Jesus always responded to the needs of the people with a self-giving love. In Ps 71:9, the psalmist prays to god saying “do not cast me away when I am old, do not forsake when my strength is gone”. Here the psalmist talks about the usual problems faced by the aged. Whenever I visited the old age homes, I was shocked to hear their pathetic stories. They were frustrated and dejected because their children had forsaken them. Though their children are financially well-off, they felt that their aged parents were a burden to them and they would be kept in an old age home. Deut 19:3 tells the duty of the children towards their aged parents “you shall each revere your mother and father and you shall keep my Sabbath. Your worship will be more meaningful when your respect and honour your aged parents. In the present day situation, most of the aged are robbed of their dignity and also their properties and wealth. These days we often hear the aged parents saying that their children instead of loving and caring them, love their properties and wealth. In Prov.28:24 says, “do not rob your father”. There are many incidents in our own community where the aged parents are murdered in order to confiscate the property. Especially the aged widows are harassed by their sons to acquire money and wealth from them. As a young nun, Mother Teresa once was walking in a street. She heard a groaning sound from a dust bin. She thought that some puppy or kitten could have got stuck in the bin, so she removed the dust with her hands and was shocked to find and old and dying lady. She took her in her arms and embraced her. That old lady said in a feeble voice “my son did it to me”. In some homes the aged parents are no more needed by the children. In old age physical strength deteriorates, they have hearing problem, eyes become dim, mental stability diminishes, loss of memory power(Alzheimer’s disease), money power becomes bleak. There are nearly 81 million older people in India. According to an estimate nearly 50 percent of Senior citizens living with their families are facing abuse of one kind or another. Although the President of India has given her consent to the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Acts 2009 which punishes children who abandon parents with three months imprisonment or a fine, the situation is still very grim for the elderly people in India. Neglect of parents has become a big issue and so many old age homes have sprung up in India. The early church was very emphatic that it was the duty of the children to support the aged parents. In I Timothy 5:8 Paul says that “if anyone does not take care of his family members , he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. A true Christian will take care of his aged parents. Proverbs 16:31 tells that “the silver haired head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness”. According to the recent survey of Helpage India, a voluntary organization, nearly 60 percent of the aged have no access to proper medical facility especially in the rural areas due to financial problems. In the rural areas parents borrow money to educate their children. In the later years, children settle down in the cities leaving the aged parents to pay back the debts. When they are sick there is no financial help or support from the children. The rise of the urban society has worsened the status of the aged. In the past, the aged helped in the rearing and nurturing the grandchildren , they were consulted in important decision making matters pertaining to the family. As years passed by, the society became more urban, the aged began to lose their economic security. They were unwanted in the family. A recent survey on the aged reveals that person aged above 65 years spend nearly 12 hours alone each day. This means that there is an increase in social isolation. God certainly loves all and uses people of all ages in His service. The aged may retire from their secular jobs but not from the service of the lord. Retirement life is the life of communion with God, a time for prayer and reflection. We must revere the aged and appreciate them for their wisdom and their experience. The aged are full of rich life experiences and listening to them enriches the young to lead a purposeful and meaningful life. May God grant us the wisdom to revere, respect ,honour and love the aged people.
Posted on: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 17:50:23 +0000
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