The Tribune

By Rev. Angela C. Bosfield Palacious

As more of us age gracefully and live longer, as families are more stressed and time and resources less available, this becomes a silent question in the hearts of many of our senior population: Will you love me when I am old? Will our families love and care for us? Will our churches love and remember us? Will our nation continue to provide for us?

There are several passages in the bible which speak to the subject of aging and elder care:

Ecclesiastes 12: 1-3 NRSV: “Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; 2 …and those who look through the windows see dimly.”

Matthew 15: 3-7 NRSV: “He [Jesus] answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said,[a] ‘Honour your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ But you say that whoever tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God,’[b] then that person need not honour the father.[c] So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word[d] of God. You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you.”

Leviticus 19:32 NRSV: “You shall rise before the aged, and defer to the old; and you shall fear your God: I am the lord.”

As a church we need to engage ourselves in more of the following:

1) Prayer and study on family relationships and changing levels of communication.

2) Provision of opportunities for sharing of personal experiences by elderly persons.

3) Visits to homes for the elderly, to older persons, and the sick and shut-in.

4) Seminars on aging, elder care, various illnesses associated with aging.

5) Support groups for the elderly and for care-givers.

6) Church sponsored homes for the elderly and assisted living facilities.

7) More education on preparation for retirement including financial planning, good nutrition, exercise, alternative activities and ministries.

As individuals we need to peacefully resolve our own issues: How do I feel about growing older myself? What preparations am I making, if any?

Unless we die young or the lord comes very soon, we all will grow old. Hopefully, we are loving others as we hope one day to be loved ourselves.