For some time now, I have been carrying a thought in my heart. I feel that this is what the Lord wants me to say: that there should be an alliance between young and old people. This is the time when grandparents must dream so that the young can have visions. This idea became clear to mewhen I considered the words of the prophet Joel, who says, in God’s name, I will pour out my spirit upon everyone, and your sons and daughters will become prophets; your elders will dream dreams, your young people will see visions (Joel 3:1).

What does this mean? Only if our grandparents have the courage to dream, and our young people imagine great things, will our society go on. If we want to have a vision for our future, let our grandparents tell us, let them share their dreams with us. We need grandparents who dream! They will be able to inspire young people to move forward creatively as they envision a future. Today, young people need the dreams of the elders so they can hope in a future. Older people and young people move forward together and they need each other…

Today more than ever, the future generates anxiety, insecurity, mistrust, and fear. Only the testimony of their elders will help young people look above the horizon to see the stars. Just learning that it was worth fighting for something will help young people face the future with hope. What do I ask of the elders among whom I count myself? I call us to be memory keepers. We grandfathers and grandmothers need to form a choir, I envision elders as a permanent choir of a great spiritual sanctuary, where prayers of supplication and songs of praise support the larger community that works and struggles in the field of life.

I also urge that we take action! I ask that we push back, in any way we can, against the “culture of waste” that is imposed on us worldwide. There is something terribly wrong in this addiction to the culture of waste. When we get old, we recognize the gaps and lacks of a society so bent on efficiency. As elders, we can thank the Lord for the many benefits we have received. We can fill the void of ingratitude that surrounds us. Not only that: we can honor the memory and sacrifices of the past. We can remind today’s young people, who have their own blend of heroic ambitions and insecurities, that a life without love is an arid life. We can tell fearful young people that anxiety about the future can be overcome. We can teach those young people, sometimes so focused on themselves, that there is more joy in giving than in receiving and that love is not only shown in words but also in actions. Clearly, we elders at this time and moment of our lives need to reinvent ourselves, because old age, as it is today, is a new phenomenon. That is what pushes us to be creative.

And what do I ask of young people? I feel sorry for a young person whose dreams are mired in bureaucracy, who, like the wealthy young man of the gospel, goes through life sad and empty. I ask them to listen to and bond with their elders. I ask them not to pull back into a quiet “desktop existence” that hems them in with projects that have no hope and no heroism. I ask them to look up at the stars. I ask that they dream of a better world and let that dream inspire and energize them…To walk toward the future, the past is needed; deep roots are needed to help live the present and its challenges. Memory is needed, courage is needed, a healthy vision for the future is needed. Here is what I would like: a world that lives in a new alliance of young and old (Source: Sharing the Wisdom of Time by Pope Francis).

CCGR Weekly Newsletter (8-25-19) 
Bringing Home the Word (8-25-19)

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Our Summer Retreat
Sharing the Wisdom of Time with Pope Francis
August 26th through August 30th