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Ageless Wisdom: Lifetime Lessons from the Bible

Ageless Wisdom: Lifetime Lessons from the Bible. Christopher M. Bellitto, Ph.D. Kean University. Wisdom. “This is wisdom: it is the grace of being able to see everything with the eyes of God.” --Pope Francis. We’re living longer…. Projections.

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Ageless Wisdom: Lifetime Lessons from the Bible

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  1. Ageless Wisdom:Lifetime Lessons from the Bible Christopher M. Bellitto, Ph.D. Kean University

  2. Wisdom “This is wisdom: it is the grace of being able to see everything with the eyes of God.” --Pope Francis

  3. We’re living longer…

  4. Projections • Every single day in the US: 10,000 people turn 65….until 2030 • Worldwide: population over 65 will triple in the life of our grandchildren. • 2008: 7% world population over 65 • 2040: 20% world population over 65 • 2040: more people over 65 than under 5 • This has never before happened in human history.

  5. …and we’ll live even longer. What are the implications for: Medicare/Medicaid Long-term health costs Housing Prescription drug costs Social Security

  6. Religion gets more important as we age.

  7. Implications for Parish Ministry “The wisdom of life, of which we are bearers, is a great wealth. The quality of a society, I mean of a civilization, is also judged by how it treats elderly people and by the place it gives them in community life. Those who make room for the elderly make room for life! Those who welcome the elderly welcome life!” -- Pope Benedict XVI, Roman home for elderly, Nov. 2012

  8. Dante’s InfernoGustave Dore, 1857 “In the middle of the journey of our life I found myself within a dark forest,for the direct path had been lost.” Inferno (canto I.ll.1-3)

  9. We look to the elderly for advice and stories, especially about our history and identity.

  10. We look to the elderly for advice and stories, especially about our history and identity.

  11. Human age = world’s age Three Ages of ManTitian, 1512-1514 Old age depicted as an old woman  Book of Hours, 13th c.

  12. Methusaleh: 969 years oldGn 5:21, 25-27 Canterbury Cathedral a curiously young Methusaleh *** Christ Leading the Patriarchs to Paradise Bartolome Bermejo ca. 1440-1500

  13. Methusaleh: 969 years oldGn 5:21, 25-27 Methusaleh tree in California, ca. 5000 years old

  14. Abram/Abraham • 75 when he hears God’s call: Gn 12:1-4 (never too late…?) • dies at 175: “in a good old age, an old man and full of years”: Gn 25:7-8

  15. …right? “Honor thy father and mother.” Exodus 20:12 Qur’an sura 17: mercy toward the aged: reciprocal from childhood “You shall rise before the aged, and defer to the old.” Leviticus 19:32 Akan tribe (Ghana) Care for the elderly with no teeth because they cared for you before you had teeth.

  16. God of old age = Geras, son of Night and Darkness BUT…..Spartan’s Gerousia…and Cicero, De senectute: “These Athenians know what politeness is, but they won’t practice it.”

  17. Wisdom and grey/white hair “How becoming to the gray-haired is judgment, and a knowledge of counsel to those on in years! How becoming to the aged is wisdom, understanding and prudence to the venerable! The crown of old men is wide experience; their glory, the fear of the Lord.” Sirach 25:4-6

  18. Elihu rebukes Job

  19. Bargaining with God • Abraham negotiated with God to save Lot’s life: Gn 18:16-33

  20. Bargaining with God Moses was constantly complaining and persuading God to change plans. “Why did you ever send me?...[Y]ou have done nothing at all to deliver your people.” Ex 5:22-23 “If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once.” Nm 11:15

  21. Naomi

  22. A sense of humor: Sarah laughed “Who is an old woman? One who is called old and does not protest.” Maimonides, 1135-1204 “When you feel that you are old, then and no sooner will you declare your old age.” Petrarch, on his 62nd birthday, 1366 “Old age is always a bit older than you are.” Jeffrey Love, AARP director of research

  23. Patience: older parents Abraham and Sarah *** Elizabeth and Mary

  24. Patience: Simeon and Anna “It is a unique encounter between observance and prophecy, where young people are the observers and the elderly are prophetic!” Pope Francis, Feb. 2014

  25. The takeaways Wisdom teaches patience negotiation humor Wisdom is tied to humility a lost virtue Wisdom should always be paid forward a time to reap, a time to sow • Older is not necessarily wiser Solomon ! • Wisdom can be both • blessing • burden • Wisdom is learned from • failures and flaws • triumphs and successes

  26. Desired blend: age and wisdom “There is an old age without the glory of long life; and there is long life without the ornament of age: perfect is that old age which has both.” Midrash

  27. Implications for Parish Ministry • “As advances in medicine and other factors lead to increased longevity, it is important to recognize the presence of growing numbers of older people as a blessing for society. Every generation can learn from the experience and wisdom of the generation that preceded it. Indeed the provision of care for the elderly should be considered not so much an act of generosity as the repayment of a debt of gratitude.” -- Pope Benedict XVI London nursing home 2010

  28. Pope Francis: Amoris Laetitia, nos. 191-93 • Elderly are “a living part of the community.” • Akan tribe (Ghana): “living ancestors” • Francis quoted St. John Paul II • older men and women play a role in “the continuity of the generations” by their “charism of bridging the gap.” • JPII to International Forum on Active Aging, 1980

  29. Bridging the Generation Gap:Implications for Parish Ministry • “Listening to the elderly tell their stories is good for children and young people; it makes them feel connected to the living history of their families, their neighborhoods and their country.” Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia, no. 193

  30. Bridging the Generation Gap:Papal Homework • “Speak to your grandparents. Ask them questions. They have the memory of history, the experience of living, and this is a great gift for you that will help you in your life journey.” -- Pope Francis, 12/2016, two days after his 80th birthday

  31. Practical ideas • Change your schedules to spend time with your elders: Make it happen. • Movie night • Parents can have a night out, too! • Pair up grandkids and grandparents whose grandparents and grandkids are far away. • Oral interviews: • Was your faith ever challenged? • What did you do, really? • First Communion or Confirmation: • “What was yours like, Grandma/Grandpa?”

  32. Practical ideas • Tech help • conversations while trying to figure out that new version of Windows • Find/be a mentor • Pair up career vets with HS kids thinking of: teaching, nursing, plumbing, law, carpentry, small business, marketing, military service… • Oral interviews: • Did you march for a political or social cause? • What was the cost? • How did you handle that? What else…??????

  33. A time to reap = A time to sow “The elderly are also the future of a people.” --Pope Francis, July 2013, right after World Youth Day Pay it forward!

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