Call Me And Bid Me Come To You

Most often, all that the Pope has in common with the members of the Church is Jesus Christ. Of course, Christ is the strongest bond one could have with another, but it seems that this bond becomes clearer when deeper commonalities are discovered. For example, members of the Society of Jesus probably feel more connected to Pope Francis than to other Popes in the past. 

This is why Blessed John Paul II’s 1999 “Letter to the Elderly” is so powerful for the aged among us. He was 79 years old when he wrote it, therefore in deep solidarity with his readers. His support and guidance are quite meaningful, then, and his experience witnesses well to the Christian approach to old age and dying. John Paul II writes:

I find great peace in thinking of the time when the Lord will call me: from life to life! And so I often find myself saying, with no trace of melancholy, a prayer recited by priests after the celebration of the Eucharist: In hora mortis meae voca me, et iube me venire ad te – at the hour of my death, call me and bid me come to you. This is the prayer of Christian hope, which in no way detracts from the joy of the present, while entrusting the future to God's gracious and loving care.

“Iube me venire ad te!”: this is the deepest yearning of the human heart, even in those who are not conscious of it.

Enjoy this insightful letter, and pass it along to those who need to hear the message. Let it serve as a reminder to those of us who are temporarily young and nondisabled to visit and pray for the elderly.