At
his morning mass on Friday Pope Francis reflected on the later life
challenges of three biblical figures, Moses, St. John the Baptist and
St Paul.
He said none of the 3 were spared anguish at the end of their
lives although the Lord never abandoned them.
The Pope also urged the
faithful to remember and visit the many elderly priests and sisters
living in their nursing homes because they are true shrines of holiness.
In
his homily, the Pope looked at the vigour and enthusiasm displayed by
the young Moses, St. John the Baptist and St Paul at the beginning of
their apostolate and compared it with the solitude and anguish they
endured at the end of their lives.
The Pope said the apostle
St Paul “has a joyful and enthusiastic beginning” but is not spared a
decline in his later years and it was a similar situation with Moses and
St. John the Baptist.
“Moses, when young, he continued, was “the
courageous leader of the People of God who fought against his enemies”
to save his people.”
But at the end of his life, “he is alone on Mount
Nebo, looking at the promised land” but unable to enter it.
Turning
to the later life of St. John the Baptist, the Pope noted that the
apostle had to struggle with an anguish that tormented him and “finished
under the power of a weak, corrupt and drunken ruler who in turn was
under the power of an adulteress’ jealousy and the capricious wishes of
a dancer.”
St. Paul, the Pope said, also faced similar trials at
the end of his life and in his letters spoke of all those who had
abandoned him and who had denounced his preaching.
But as he went on
to stress, Paul wrote that “the Lord was close to him and gave him the
strength to complete his mission of announcing the Gospel.”
Pope
Francis said these later life challenges of these 3 figures reminded
him of” the shrines of holiness which are the nursing homes of elderly
priests and religious sisters.”
“Bearing the burden of solitude, these
priests and sisters are waiting for the Lord to knock at the door of
their hearts” and he urged the faithful not to forget them and to visit
them.