catholicworldreport.com
2026-05-22
May is Older Americans Month, a time to reflect upon the contributions and gifts of older Americans and to "reaffirm our commitment to serving" them. Thus, it's a good time to reflect on the wisdom that St. John Paul II imparted in his 1999 letter to the elderly.
Within this rich and beautiful letter, we see the pontiff's great love and respect for the elderly. In the opening paragraph, he states that "the gift of life, for all the effort and pain it involves, is too beautiful and precious for us ever to grow tired of it."
And so begin his words of encouragement, compassion, and tenderness for a group of people too often dismissed or even discarded. As he writes,
We see that among some peoples old age is esteemed and valued, while among others this is much less the case, due to a mentality which gives priority to immediate human usefulness and productivity. Such an attitude frequently leads to contempt for the later years of life, while older people themselves are led to wonder whether their lives are still worthwhile.
This is indeed an enormous problem we face today, especially as more and more states have begun to legalize physician-assisted suicide, in essence telling older persons that their lives are no longer worthwhile.