Humble Pope Francis is always concerned for the poor and the marginalized. He is committed to dialogue with others beyond barriers and to building bridges among people of all backgrounds and beliefs.
Connecting the elderly with the young is one of his sincere goals to overcome
the generation gap and to build a bridge of joyful love. His sincere intention
to connect the elderly with the young generation was already expressed in
"Christus vivit" the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation published in
March 2019 after the synod on young people.
Calling for "an alliance between the young and the old" to help us
counter the culture of waste, to make the world a better place, to look above
the horizon, and to see the stars beyond, Pope Francis emphasizes that we must
understand where we have been to see where we should go.
So he was willing to contribute and collaborate with the making a book on the
wisdom of elders. Thus, "Sharing the Wisdom of Time" written by Pope
Francis and his friends was published by Loyola Press in October 2018. In fact,
this precious book came out of his constant prayer and thoughtful
consideration.
Together with 10 Jesuit publishers from around the world, Loyola Press
interviewed 259 elderly people over the course of two years and also
collaborated with a nonprofit sponsorship community called "Unbound,"
the Christian foundation that helps old people and children living in poverty
in 18 countries. Among those interviews, 84 stories were chosen to make a
wonderful volume of "Sharing the Wisdom of Time."
This book as the reservoir of elders' inspiring wisdom is a collection of true
testimonies of the elderly from over 30 countries in the world, intertwined
with feedback and comments of Pope Francis.
As a result of their sincere efforts to make it more useful and effective,
"Sharing the Wisdom of Time" won many awards: 2019 Best Book Awards
for novelty, gift book, and photography; 2019 Illumination Book Awards for
keepsake, gift, specialty bible; 2019 Living Now Book Awards of evergreen medal
for spiritual leadership; 2019 Catholic Press Association Book Awards for
design and production, family life, coffee table book and religious art, Pope
Francis and spirituality; 2019 International Book Awards for Christianity; 2019
Association of Catholic Publishers; 2019 Independent Press Awards for coffee
table book.
A colorful edition of the Korean version was created by the Ignatian
Spirituality Study Center in 2019, translated by Fr. Jeong Jae-cheon, the
present provincial superior of the Society of Jesuits.
As Pope Francis says, "To walk toward the future, the past is
needed," elders' experiences and inspiring wisdom can guide our path and
inspire our lives. Each story is introduced under five thematic topics such as
work, struggle, love, death, and hope. As true and touching testimonies to the
power of faith, perseverance, and love, each story lets us to look above the
horizon and go on a journey.
In this book carved from various experiences of elders, a blind old person
confesses that "I am a blind person but I see the beauty of my
surroundings with the heart of soul."
Truly, as Pope Francis says, "the success of life is not glory but
perseverance. Wise old persons have great patience. This is the wisdom that
makes you dream."
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2020/01/162_281946.html
The Korea Times/ Thoughts of
the Times/ Jan 15(online), 16(offline), 2020
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