"Science advances, of course, and that is good. But the wisdom of life is something else entirely, and it seems to be stalled," Pope Francis warned in the general audience of May 25, in which he continued to consider old age, this time in the light of the Book of Ecclesiastes. Today, the Holy Father used his tripod cane during the audience, as his knee pain continues to afflict him.
Commenting on the famous phrase of this biblical book - "all is vanity" - he acknowledged that it is surprising to find in the Bible expressions questioning the meaning of existence.
But we can have the same impression: "The path of indifference may also appear to us as the only remedy to a painful disillusionment. Questions like these arise in us: Have our efforts changed the world? ... It seems that all this is useless… Why make so much effort?"
This disenchantment is particularly tempting for the elderly, the Pope said. But precisely because of this, when the elderly still have a "passion for justice" their testimony is strong.
Worn out
Our modern world is sorely in need of this hope, the Pope observed, because, he said to the French-speaking pilgrims, "Modern culture has reduced truth to exact science and technology, creating a world without hope and without love."
A knowledge that seems to exempt us from morality seems at first to be "a source of freedom and energy," but it soon turns to "paralysis of the soul," the Pope said.
Eventually, we even lose our energy for truth, Francis said, considering that "it is no coincidence that ours is the age of fake news, collective superstitions, and pseudo-scientific truths. It’s curious: in this culture of knowledge, of knowing everything, even of the precision of knowledge, a lot of witchcraft has spread, but cultured witchcraft. It is witchcraft with a certain culture but that leads you to a life of superstition: on the one hand, to go forward with intelligence in knowing things down to the roots; on the other hand, the soul that needs something else and takes the path of superstitions, and ends up in witchcraft."
In such a cultural context, the Pope said, with the wisdom of Ecclesiastes, "old age can learn the art of bringing to light the deception hidden in the delirium of a truth of the mind devoid of affection for justice."
