I remember an elderly man, Mr Richards, who was suffering in his old age, saying to me, “Father, I have a full and fruitful life but now I cannot walk and it has been over five years. I am 80 years old. I would not wish old age on anyone. I am a burden to everyone.”

I told Mr Richards, “It’s a time to give thanks. God has been good to you. You have been strong and active all of your life but old age is a part of the struggle and suffering most of us have to endure. This is a time when Christ calls you to share in His suffering on behalf of the sins of your past, the sins of your loved ones, the sins of the world. You must give thanks to Christ, Mr Richards, that you can share His suffering and pain on the cross.”

Mr Richards looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, “I can actually feel it. I feel it in my very bones, in my back, in my hips, in all my joints. I can hardly walk. I am a burden to everyone. I try to fight it, I try to exercise, I force myself to smile,. No one wants to be with me. It leads me to depression.”

I told Mr Richards, “Do not fight against these aches and pains — maybe you are fighting against it too hard. Maybe you need to learn to accept it as Jesus accepted His suffering on the cross. He did it by remembering the piteous people who are hungry, crippled, blind, deaf, forgotten, and sinners. This is our Christ Jesus who hung upon the cross and did not accept the taunting crowd who yelled at Him, mocked Him, and scorned Him, to come down from the cross. Jesus had all the power and might to come down from the cross and slay His enemies but rather, He endured the cross”.

Mr Richards, who is a deeply Christian man, said, “I feel it, Father Ho Lung, I feel it. My old age brings on sickness, it brings on tiredness People don’t want to be around me.”

I told him: “But Christ is with you, Mr Richards. You are never alone. You might feel abandoned but He is with you. He is in you, touching your inner core. Dig deep into your inner core, into the depths of your soul — you will find Him. Mr Richards, He is there; He loves you; He wants you to be with Him. That suffering that you undergo, which calls you to suffer with Christ, will enrich you, deepen your spirit, and you will find Him.”

He replied: “I look at old age as a sickness. I don’t want it. Better for me to be dead!”

In response I said, “No, Mr Richards, old age is a natural condition that most of us will all undergo. It calls forth a period of acceptance, thanksgiving and prayer. It calls forth faith and trust in God. It calls forth wisdom and understanding and reflection on our lives. We must use old age as a time to rejoice in all of life. God gives, God takes away; blessed be His name.

Teach the children, your grandchildren Mr Richards, your friends and acquaintances the meaning of life, the true values of life. What you say is true: Death may not be far on the horizon of your life. Maybe it is, maybe not, but now there is so much to teach others.

“There is heaven, there is hell. Christ wants us to be in heaven with Him and His Father. There is a life of peace, joy, and happiness awaiting us. While alive, give as much as you can to the poor and teach others that the greatest happiness comes with giving all that you are and have, and accepting God in all things.”