Faith for Old?

There is a difference between old faith and faith for old.

Our Catholic faith is an old faith. It dates back all the way to the life of Jesus Christ, his death which we commemorate today, and his resurrection. But is it a faith for old?

I just finished my Visita Iglesia. The crowd in each church is not surprisingly a mixed of old and young people. Most, not all, of the old folks are seen in their prayers before the blessed sacrament. Most, not all, of the young people are either outside with their mobile and cameras, and only coming in before the blessed sacrament for a short while.

No judgements, though. It is a factual and amusing observation. Let's face it. It is more exciting to walk with one's peers, barkadas, and friends along the hi-way of Edsa going to Antipolo, as is the case every year on Holy Thursday night, than spend an hour before the Blessed Sacrament to pray.

Young people are innately impatient to sit and pray. Again, most but not all. However, as I watched the old folks with their rosaries, bibles and stations of the cross novenas in hand, I wonder if there was a time that they are as impatient as these youngsters are about prayer.

Probably. But why turn to this activity now? Is it a factor of age? An outsider observing our Catholic practice might indeed conclude that ours is a faith for old.

We pray. Read the bible. Go to Mass. Spend time before the blessed sacrament, to guide us in the lives we lead. But what is the use of all that if the life ahead of you is not that long anymore? Should we really wait until we are older to turn to prayer and everything spiritual? But while we are young, we give in the materiality, and impatient with the spiritual life?

When we grow old, all of us young people for sure we will turn to spirituality for comfort, strength, and whatever reason why we do turn to spirituality at this age. Why not do it now? Why not do spirituality now? By the time we are old, we are no longer a stranger to it. We know spirituality. We are already attuned to our spirit.

Then probably the young lives we lead, and the future, will have more meaning...