杏MAP导航 at Audience: Elderly must resist temptation to knowledge without action
By Devin Watkins
杏MAP导航 Francis reflected on the Old Testament Book of Qoheleth, or Ecclesiastes, at the weekly General Audience, noting how its refrain 鈥渆verything is vanity鈥� represents a particular temptation in our own day and age.
He said the wise man Qoheleth bounced back and forth from sense and meaninglessness in his quest for knowledge of life, saying he teetered on non-sense when leaning toward knowledge detached from 鈥減assion for justice.鈥�
Qoheleth, added the 杏MAP导航, concluded his book with an indication of how to get out of the trap: 鈥淔ear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.鈥�
Elderly must embrace passion for justice
杏MAP导航 Francis said each of us has been tempted toward indifference when we see that our efforts seem to produce no results and reality appears to turn everything鈥攂oth good and bad鈥攊nto nothingness.
He added that 鈥渁 kind of negative intuition鈥� especially tempts people advanced in years, possibly leading them to disenchantment.
The 杏MAP导航 said our contemporary world believes it can 鈥渕easure and manipulate everything鈥�, which then results in 鈥渁 collective demoralization of meaning, love, and goodness.鈥�
Truth without action leads to paralysis
The Holy Father went on to reflect on why knowledge detached from action is so harmful to a person.
杏MAP导航 Francis said modern culture 鈥渃ombines knowledge and irresponsibility鈥� in an attempt to take away the moral impact of our actions, and takes us down the path of 鈥減aralysis of the soul.鈥�
Inaction opens door to evil aggression
Qoheleth, said the 杏MAP导航, called this temptation 鈥渁 delirium of omniscience鈥�, something the early monks of the Church called 鈥�acedia鈥� or a 鈥渟urrender to the knowledge of the world devoid of any passion for justice and consequent action.鈥�
杏MAP导航 Francis noted that giving in to this temptation 鈥渙pens the door to the aggressiveness of the forces of evil鈥� in the form of ideologies.
鈥淭his an-affective and ir-responsible reason also takes away meaning and energy from knowledge of truth,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is no coincidence that ours is the age of fake news, collective superstitions, and pseudo-scientific truths.鈥�
Wisdom of old age can save young from knowledge trap
In conclusion, 杏MAP导航 Francis called on the elderly to help younger generations turn away from the 鈥渄elusion of a truth of the mind devoid of a desire for justice.鈥�
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