“Let us honour them, neither depriving ourselves of their company nor depriving them of ours. May we never allow the elderly to be cast aside!”. Pope Francis 2023
“Let us honour our Grandparents neither depriving ourselves of their company nor depriving them of ours. May we never allow the elderly to be cast aside!”
The Church observes “Grandparent’s Day” each year on the fourth Sunday in July, close to the feast of Jesus’ grandparents, Saints Joachim and Anne.
Pope Francis believes, grandparents are often forgotten, yet they “are the link between generations, passing on the experience of life and faith to the young.”
Bring joy to the elderly’s hearts
“God wants young people to bring joy to the hearts of the elderly, as Mary did to Elizabeth, and gain wisdom from their experiences. Yet, above all, the Lord wants us not to abandon the elderly…”
The Pope lamented how often they tragically are pushed aside.
The Pope said “the Lord, trusts that young people, through their relationships with the elderly, will realize that they are called to cultivate memory and recognize the beauty of being part of a much larger history.”
Become friends
The Pope added that “Friendship with an older person can help the young to see life not only in terms of the present and realize that not everything depends on them and their abilities. The presence of a young person in their lives can give them hope that their experience will not be lost and that their dreams can find fulfilment.”
Pope Francis said “for the young this means being ready to break free from the fleeting present in which virtual reality can entrap us, preventing us from doing something productive.” For the elderly, he continued, “it means not dwelling on the loss of physical strength and thinking with regret about missed opportunities. ”
“Let us all look ahead!” the Pope said, insisting we must “allow ourselves to be shaped by God’s grace, which from generation to generation frees us from inertia and from dwelling on the past!”
Do not abandon them
“Their presence in families and communities,” the Pope highlighted, “is a precious one, for it reminds us that we share the same heritage and are part of a people committed to preserving its roots.”
“From the elderly we received the gift of belonging to God’s holy people. The Church, as well as society, needs them, for they entrust to the present the past that is needed to build the future.
“Their prayers will protect you and you will carry in your heart the blessing of that encounter.”
“Let us not abandon them.”
Have great affection for elderly
