Message of Pope Francis

for World Grandparents and Elderly Day

second year old (July 24, 2022)

“In old age, still bear fruit” (Psalm 92:15).

Dear grandparents!

The words of Psalm 92, “in old age, bear fruit” (v. 15) are good news, truly “good news” that we can proclaim to the world on the second World Day of Grandparents and Elderly People. This Gospel goes against what the world thinks about this stage of human life; And it is also the opposite of the resigned attitude of some of us elderly people, who live with little hope and no longer expect anything from the future.

Many people are afraid of old age. They consider it a disease with which it is best to avoid all contact. They think that the elderly are not their concern and that the elderly should stay as far away as possible, that the elderly should live in one place, in a facility where they can be cared for, and we are spared the burden of their problems. This is the mentality of the “throwaway culture”, which makes us think that we are somehow different from the poor and vulnerable because of their weaknesses, and that we can envision paths apart from “them”.But in reality, as the Bible teaches, long life is a blessing, and the elderly are not outcasts to be shunned, but living signs of the mercy of God, who gives life in abundance. Blessed is the home that protects an elderly person! Blessed are the families who respect their grandparents!

In fact, old age is not an easy age to understand, even for those of us who have experienced it. Although old age comes after a long journey, no one prepares us for it, and sometimes it seems to take us by surprise. The most developed societies spend a lot of money on this age group, but do not help people understand and value it: they provide care services, but do not have living projects to help them live fully.[1] Therefore, it is difficult to look to the future and determine a direction. On the one hand, we are tempted to banish old age by hiding wrinkles and pretending to be forever young, on the other hand, it seems that we can do nothing but live in a state of disillusionment, resigned to no longer "bearing fruit."

Retirement and children becoming independent reduce the motivation that once consumed so much of our energy. The awareness that our faculties are waning or the outbreak of an illness can weaken our certainty. The world moves at a rapid pace and we struggle to keep up – seemingly leaving us with no choice but to tacitly accept the idea that we are useless. Thus, let us echo the prayer of the Psalm: "Do not abandon me when I am old/Do not abandon me when my strength fails" (71,9).

Yet the same psalm – meditating on God's presence in every stage of life – invites us to continue to hope: with old age and white hair, He will continue to give us more life and not let us be overwhelmed by evil. Trusting in him, we will find the strength to increase our praise (cf. v.14-20) and we will discover that aging is not just a natural deterioration of the body or the inevitable passage of time, but it is the gift of a long life. Growing old is not a condemnation, but a blessing!

Because of this, we must watch over ourselves and learn how to care for an active old age both spiritually, cultivating our inner life through diligently reading God's Word, praying daily, regularly receiving the Sacraments and participating in the Liturgy. And, along with the relationship with God comes the relationship with other people: first of all, family, children, grandchildren, those to whom we give all our love; as well as the poor and suffering, to whom we can become neighbors with concrete help and prayer.. All of this will help us not feel like we are just spectators in the world's theater, not confined to our "balconies", looking out from the windows. Instead, let us learn to sharpen our senses to recognize God's presence[2], we will be like "a green olive tree in the house of the Lord" (see Ps 52:10), we can become a blessing to those living next to us.

Old age is not a useless time to put the oars aside, but a season that still bears fruit: there is a new mission that awaits us and invites us to turn our gaze to the future. "The special ability of old age to feel care, thoughts and feelings, which makes us more human, has once again become the vocation of many people. And it will be a choice of love of the elderly for the new generations."[3] This is our contribution to the revolution of tenderness[4], a spiritual, non-violent revolution, in which I invite grandparents and the elderly, to be protagonists. main.

The world is going through a time of severe challenges, starting with the sudden and fierce storm of the pandemic, followed by a war that harms peace and development on the world level. It is no coincidence that war returned to Europe at a time when those of the generation that had experienced war in the previous century were gradually disappearing. And these great crises risk making us indifferent to the reality that there are other “plagues” and other forms of contagious violence that threaten the human family and our common home.

Faced with all this, we need a profound change, a conversion that removes violence from the heart, allowing each person to recognize in the other a brother. And we, grandfathers, grandmothers and elders, have a great responsibility: to teach the men and women of our time to look at others with the same understanding and tenderness that we give to our grandchildren. We have honed our humanity in caring for others and today we can become teachers of peaceful living and care for the weakest. This attitude can be mistaken for weakness or resignation, but it is the meek, who do not wage war and do not seek personal gain, who will inherit the Promised Land (cf. Mt 5:5).

One of the fruits we are called to bear is to protect the world. “We have all been carried on the knees of our grandparents, who have held us in their arms”[5] but today is the time to carry on our pillows – with concrete help or just in prayer –, not only our grandchildren but also those frightened children we do not know about and those who may be fleeing war or suffering its consequences. Let us carry in our hearts, as Saint Joseph - a gentle and caring father - did, the little people of Ukraine, Afghanistan, South Sudan...

Many of us have wisely and humbly realized what our world so desperately needs: we cannot save ourselves alone, happiness is bread that we break together. Let us bear witness of this to those who mistakenly believe that they can find personal satisfaction and success in conflict. Everyone, even the weakest among us, can do this. The fact that we let ourselves be cared for – often by people from other countries – is a way of saying that living together in peace is not only possible but necessary.

Dear ladies and gentlemen, we are called to be artisans of a revolution of tenderness in our world! Let us do this by learning to use more regularly and skillfully the most precious instrument we have, and the one most suitable for our age: prayer. “Let us also become poets of prayer: let us savor and seek our words, let us receive what the Word of God teaches us.”[6] Our trusting prayer can do many things: it can accompany the anguished cry of those who suffer and can transform hearts. We can be the permanent “chorus” of a great spiritual shrine, where prayers of supplication and hymns sustain the community, which is working and struggling with life”.[7]

The World Day of Grandparents and Elderly People is an opportunity for the Church to once again celebrate with joy the people whose days the Lord - as the Bible says - has "filled". Let's celebrate together! I invite you to make this day known in your parishes and communities; to reach out to the elderly who feel most alone, in their homes or in residential areas where they live as guests. Let's make sure that no one lives this day in loneliness. Having someone to wait for can change the direction of the days of people who no longer expect anything good from the future; and from the first meeting a new friendship can blossom. Visiting the lonely elderly is an act of mercy in our time!

We ask Our Lady, Mother of Tenderness, to make us all artists of a revolution of tenderness, to together free the world from the darkness of loneliness and from the evil of war.

I bless all of you and your loved ones, with the assurance of my affectionate closeness. Please don't forget to pray for me!

Rome, Basilica of Saint John Lateran, May 3, 2022, feast of the apostles Philip and James.

Francis

[1] Catecheses series on Old Age - 1. The grace of time and the alliance between generations (February 23, 2022).

[2] Catecheses series on Old Age - 5. Faithful waiting for God's visit for the next generation (March 30, 2022).

[3] Catecheses Series on Old Age - 3. Old Age, a Source for Carefree Youth (March 16, 2022).

[4] Catecheses series on Saint Joseph - 8. Saint Joseph, father of tenderness (January 19, 2022).

[5] Sermon for the first World Day of Grandparents and Elderly People (July 25, 2021).

[6] Series of catechesis on the family. - 7. Grandparents (March 11, 2015).

[7] Ibid..