Pope Francis instituted the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly on January 31, 2021, to highlight the importance of adequate pastoral and spiritual attention to the elderly and to call upon communities to manifest the Church’s closeness to them. It is to be celebrated annually on the fourth Sunday of July, close to the memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.
With the celebration of its fourth year, the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly continues to be an important occasion for the life of our ecclesial communities and is enriched with new meaning.
Attending to our grandparents and the elderly is not only a sign of gratitude and affection, but a necessity in the construction of a more human and fraternal society. The Holy Father invites us to recognize their value and to do so permanently, not just occasionally.
It is not a matter of celebrating an anniversary once a year, but of making the elderly feel like an integral part of our Christian family and our common history.
The successive generations of elderly people must be taken seriously, and the Church must give them appropriate pastoral attention.
This year’s theme, “Do not cast me off in my old age” (cf. Ps 71: 9), recalls the heartfelt plea to the Lord not to be left alone in old age. All too often, in fact, loneliness is a bitter companion in the lives of the elderly due to numerous contingent situations, such as the migration of children or the crisis of families, or due to the individualistic mentality that makes those who are advanced in years feel like a burden.
It seems that everyone takes for granted that there is a time in life when one remains alone. It is a habit and a mentality to which, with resignation, even the elderly do not object.
Yet, as the Holy Father reminds us, God never abandons His children. Not even when strength wanes or life seems less productive. Indeed, in the Bible, growing old is a sign of blessing. The loneliness and abandonment of the elderly is not inevitable, rather the result of wrong choices that do not recognize the infinite dignity of each and every person.
Here is Pope Francis’ Message in PDF Format