For the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly established by Pope Francis and celebrated this year on July 27, Pope Leo XIV has issued a message of hope to the elderly.
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At the beginning of his message, the Holy Father evoked the Jubilee Year to remind the faithful that “hope is a constant source of joy, whatever our age.”
He cited some elderly biblical figures, such as Abraham and Sarah, Moses, and Zechariah, whom the Lord surprised in “an act of saving power”: “God repeatedly demonstrates his providential care by turning to people in their later years,” he explained.
The pontiff noted that by making these choices, “God thus teaches us that, in his eyes, old age is a time of blessing and grace, and that the elderly are, for him, the first witnesses of hope.”
Life is more than the present moment
He then emphasized that the increasing number of elderly people “is a sign of the times that we are called to discern, in order to properly interpret this moment of history.”
The Holy Father noted that “embracing the elderly helps us to understand that life is more than just the present moment, and should not be wasted in superficial encounters and fleeting relationships. Instead, life is constantly pointing us toward the future.”
He also emphasized that “if it is true that the weakness of the elderly needs the strength of the young, it is equally true that the inexperience of the young needs the witness of the elderly in order to build the future with wisdom.”
“How often our grandparents have been for us examples of faith and devotion, civic virtue and social commitment, memory and perseverance amid trials! The precious legacy that they have handed down to us with hope and love will always be a source of gratitude and a summons to perseverance,” he said.
In the context of the Jubilee Year, he invited the faithful to “to break through the barriers of indifference …” and to give of themselves to prevent feelings of loneliness and abandonment among the elderly.
“Our societies, everywhere in the world, are growing all too accustomed to letting this significant and enriching part of their life be marginalized and forgotten,” he lamented.
Protagonists of the “revolution” of gratitude and care
The pope emphasized that every parish, association, or church group is called to be “protagonists in a ‘revolution’ of gratitude and care,” and that this must be done “by regular visits to the elderly, the creation of networks of support and prayer for them and with them, and the forging of relationships that can restore hope and dignity to those who feel forgotten.”
“Christian hope always urges us to be more daring, to think big, to be dissatisfied with things the way they are … [and] to work for a change that can restore esteem and affection,” he explained.
The Holy Father recalled that Pope Francis wanted the faithful, and especially young people, to reach out to those who are alone. He noted that those who cannot make the pilgrimage to Rome this year will be able to obtain the Jubilee indulgence if they visit the elderly alone for an appropriate amount of time.
The freedom to love and to pray
Addressing grandparents and the elderly, Pope Leo XIV encouraged them not to lose hope, even in those moments when they are tempted “to look not to the future but to the past.”
“We possess a freedom that no difficulty can rob us of: it is the freedom to love and to pray. Everyone, always, can love and pray,” he emphasized
The pope also recalled Pope Francis’s words during his last hospitalization: “our bodies are weak, but even so, nothing can prevent us from loving, praying, giving ourselves, being there for one another, in faith, as shining signs of hope.”
Pope Leo XIV also indicated that “affection for our loved ones – for the wife or husband with whom we have spent so much of our lives, for our children, for our grandchildren who brighten our days – does not fade when our strength wanes.”
“Indeed, their own affection often revives our energy and brings us hope and comfort,” he added.
Therefore, the pontiff continued, “especially as we grow older, let us press forward with confidence in the Lord. May we be renewed each day by our encounter with him in prayer and in Holy Mass.”
“Let us lovingly pass on the faith we have lived for so many years, in our families and in our daily encounter with others. May we always praise God for his goodness, cultivate unity with our loved ones, open our hearts to those who are far away and, in particular, to all those in need. In this way, we will be signs of hope, whatever our age,” the pope concluded.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
