I did not know my father’s parents, my grandparents. His mother died giving birth to my Dad, and his father died shortly after my birth. In the summer of 1954, we went to Ireland and I met my mother’s mother, my grandmother; my mother’s father, my grandfather, had died a few years before. As I grew up, I did not have older relatives in the family.
I vividly remember my parents’ excitement and delight at the birth of their first grandchild, my oldest niece, whom they lavished with love and attention. The subsequent births of other grandchildren, my nephew and other nieces, brought even greater joy to my parents. As the years have gone by, I am delighted when they speak about their recollections of my parents, particularly my mother’s brogue, her Irish expressions, her baking skills and my Dad’s big cars.
The Church throughout the world has selected the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time for the second annual World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. I realize that when you read this column, Sunday, July 24, will have passed. However, its message is timeless and important for our consideration.
About this observance our Holy Father, Pope Francis, wrote: “Old age is no time to give up and lower the sails, but a season of enduring fruitfulness: a new mission awaits us and bids us to look to the future. The special sensibility that those of us who are elderly have for the concerns, thoughts and affections that make us human should once again become the vocation of many.” Consider that these wise words were written by a man who is 86 years old!!!
July 24 was selected for this observance because of its closeness to July 26 the feast day of Saints Anne and Joachim, the parents of the Virgin Mary, the grandparents of Jesus of Nazareth. By sharing the flesh of the Virgin Mary in whose womb He was conceived, Jesus had grandparents. Yes. He is truly divine. God from God. In addition, He is truly human, born according to the flesh into a human family, the family of His mother, Mary.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “in old age they will still bear fruit” (Psalm 92:15). Since this past February until recently at the Wednesday public audiences in the Vatican, Pope Francis has been giving catechesis (instruction) on the “meaning and value of old age,” which he calls a “gift to the Church and to society.” At these sessions, the Holy Father covered a variety of topics: for example, honor your father and mother, the alliance between generations and generous in old age.
I notice at parish celebrations of the Sacrament of Confirmation a significant number of grandparents are chosen by the confirmands to be their sponsors. I usually ask the confirmand, “Why is your grandparent your sponsor?” The response is universal: “Because I love him/her; he/she loves me.” Frequently, on listening to the response of the youngster, the grandparent gets emotional and tears up. They tell me how proud they are of their grandchild. A loving family moment, for sure, and a testimony to the wisdom of the young who see in their grandparents’ examples of lived faith and love.
The World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly is an opportunity to proclaim once more, with joy, that the Church wants to celebrate together with all those whom the Lord, in the words of the Bible, have “filled with days.” Let us reach out to the elderly and embrace them in Christ. (Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the second World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly.) Appropriately, the logo for this year’s celebration is an embrace, which beautifully expresses welcoming and loving our elderly.
I am pleased to report that the Diocese’s VITALity Catholic Healthcare Services is working closely with a few of our parishes that have expressed an interest in sponsoring a seniors ministry, such as the successful programs found in Saint Andrew the Apostle, Gibbsboro, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Berlin. I hope that more parishes would consider sponsoring similar programs to benefit our seniors. They deserve the attention of the Church.
The Holy Father concludes his message for the second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly with a very practical suggestion: “Let us make sure that no one feels alone … expecting a visit is a work of mercy.” Perhaps, you would consider the advice of Pope Francis and visit an elderly person? Such a visit can be a source of blessing and happiness for yourself and for the elderly.
May Saints Anne and Joachim bless all the elderly in our Diocese.
Most Reverend Dennis J. Sullivan, D.D.
Bishop of Camden