Pope Francis has just established a NEW WORLD DAY From now on, every fourth Sunday of July, beginning SUNDAY, JULY 25 this year, will be "WORLD DAY FOR GRANDPARENTS AND ELDERLY." The theme this year is, "I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS" based on the last verse of Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 28:20): "BEHOLD, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, UNTIL THE END OF THE AGE."

Why having a new World Day to be celebrated by the entire Catholic Church in every parish in every country? Many countries already have a National day for Grandparents. In a few traditionally Catholic countries , that day is July 26, the Feast Day of Jesus' grandparents St Joachim and St Anne, and the new World Day will not be much of a change as it is so close (this year, the Sunday before). But in other countries like ours, it could be confusing: we already have a national day for the Grandparents, the Sunday after Labor Day. But for Jesus, there are no borders: when HE looks down from heaven upon the earth, he sees his brothers and sisters all "CHILDREN OF GOD".

From the beginning of his papacy eight years ago, Pope Francis has spoken about the importance of the grandparents and the elderly in the Catholic Church. In his 4-page letter to all Grandfathers, Grandmothers and Elderly Friends of May 31st 2021 (see letter on our Website and Flocknotes), Pope Francis reiterates some of his earlier reflections and brings about some new ones. I will quote here some excerpts:

I am with you always (Matthew 28:20): this is the promise the Lord made to his disciples before he ascended into heaven. They are the words that I repeat to you today, dear grandfathers and grandmothers, dear elderly friends. "I am with you always" are also the words that I, as Bishop of Rome and an elderly person like yourselves , would like to address to you on this First World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. The whole church is close to you -to us- and cares about you, loves you and does not want to leave you alone!

Even at the darkest moments, as in these past months of pandemic, the Lord continues to send angels to console our loneliness and to remind us: "I am with you always". He says this to you, and he says this to me. This is the meaning of this Day, which I wanted to celebrate for the first time in this particular year, as long period of isolation ends and social life resumes.”  

The Lord sends us messengers through his words...  Let us try to read a page of the Gospel every day, to pray with the psalms, to read the prophets! We will be comforted by the Lord's faithfulness ... In Matthew's Gospel (28:19-20), Jesus tells the Apostles: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you."  These words are also addressed to you today. They help us better understand that our VOCATION is to preserve our roots, TO PASS ON THE FAITH TO THE YOUNG, AND TO CARE FOR THE LITTLE ONES. NEVER FORGET THIS...

No one is saved alone. We are all indebted to one another . We are all brothers and sisters... I want to tell you that you are needed in order to help build the world of tomorrow... All of us must take an active part in renewing and supporting our troubled societies...Among the pillars that support this new edifice there are three that you, better than anyone
else , can help set up. Those THREE PILLARS are DREAMS, MEMORY AND PRAYERS...

The prophet Joel once promised, "Your old men shall dream dreams and your young men will have visions" (Joel 3:1). The future of the world depends on this covenant between young and old. Who, if not the young, can take the dreams of the elderly and make them come true? Yet for this to happen, it is NECESSARY THAT WE CONTINUE TO DREAM.

DREAMS are INTERTWINED with MEMORY. Keeping memory alive (including of past sufferings) is a true mission for every elderly person: keeping memory alive and sharing it with others...the foundation of life is memory...

Finally, PRAYER. As my predecessor, Pope Benedict, himself a saintly elderly person who continues to pray and work for the Church, once said: "THE PRAYER OF THE ELDERLY CAN PROTECT THE WORLD, helping it perhaps more effectively than the frenetic activity of many others." ... I ask the Lord that, also through his example, all of us may open our hearts to the sufferings of the poor and intercede for their needs. May each of us learn to repeat to all, and especially the young, the words of consolation we have heard spoken to us today: I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS! Keep moving forward! May the Lord grant you His blessing.

One in Christ,

Father Alain