Sunday 26 July marks World Grandparents’ and Seniors’ Day, which falls on the same day as the liturgical feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, remembered as the ‘grandparents’ of Jesus.
Established by Pope Francis in 2021, this annual celebration renews the desire to honour, safeguard and promote the social, cultural and spiritual role of older people and grandparents within communities. Pope Francis wanted it to be an opportunity to combat what he called the ‘culture of waste’ – a culture that is rife in society today and which leads us to neglect those who are now deemed useless or even a burden, those who slow down the frantic pursuit of economic gain and more besides. Among them are the elderly, whose numbers are growing, yet who are increasingly left alone by their children and grandchildren, who are forced to race against the clock in their own lives or to migrate to other countries.
The phrase that gives this day its title is “But I will never forget you” (Isaiah 49:15), spoken by the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament, yet one that still speaks to us all. “Even if they were to forget, I will never forget you.” It is a promise: God’s love encapsulated in a single phrase.
The Holy Father Leo XIV’s message ahead of this event is precisely the hope that the celebration of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly may become an opportunity to rediscover that the Church is called to be a mother to all, and that at every age it is always possible to recognise oneself as a son or daughter of God.
May this, then, be an inspiration to everyone, young and old alike, to bring God’s tenderness to those who feel alone as they face a sunset that promises an eternal, starless night, for we are all the recipients of an everlasting love.
