Hope is reborn: embracing the elderly, encountering Jesus. Fifth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly On July 27, the Fifth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly will be celebrated, an occasion deeply cherished and desired by Pope Francis, who established this day in 2021 and wanted it to fall close to the liturgical memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Virgin Mary.This year, the Holy Father Leo XIV has chosen a theme that resonates like a balm for the soul: “Blessed is the one who has not lost hope” (cf. Sir 14:2). In continuity with the spirit of the Jubilee, these words, taken from the Book of Sirach, invite us to reflect on how the precious presence of our elderly can become a luminous sign of hope for every family and community. A revolution of care and love In his Message, Pope Leo XIV issues an urgent appeal that resonates as a subversive act in a world that tends to “push aside” and “forget” the elderly. The Pontiff calls for a true “revolution of care”, inviting every parish, association, and ecclesial group to become a driving force in this transformation. At the heart of this revolution is a simple yet powerful gesture: frequently visiting the elderly: “Visiting an elderly person means encountering Jesus; it frees us from indifference and loneliness,” Pope Leo XIV affirms.This act of closeness is not only a gift for those who receive it, but also a liberating and redemptive experience for those who carry it out. So great is the value attributed to this gesture that, during the Jubilee Year, those unable to travel to Rome on pilgrimage may obtain the Jubilee Indulgence by visiting elderly people living in solitude for an appropriate length of time, “as if making a pilgrimage toward Christ present in them.” DOWNLOAD THE BOOK EXCERPT The elderly: primary witnesses of hope God’s logic, as presented in Sacred Scripture, is diametrically opposed to marginalization. Pope Leo XIV reminds us that the Bible “presents several cases of men and women already advanced in years whom the Lord involves in his plans of salvation.” Figures such as Abraham and Sarah, Zechariah and Elizabeth, Nicodemus, and even Moses, called to free his people at the age of eighty, are shining examples of how advanced age does not prevent participation in God’s plans.For God, “old age is a time of blessing and grace, and the elderly are, for Him, the first witnesses of hope”. The life of the Church and of the whole world, after all, can be understood only through the succession of generations: “Embracing an older person helps us understand that history does not end in the present, nor is it consumed by fleeting encounters and fragmented relationships, but unfolds toward the future.” There is a profound and vital exchange between generations: “If it is therefore true that the frailty of older people requires the vigor of the young, it is equally true that the inexperience of the young needs the testimony of older people to plan the future wisely.” Our grandparents have been and continue to be examples of faith, devotion, civic virtue, and perseverance through trials. Loving and praying: the freedom that no difficulty can take away Older people are not merely recipients of care; they are called to love still. Even when the body grows weaker, “nothing can prevent us from loving, praying, giving of ourselves, and being, for one another, luminous signs of hope in faith.” The Pope quotes the words of his predecessor Francis: “We have a freedom that no difficulty can take away from us: the freedom to love and pray. Everyone, always, can love and pray.” A message of hope and resilience The Pope’s message is a powerful hymn to the resilience of the human spirit, rooted in divine love. Pope Leo XIV urges older people to “persevere confidently in the Lord”. He invites them to be renewed daily through encountering God in prayer and at Holy Mass. Their task is precious: “Let us lovingly pass on the faith we have lived for so many years, in our families and in our daily encounters: let us always praise God for his benevolence, let us cultivate unity with our loved ones, let us open our hearts to those who are farther away and, in particular, to those in need. We will be signs of hope, at every age.” This World Day is a call to experience with older people liberation from loneliness and abandonment, tearing down the walls of indifference that too often surround them. Christian hope urges us to dare more, not to settle for the status quo, but to work for change that restores to older people the esteem and affection they deserve. It is an invitation to rediscover the blessedness of old age lived in hope and evangelical joy.
