“Grandparents, in the presence of their grandchildren, will dream,
and young people, drawing strength from their grandparents, will move forward.”
Pope Francis

At the beginning of this year, still marked by the pandemic that has placed particular strain on the elderly, Pope Francis announced an initiative that confirms his ability to be an tireless and attentive shepherd of the Church on its journey.
At the end of the Angelus on January 31, in fact, he established the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, introducing it with these words: “The day after tomorrow, February 2, we will celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, when Simeon and Anna, both elderly and enlightened by the Holy Spirit, recognized Jesus as the Messiah. The Holy Spirit still inspires thoughts and words of wisdom in the elderly today: their voice is precious because it sings God’s praises and preserves the roots of peoples. They remind us that old age is a gift and that grandparents are the link between generations, transmitting life experience and faith to young people. Grandparents are often forgotten, and we forget this wealth of preserving roots and passing things on. For this reason, I have decided to establish the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which will be held throughout the Church every year on the fourth Sunday of July, near the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, Jesus’ “grandparents.”

It is important for grandparents to meet their grandchildren and for grandchildren to meet their grandparents, because—as the prophet Joel says—grandparents, in the presence of their grandchildren, will dream and have visions [great desires], and young people, drawing strength from their grandparents, will move forward and prophesy. And February 2 is precisely the feast of grandparents meeting their grandchildren.”
This day therefore continues the celebration of the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (February 2), which places before our eyes the extraordinary figures of Simeon and Anna, elderly people enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and falls near the liturgical feast of Saints Anne and Joachim, Jesus' “grandparents”.

There is no mention of them in the canonical Gospels. Christian tradition refers to the apocryphal Gospel of the “Protoevangelium of James”: it tells that Joachim is a shepherd who lives in Jerusalem. An elderly priest, he is married to Anne; the two have no child, which, according to the mentality of the time, was a clear sign of God's blessing. One day, while Joachim is working in the fields, an angel appears to him and announces the imminent birth of a child. Anne has the same vision. They name their baby girl Mary, and at the age of three she is taken to the Temple to be educated according to the law of Moses.

Joachim and Anne hoped against all hope, had faith, and the Lord worked wonders in their lives. Through them, the Pope invites us to see old age as a gift and a value to be defended: grandparents and the elderly possess an invaluable wealth, the wealth of a long life and faith experience that enables them to preserve the past and “dream” of the future, seeing it in the eyes of their grandchildren.

The fourth Sunday of July is therefore an important date to remember and cherish in our memory and hearts.