Letter from the Pastor
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July 24, 2022This Tuesday, July 26th is the feast day of SS. Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary and the grandparents of our Lord. Grandparents’ Day, in our country, started in 1979, it is always the Sunday after Labor Day, this year—September 11th .
However, Pope Francis established World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly in 2021. The day takes place annually on the fourth Sunday of July, on or close to July 26. This year’s theme is taken from verse 15 of Psalm 92: In old age they will still bear fruit. The theme “intends to emphasize how grandparents and the elderly are a value and a gift both for society and for ecclesial communities…the theme is also an invitation to reconsider and value grandparents and the elderly who are too often kept on the margins of families, civil and ecclesial communities. Their experience of life and faith can contribute, in fact, to building societies that are aware of their roots and capable of dreaming of a future based on greater solidarity.” (Press release from the Vatican)
Someone once remarked that “grandparenting” is a spectator sport. A Grandparents’ role is to love, of course, spoil, to encourage and to be of assistance, but also to remember: you already raised your kids, even though you may want to raise your kids’ kids.
Good grandparents simply want the best for their grandchildren. They want them to be good, decent people, to know the difference between right and wrong, to be able to make good moral decisions. Grandparents' contribution to the family, to the Church and to society was never more important than now. Your experience of faith and family life, your years of prayer and fidelity to God and to one another is a model of good living. I know from many of you that it can be heartbreaking for grandparents to know that their grandchildren are not being taught about God or have not been baptized. However, aggressively nagging family members about it or taking matters into your own hands by arranging for “kitchen sink or secret baptisms” can cause a family rift. The best thing to do is simply be a good example, stay firm in the faith and lead by example.
Grandparents who have a close relationship with their grandchildren can find nonaggressive ways to share the faith, such as making a visit to Church and show them the statues and windows. Show them the Tabernacle and explain this is Jesus’ room, where Jesus lives. When they are in your house pray before meals and before bed. Additionally, ask your grandchild to pray for you. Teach and explain the religious objects around your house which can present opportunities to ask questions. The other thing you can do is to buy books about Jesus and Mary and the saints for your grandchildren. There is a special love grandparents gift their grandchildren. What a blessing from God to still have grandparents with you.
Happy Grandparents Day!
PRAYER FOR GRANDPARENTS
Lord Jesus,
you were born of the Virgin Mary,
the daughter of Saints Joachim and Anne.
Look with love on grandparents the world over.
Protect them! They are a source of enrichment for families,
for the Church and for all of society.
Support them! As they grow older, may they continue to be for their families'
strong pillars of Gospel faith, guardian of noble domestic ideals,
living treasuries of sound religious traditions.
Make them teachers of wisdom and courage,
that they may pass on to future generations
the fruits of their mature human and spiritual experience.
Lord Jesus,
help families and society to value the presence and roles of grandparents.
May they never be ignored or excluded, but always encounter respect and love.
Help them to live serenely and to feel welcomed in all the years of life which you give them.
Mary, Mother of all the living, keep grandparents constantly in your care,
accompany them on their earthly pilgrimage, and by your prayers,
grant that all families may one day be reunited in our heavenly homeland,where you await all humanity for the great embrace of life without end.
Amen!- Pope Benedict XVI
