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In
2021, Pope Francis established the celebration of the World Day for
Grandparents and the Elderly. In the U.S., we observe this celebration
in September, joining the Church’s efforts to highlight the value and
importance of grandparents and the elderly in our families and in
society.
While
the elderly have traditionally held places of honor in various
cultures, today, elderly members of our families and communities often
live lives marked by isolation and loneliness. Rather than being a
beloved and integral part of a family, they are too often forgotten or
overlooked. In the most tragic circumstances, some even seek to end
their own lives through assisted suicide so as not to be a burden to
their loved ones. Pope Francis has described this shift as a “throwaway
culture” in which the weakest are neglected or worse when they are no
longer of interest or “use.”
As
persons made in the image and likeness of God, we possess an infinite
dignity that can never be compromised by age or ability. This truth must
guide each of us in our responsibility to lovingly accompany those who
are in greater need of our time, care, and attention as they face their
later years. Such accompaniment is of particular importance as they near
the end of their lives, often enduring great sufferings as they prepare
for their entrance to eternal life.
May
each of us hear and respond to the plea of the elderly entrusted to our
care: “Do not cast me aside in my old age; as my strength fails, do not
forsake me” (Psalm 71:9).
NABRE © 2010 CCD. Used with permission.
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