At 11:30am today, in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the National Association of Ederly Workers and the FederAnziani Italian Seniors Federation who are participating in a day of reflection and prayer as part of the Festival of Grandparents.
During this meeting, following a few words of introduction and homage offered by the Presidents of both these associations, the Pope offered the following words to those who were in attendance.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
It is a gift for me to spend this day of prayer and reflection with you in the context of the Festival of Grandparents. I greet you all with affection, beginning with the Presidents of your Associations, who I thank for their words. I express my appreciation to all those who have faced difficulties and hardships in order not to miss this gathering; and at the same time, I am close to all elderly people, alone or sick, who could not leave their homes, but who are spiritually united with us.
The Church looks to elderly persons with affection, gratitude and great esteem. You are an essential part of the Christian community and of society. I don't know if you have felt this to be true: the elderly are an essential part of the Christian community and of society. In particular, you represent the roots and the memory of a people. You are an important presence, because your experience is a precious, indispensable treasure that helps us all to look to the future with hope and responsibility. Your maturity and your wisdom, accumulated through the years, can help those who are still young, supporting them in their journey as they grow, helping them to remain open to the future as they seek out their path. In fact, the elderly bear witness that, even in the midst of the most difficult trials, we should never stop trusting in God and in the possibility of a better future. You are like trees that continually bear fruit: even beneath the weight of your years, you continue to offer your original contribution toward a society that is enriched with values and able to affirm the culture of life.
There are many elderly who generously commit the time and talents that God has confided to them in order to help and support others. I think of those who make themselves available in their parishes in ways that are truly precious: some dedicate themselves to decorating the house of the Lord, others are catechists, animators of the liturgy, witnesses of charity. And what shall I say of their role in the context of family? How many grandparents care for their grandchildren, passing on with simplicity even to the little ones the experience of life, spiritual and cultural values of a community and of a people! In countries which have suffered serious religious persecution, it is often the grandparents who pass on the faith to new generations, bringing the children to receive baptism in a context of hidden suffering.
In a world like ours, where there are often myths of strength and appearance, you have the mission of bearing witness to the values that truly matter, those that endure forever, because they are inscribed in the hearts of every human being and guaranteed by the Word of God. As people of the so-called third age, you, or I should say we - since I too am part of the elderly - are called to work toward the development of a culture of life, bearing witness to the fact that every stage of existence is a gift from God and has its own beauty and importance, even if it is marked by fragility.
Faced with so many elderly who, within the limits of their own possibilities, continue to be of service to others, there are many who live with illnesses, with physical difficulties and who need help. I thank the Lord today for the many people and structures that are dedicated to serving the elderly every day, in order to create adequate human contexts, in which everyone can live this important stage of life with dignity. Institutions that house the elderly are called to be places of humanity and loving attention, where those who are most in need will not be forgotten or neglected, but visited, remembered and cared for like elder brothers and sisters. In this way, gratitude can be expressed to those who have given so much to their communities, those who still can be found at the roots of their cities' common histories.
Institutions and various social realities can still do a lot to help the elderly to best express their capacities, to facilitate their active participation, above all to ensure that their personal dignity is always respected and valued. In order to do this, we must counter the harmful society of disposal that marginalizes the elderly and considers them to be unproductive. Public, cultural, educational and religious authorities, as well as all men of good will, are called to commit themselves to building a society that is more and more welcoming and inclusive.
A disposable society is brutal! One of my grandmothers used to tell me a story: in a family, the grandfather used to live with his children and his grandchildren, he was a widower, but he was beginning to get sick ... and, at the table, he couldn't eat well ... he would drop some of his pasta. One day, the father decided that the grandfather could no longer eat at the table, but rather in the kitchen, and he made a little table for him. In this way, the family could eat without the grandfather. A few days later, when he came home from work, he found one of his little sons playing with wood, nails and a hammer ... But, what are you doing?, the father asked. The child responded: I'm making a table - But why? - For you. For the time when you will be old, so you can still eat. Children are naturally very attached to their grandparents and understand things that only grandparents can explain with their lives, with their attitudes. This culture of waste says: You are old, get out. You are old, yes, but you have many things to tell us, to recount, about history, culture, life and values ... Don't let this culture of waste get ahead of you; there should always be an inclusive culture.
It is also important to promote the bonds between generations. The future of a people requires the meeting of youth and the elderly: young people are the vitality of a people on a journey and the elderly reinforce this vitality with their memory and their wisdom. And speak with your grandchildren, speak with them. Let them ask questions. They are different from us, they do other things, they like other kinds of music ... but they need the elderly, a continual dialogue in order to pass on our wisdom to them. I love to read about when Joseph and Mary carried the child Jesus - the child was 40 days old - to the temple; and there they found two elderly people (Simeon and Anna), and those elderly people were the wisdom of their people; they praised God for this gift of wisdom that would be carried on with this Child. Grandparents welcomed Jesus in the temple, not priests: this came afterwards. Grandparents. We can read all about it, in the gospel f Luke, and it is beautiful!
Dear grandfathers and grandmothers, thank you for the example of love that you offer, an example of dedication and wisdom. Continue with courage and bear witness to these values! Do not deprive society of your smile, the beautiful light of your eyes: so that society can see your beauty! I accompany you with my prayer, and you too, don't forget to pray for me. Now, upon all of you and upon your prospects and projects for the sake of good will, I invoke the Lord's blessing.
Now, let us pray to Jesus' grandmother, Saint Anne; let us pray to Saint Anne, who is Jesus' grandmother, and let us pray in silence, for just a moment. Every one of us, let us ask Saint Ann to teach us how to be good and wise grandparents.
(Blessing)
Thank you.
(Original text in Italian)
During this meeting, following a few words of introduction and homage offered by the Presidents of both these associations, the Pope offered the following words to those who were in attendance.
Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
addressed to the National Association of Ederly Workers
and the Italian Seniors Federation
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
It is a gift for me to spend this day of prayer and reflection with you in the context of the Festival of Grandparents. I greet you all with affection, beginning with the Presidents of your Associations, who I thank for their words. I express my appreciation to all those who have faced difficulties and hardships in order not to miss this gathering; and at the same time, I am close to all elderly people, alone or sick, who could not leave their homes, but who are spiritually united with us.
The Church looks to elderly persons with affection, gratitude and great esteem. You are an essential part of the Christian community and of society. I don't know if you have felt this to be true: the elderly are an essential part of the Christian community and of society. In particular, you represent the roots and the memory of a people. You are an important presence, because your experience is a precious, indispensable treasure that helps us all to look to the future with hope and responsibility. Your maturity and your wisdom, accumulated through the years, can help those who are still young, supporting them in their journey as they grow, helping them to remain open to the future as they seek out their path. In fact, the elderly bear witness that, even in the midst of the most difficult trials, we should never stop trusting in God and in the possibility of a better future. You are like trees that continually bear fruit: even beneath the weight of your years, you continue to offer your original contribution toward a society that is enriched with values and able to affirm the culture of life.
There are many elderly who generously commit the time and talents that God has confided to them in order to help and support others. I think of those who make themselves available in their parishes in ways that are truly precious: some dedicate themselves to decorating the house of the Lord, others are catechists, animators of the liturgy, witnesses of charity. And what shall I say of their role in the context of family? How many grandparents care for their grandchildren, passing on with simplicity even to the little ones the experience of life, spiritual and cultural values of a community and of a people! In countries which have suffered serious religious persecution, it is often the grandparents who pass on the faith to new generations, bringing the children to receive baptism in a context of hidden suffering.
In a world like ours, where there are often myths of strength and appearance, you have the mission of bearing witness to the values that truly matter, those that endure forever, because they are inscribed in the hearts of every human being and guaranteed by the Word of God. As people of the so-called third age, you, or I should say we - since I too am part of the elderly - are called to work toward the development of a culture of life, bearing witness to the fact that every stage of existence is a gift from God and has its own beauty and importance, even if it is marked by fragility.
Faced with so many elderly who, within the limits of their own possibilities, continue to be of service to others, there are many who live with illnesses, with physical difficulties and who need help. I thank the Lord today for the many people and structures that are dedicated to serving the elderly every day, in order to create adequate human contexts, in which everyone can live this important stage of life with dignity. Institutions that house the elderly are called to be places of humanity and loving attention, where those who are most in need will not be forgotten or neglected, but visited, remembered and cared for like elder brothers and sisters. In this way, gratitude can be expressed to those who have given so much to their communities, those who still can be found at the roots of their cities' common histories.
Institutions and various social realities can still do a lot to help the elderly to best express their capacities, to facilitate their active participation, above all to ensure that their personal dignity is always respected and valued. In order to do this, we must counter the harmful society of disposal that marginalizes the elderly and considers them to be unproductive. Public, cultural, educational and religious authorities, as well as all men of good will, are called to commit themselves to building a society that is more and more welcoming and inclusive.
A disposable society is brutal! One of my grandmothers used to tell me a story: in a family, the grandfather used to live with his children and his grandchildren, he was a widower, but he was beginning to get sick ... and, at the table, he couldn't eat well ... he would drop some of his pasta. One day, the father decided that the grandfather could no longer eat at the table, but rather in the kitchen, and he made a little table for him. In this way, the family could eat without the grandfather. A few days later, when he came home from work, he found one of his little sons playing with wood, nails and a hammer ... But, what are you doing?, the father asked. The child responded: I'm making a table - But why? - For you. For the time when you will be old, so you can still eat. Children are naturally very attached to their grandparents and understand things that only grandparents can explain with their lives, with their attitudes. This culture of waste says: You are old, get out. You are old, yes, but you have many things to tell us, to recount, about history, culture, life and values ... Don't let this culture of waste get ahead of you; there should always be an inclusive culture.
It is also important to promote the bonds between generations. The future of a people requires the meeting of youth and the elderly: young people are the vitality of a people on a journey and the elderly reinforce this vitality with their memory and their wisdom. And speak with your grandchildren, speak with them. Let them ask questions. They are different from us, they do other things, they like other kinds of music ... but they need the elderly, a continual dialogue in order to pass on our wisdom to them. I love to read about when Joseph and Mary carried the child Jesus - the child was 40 days old - to the temple; and there they found two elderly people (Simeon and Anna), and those elderly people were the wisdom of their people; they praised God for this gift of wisdom that would be carried on with this Child. Grandparents welcomed Jesus in the temple, not priests: this came afterwards. Grandparents. We can read all about it, in the gospel f Luke, and it is beautiful!
Dear grandfathers and grandmothers, thank you for the example of love that you offer, an example of dedication and wisdom. Continue with courage and bear witness to these values! Do not deprive society of your smile, the beautiful light of your eyes: so that society can see your beauty! I accompany you with my prayer, and you too, don't forget to pray for me. Now, upon all of you and upon your prospects and projects for the sake of good will, I invoke the Lord's blessing.
Now, let us pray to Jesus' grandmother, Saint Anne; let us pray to Saint Anne, who is Jesus' grandmother, and let us pray in silence, for just a moment. Every one of us, let us ask Saint Ann to teach us how to be good and wise grandparents.
(Blessing)
Thank you.
(Original text in Italian)
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