Padre’s Points to Ponder – 7/24/26
This weekend, the Sunday closest to the Memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and thus the Grandparents of Our Lord Jesus, the Church celebrates the World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and the Elderly. Pope Francis established this day in 2021 to remind us of a truth that our modern world too easily forgets: that the elderly are not a burden to society but one of its greatest treasures.
From the beginning of Sacred Scripture, old age is presented as a blessing. “Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God” (Leviticus 19:32). Gray hair, in the biblical imagination, is not merely a sign of years passed, but of wisdom gained, faith tested, and God’s fidelity experienced.
For many of us, our first experience of God’s love came through a grandparent. Perhaps it was a grandmother teaching us to make the Sign of the Cross before bed, a grandfather faithfully praying the Rosary, or simply watching older family members remain steadfast in faith through life’s joys and sorrows. Long before we understood theology, we witnessed their striving for holiness.
Pope Francis often spoke of grandparents as the “living memory” of a people. They remind us where we come from and help guide us toward where we are going. In a culture that prizes youth, productivity, and independence, the Church proclaims that every human life possesses an unchanging dignity; their value as a person is never measured by what he or she can produce, but by being created in the image and likeness of God.
This becomes especially important as our loved ones grow older. Illness may diminish strength. Memory may fade. Mobility may become difficult. Yet their vocation does not end. Through prayer, patient suffering united to Christ, and the quiet witness of perseverance, many elderly Catholics become powerful intercessors for their families and for the Church. Some of the greatest work of the Kingdom is accomplished not through activity but through faithful prayer offered from a recliner, a hospital bed, or a nursing home.
The Fourth Commandment calls us not only to obey our parents as children but to honor them throughout their lives. As adults, that commandment often means making time for a visit, listening to stories we’ve heard before, offering practical assistance, inviting them to family celebrations, or simply reminding them that they are loved and needed. These acts are not merely kindnesses; they are acts of justice and Christ-like charity.
If you are blessed to have grandparents or elderly relatives still living, I encourage you to reach out to them this week. Visit them. Call them. Ask them about their lives and their faith. Let them know the difference they have made. If they are no longer with us, offer a prayer for the repose of their souls and thank God for the gift they were to you. If you are a grandparent or a “well-seasoned” disciple of Our Lord, know that the whole Church is praying for you today, with love and gratitude.
Our parish, too, is enriched by the presence of our senior members. Their decades of fidelity, sacrifice, generosity, and prayer have built the foundation upon which we continue to grow today. They remind us that holiness is not achieved overnight, but through a lifetime of daily “yes” to God.
May we never lose the wisdom that only time can teach, nor fail to recognize Christ in those whose lives bear the beautiful marks of years faithfully lived.
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!
All you holy saints of God, pray for us!
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Michael Silloway
Pastor