GENERAL AUDIENCE 11 MARCH 2015
GENERAL AUDIENCE POPE FRANCIS
Saint
Peter's Square
Wednesday, 11 March 2015
Wednesday, 11 March 2015
The family - 7. The grandparents
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good
morning,
In today’s catechesis we
continue our reflection on grandparents, considering the value and
importance of their role in the family. I do so by placing myself in their
shoes, because I too belong to this age group.
When I was in the Philippines,
the Filipino people greeted me saying “Lolo Kiko” — meaning Grandpa Francis —
“Lolo Kiko”, they said! The first important thing to stress: it is true that
society tends to discard us, but the Lord definitely does not! The Lord never
discards us. He calls us to follow Him in every age of life, and old
age has a grace and a mission too, a true vocation from the Lord. Old
age is a vocation. It is not yet time to “pull in the oars”. This period of
life is different from those before, there is no doubt; we even have to somewhat
“invent it ourselves”, because our societies are not ready, spiritually and
morally, to appreciate the true value of this stage of life. Indeed, it once
was not so normal to have time available; it is much more so today. Christian
spirituality has also been caught somewhat by surprise, with regard to
outlining a kind of spirituality of the elderly. But thanks be to God there is
no shortage of the testimony of elderly saints, both men and women!
I was really moved by the “Day
dedicated to the elderly” that we had here in St Peter’s Square last year, the
Square was full. I listened to the stories of elderly people who devote
themselves to others, and to stories of married couples, who said: “We are
celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary, we are celebrating our 60th wedding
anniversary”. It is important to present this to young people who tire so
easily; the testimony of the elderly in fidelity is important. There were so
many in this Square that day. It is a reflection to continue, in both the
ecclesial and civil spheres. The Gospel comes to meet us with a really moving
and encouraging image. It is the image of Simeon and Anna, whom are spoken of
in the Gospel of Jesus’ childhood, composed by St Luke. There were certainly
elderly, the “old man”, Simeon, and the “prophetess”, Anna, who was 84 years
old. This woman did not hide her age. The Gospel says that they awaited the
coming of God every day, with great trust, for many years. They truly wanted to
see Him that day, to grasp the signs, to understand the origin. By then, they
were also perhaps more resigned to die first: that long wait, however,
continued to occupy their whole life, having no commitments more important than
this: to await the Lord and pray. So, when Mary and Joseph went to the temple
to fulfil the provisions of the Law, Simeon and Anna moved quickly, inspired by
the Holy Spirit (cf. Lk 2:27). The burden of age and waiting disappeared in an
instant. They recognized the Child, and discoverednew strength, for a new
task: to give thanks for and bear witness to this Sign from God. Simeon
improvised a beautiful hymn of jubilation (cf. Lk 2:29-32) — in that moment he
was a poet — and Anna became the first woman to preach of Jesus: she “spoke of
him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Lk 2:38).
Dear grandparents, dear elderly,
let us follow in the footsteps of these extraordinary elders! Let us too become
like poets of prayer: let us develop a taste for finding our own words, let us
once again grasp those which teach us the Word of God. The prayer of
grandparents and of the elderly is a great gift for the Church! The
prayer of grandparents and of the elderly is a great gift for the Church, it is
a treasure! A great injection of wisdom for the whole of human society: above
all for one which is too busy, too taken, too distracted. Someone should also
sing, for them too, sing of the signs of God, proclaim the signs of God, pray
for them! Let us look to Benedict XVI, who chose to spend the final span of his
life in prayer and listening to God! This is beautiful! A great believer of the
last century, of the Orthodox tradition, Olivier Clément, said: “A civilization
which has no place for prayer is a civilization in which old age has lost all
meaning. And this is terrifying. For, above all, we need old people who pray;
prayer is the purpose of old age”. We need old people who pray because this is
the very purpose of old age. The prayer of the elderly is a beautiful thing.
We are able to thank the
Lord for the benefits received, and fill the emptiness of ingratitude that
surrounds us. We are able tointercede for the expectations of
younger generations and give dignity to the memory and sacrifices of past
generations. We are able to remind ambitious young people that a life without
love is a barren life. We are able say to young people who are afraid that
anxiety about the future can be overcome. We are able to teach the young who
are overly self-absorbed that there is more joy in giving than in receiving.
Grandfathers and grandmothers form the enduring “chorus” of a great spiritual
sanctuary, where prayers of supplication and songs of praise sustain the
community which toils and struggles in the field of life.
Last, Prayer unceasingly
purifies the heart. Praise and supplication to God prevents the heart from
becoming hardened by resentment and selfishness. How awful is the cynicism of
an elderly person who has lost the meaning of his testimony, who scorns the
young and does not communicate the wisdom of life! How beautiful, however, is
the encouragement an elderly person manages to pass on to a young person who is
seeking the meaning of faith and of life! It is truly the mission of
grandparents, the vocation of the elderly. The words of grandparents have
special value for the young. And the young know it. I still carry with me,
always, in my breviary, the words my grandmother consigned to me in writing on
the day of my priestly ordination. I read them often and they do me good.
How I would like a Church that
challenges the throw-away culture with the overflowing joy of a new embrace
between young and old! This is what I ask of the Lord today, this embrace!
Special Greetings
I greet the English-speaking
pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Canada and the United States of
America. I offer a special greeting to the pilgrims from Korea, with vivid
memories of my Visit to their country last August. Upon all of you, and your
families, I invoke an abundance of joy and peace in the Lord Jesus. God bless
you all!
I invite all, especially in this
favourable season of Lent, to commit yourselves to building a society in which
there is room to welcome each one, most of all when one is elderly, sick, poor
and fragile.
I offer a special thought to young
people, to the sick and to newlyweds. This
month we commemorate the centenary of the birth in Avila of St Teresa of Jesus.
May her spiritual vigour inspire you, dear young people, to
joyfully witness to the faith in your life; may her trust in Christ the Saviour
sustain you, dear sick people, in the moments of greatest
discomfort; and may her tireless apostolate call you, dear newlyweds,
to place Christ at the centre of your marital home.
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