Pope Leo: Do not be afraid of fragility

Editor’s Note:

The sixth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly will be celebrated in the Catholic Church on July 26, the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne. (In the United States, the U.S. bishops transferred the celebration to the first weekend after Labor Day to coincide with National Grandparents Day.)

Following is Pope Leo’s message for this celebration, which this year has as its theme: “I will never forget you.” (cf. Isaiah 49:5) The message is edited slightly for space.

Dear brothers and sisters,

Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord promises that he will never forget any of us. He assures us that he has engraved our faces on the palms of his hands (cf. Is 49:16) and that his love is greater than a mother’s love for her child. (cf. Is 49:15) The prophet gives us a glimpse of an intimate and intense dialogue in which God addresses, in familiar terms, each person individually and the people as a whole. Even today, we can read these words as referring to each of us, and everyone can hear “I will never forget you” spoken directly to them.

These are words that fill us with comfort and hope. They are the answer to an agonizing feeling that troubles the heart: “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” (Is 49:14) How often in Sacred Scripture, especially in the Psalms, does prayer spring from the despair of those who feel that their lives are of no interest to anyone and are being neglected! The painful feeling of being forgotten is, unfortunately, shared by many people, and among them are quite a few elderly people.

God’s love, which forgets no one, offers itself as an act of justice and a response to the anonymity in which human life all too often ends up lost. The lives of many elderly people, in particular, seem to be covered by a veil that blurs the features of their faces and shrouds them in oblivion. This is what happens in homes where loneliness reigns and also in those care facilities where each person’s uniqueness risks being reduced to a bed number or an illness.

The celebration of the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly is an opportunity to rediscover that the Church is called to be a mother to all, and that at any age, it is always possible to recognize ourselves as sons and daughters of God. May this day, therefore, be an inspiration for everyone, especially the young, to revive the beautiful custom of visiting their grandparents, the elderly members of the family and even those who have no one to visit them.

“In an era that favors speed and fragmentation, the human person still yearns to receive care and recognition from attentive minds, kind words and hands capable of tenderness. The digital culture multiplies connections and offers new opportunities for interaction; yet, the human heart retains an irrevocable need for genuine closeness.” (Encyclical Letter, “Magnifica Humanitas,” 239)

The Church understands the suffering of her elderly members; she knows full well that they are all too often viewed through the lens of stereotypes and considered a burden; she is aware that a profit-driven economy weakens family ties; she knows that many elderly people are left behind by children who are forced to migrate or, in some cases, to fight in wars. For each of these reasons, she joyfully proclaims the Lord’s promise: “But I will never forget you!”

Dear elderly men and women, Pope Francis spoke of you as a “new people” (Catechesis, 23 February 2022), since the number of older adults has never been so large in human history. It is, therefore, more important than ever to reflect with you, this “new people,” on what our vocation might be when fragility – the human person’s companion from birth – seems to take over.

I would like to say to you: Do not be afraid of fragility! It is precisely this weakness that holds within itself a new potential that also illuminates the other stages of life. Indeed, when “we acknowledge our fragility, our hearts become open to supporting one another and to invoking the One who can grant what no human power can ensure: the profound reconciliation of hearts and, with it, true peace.” (Meeting with the Algerian community, Basilica of Our Lady of Africa, Algiers, 13 April 2026)

This is how we can live out our old age as Christians: “fragile” yet at the same time “called.” A man and a woman can, in fact, be born anew in old age (cf. Jn 3:4-6) and exclaim, with the prophet: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” (Is 30:15) This strength can become an invitation not to resort to the ways of arrogance and power to ensure human coexistence, but to the ways of reconciliation and true peace.

In this time, so harshly marked by the violence of war and social unrest, many wonder what the world in which their grandchildren will grow up will be like. I urge you, dear friends, to join me in praying earnestly that peace may soon come to the whole world.

Dear elderly brothers and sisters, Ihank you for supporting me every day with your prayers, especially when you recite the Holy Rosary. I return this gratitude from the bottom of my heart and leave you with this prayer: may the Lord always renew us in faith, hope and love – He who never forgets us!

Celebrating Seniors

Following are some pastoral guidelines on how to visit seniors who live alone:

• Deliver the message. Visit seniors who are living alone in your community to ensure that everyone – even the most isolated members – receives the Holy Father’s message of closeness and comfort that the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly seeks to convey.

• Show community care. Use the visit as a tangible sign of the Church reaching out, as a way of reaffirming that seniors, even the most isolated, remain at the heart of our communities.

• Leave no one behind. Make a personal and communal commitment through these visits to ensure that no one is forgotten.

• Bring a small gift. As well, take the opportunity to read the pope’s message together.

• Go room to room. When visiting care homes, do not stay only in communal areas; visit bedridden residents in their individual rooms.

• Extend Eucharistic visits. Ask extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion to set aside extra time for listening and sharing.

• Engage local families. Invite families to visit seniors living in their own apartment buildings or neighborhoods, which also builds community bonds.

Source: Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life

Did You Know?

The Marianist Retreat Center in Cape May Point is hosting a one-day retreat for Catholic Grandparents. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 21 and include lunch and Mass. Registration is required. For more information, call Mary Kay Dunne at 610-724-6535 or email southjerseygrands@gmail.com