“Old people must not be left alone, they must live in a family, in a community, receiving love from those around them. If they can’t live in the family, then we have to go look for them and be close to them,” said the Pope on Saturday, April 27, when he received the participants of the meeting of the elderly and grandchildren organized by the Italian foundation “Età grande”.
Inese Steinert – Vatican City
Addressing his grandchildren, the Holy Father emphasized that “love makes us wiser”. Francis reminded the representatives of the younger generation that their “grandparents are a living memory in a world that has lost its memory, and if the memory is lost, then it has an end.”
The Pope highlighted the example of two old men, Simeon and Anna. They were the first to recognize Jesus in the little child when Mary and Joseph brought him to the sanctuary (cf. Lk 2:22-38). The old men understood what was happening, that God was there, very present, looking at them with the eyes of a Child. Only the two old people – Simeon and Anna – understood that the Messiah, the awaited Savior of all, had come. “The old men were the ones who understood the Mystery,” the Pope recalled.
The Holy Father noted that almost all old people wear glasses, but in reality they see far. That it is possible? Francis explained that they see far because they have lived for many years and have a lot to teach, such as how terrible war is. In this regard, the Pope remembers his grandfather, who experienced World War I.
“Seek out your grandparents and do not reject them,” the Bishop of Rome called, recalling that “the rejection of the elderly spoils not only old age, but all stages of life.” In this regard, he remembered his visit to a nursing home, when one of the residents, when asked if children visit her, answered that yes, they always visit her. However, after leaving the room, he learned from the employee of the nursing home that, in fact, children come no more than twice a year. “Grandparents are generous, they know how to hide bad things,” said the Pope, addressing the new generation today and asking them not to alienate the old.
