Grandparents with their grandchildren
By Agnes Chai
Jul 23 2021
THE Pope has started a new observance called World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, to be celebrated for the first time July 25, one day before the Feast Day of Saints Joachim and Anne, grandparents of Jesus.
Pope Francis chooses the theme “I am with you always” (Mt 28:20) to express the closeness of God and of the Church to every older person.
The theme for the celebration is especially appropriate in these challenging pandemic times for God’s promise of closeness is a topic of hope to be shared by all, young and old.
The pope, in his message, tells older Catholics that God is close to them and still has plans for their lives. View Pope Francis’ message for the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.
He said “the Holy Spirit even today stirs up thoughts and words of wisdom in the elderly”.
“The voice of the elderly is precious because it sings the praises of God and preserves the roots of the people”, added the Holy Father.
The pope continued “the elderly remind us that old age is a gift and that grandparents are the link between the different generations, to pass on to the young the experience of life”.
That is precisely how Daniel Kong and Patsy Juan see themselves as grandparents, “passing on to the young the experience of life”.
For this joyful occasion, only three of Daniel’s grandchildren were able to be with him
Daniel, 74, grandfather to 12 grandchildren marveled the gift of grandchildren in his life, with Agnes, his wife by his side. “I have experienced great joys and blessings of being a father of four daughters. But being a grandfather has opened up a new and different kind of joy from that of a father. Grandchildren are such a great source of joy and life to have around.”
Sharing his thoughts on his grandparent role to Catholic Sabah, Daniel said “I see my role as helping the parents to pass on the faith to their children. I see this as an opportunity to help form their young minds and hearts by helping to establish a knowledge of and a relationship with God. I am very much reminded of the word of God in Prov.222:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
He underlined “I see that it is a big challenge today for young parents to bring up children in a wholesome, moral and righteous environment, walking faithfully in God’s ways. In life we will inevitably have to face the storms of life out there in the dark and broken world even as we are facing the pandemic today, but we need to take heart and courage that the Lord’s love for us and his faithfulness to us will never waver and he will never abandon us. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt.19:14).
Acknowledging the gift of this World Day from the pope, Daniel revealed “My heart is filled with a great sense of gratitude to God for the privilege and blessing of being a grandparent.”
Speaking of passing on his experience to the young, “If there is one thing I have learnt and can share with the young, it is this: they need to build their lives and their families on the rock. Not on sand. And that rock is Jesus Christ! Come rain, hardships, sufferings, pains and storms, they will not fall but will stand strong. Building a strong and close personal relationship with Jesus our rock is therefore the key to our future hope,” imparted Daniel.
Patsy with her grandchildren while on a visit in Kuala Lumpur
Patsy, who is 62, shares six grandchildren with husband, Michael. Though originally from Sarawak, Patsy and her husband have settled down and now happily retired on Sabah soil. However, her grandchildren with their parents live abroad, the nearer ones in Kuala Lumpur while the furthest ones in Australia.
She cherishes the gift of waking up each morning to the joy of unbounded opportunities to bear witness for Christ in her life and sharing the faith with old and young, especially now that God has blessed her with grandchildren.
“It is a grace of God to bear witness for Christ in my life so that I can share the faith with others,” said Patsy as she recalls all that the Lord has blessed her in many of her experiences of answered prayer, which beg to be shared in order that others may come to experience God who does not abandon his people and that he listens even to the faintest whisperings of our heart.
Passing on this knowledge of the closeness of God, especially to those who have experienced being alone and isolated sometimes for long periods because of rules in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus, brings God’s consolation that no matter how hard life is, God is always with us and will make a way for us.
While acknowledging that the young need to hear from her as she praised God for many of his loving and saving action in her life and the hope of instilling in them a loving dependence of God in their own life, the word of God reminds Patsy that God too reveals himself to little children, “I thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children” (Mt 11:25), and that it takes humility and generosity to learn from them.
The day is not only about the tenderness that grandparents show toward their grandchildren, but it is also about acknowledging the suffering, loneliness and fear many older people experienced during the worst of the pandemic and the need for tenderness shown them.
Calling Catholics around the world to mark the day after the challenging months of the pandemic, Pope Francis invites people to embrace tenderness, especially towards the elderly who suffered much during the COVID-19 pandemic.
