By Demetria Banda
The Catholic Church through the office of Pastoral Commission in Malawi will this Sunday join the whole world in cerebrating World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.
According to The National Pastoral Coordinator of Episcopal Conference of Malawi Fr Henry Chinkanda, Pope Francis on Sunday, January 31,2021, declared World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly to be celebrated annually on the fourth Sunday of July close to the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.
“This World Day that we are celebrating today will help us to understand that all of us, young and old, grandparents and grandchildren, whether or not we belong to the same family, are “one body and one Spirit. The elderly, like the young, are important. Without them the body of the Church lacks something. That is why it is necessary for them to have their rightful place within each of our communities. It is crucial that we share in the lives of older people in the same way that the Lord, in giving us his Body and Blood, has made us sharers in his own,” Said Fr Chinkanda
According to Fr Chinkanda, through this day, Christians from all walks of life are being encouraged to support the Grandparents and Elderly people around them.
“The elderly people are not served by themselves alone because they need strong legs on which to make their dreams walk. Young people are not saved by themselves alone because they need someone to tell them that even from a dark night, the sun of a new dawn can rise. This is why we have dedicated everything in this day including the collection from the Masses for this World Day to supporting projects to help poor elderly people in the community.”
“However, Christians from all parishes, outstations and small Christian gatherings are encouraged to contribute handsomely and take care of all the elderly people around them and make them feel that God and the Church are close to them hence being kind, showing Love and also supporting them with what they are lacking in order to emphasize inter-generational closeness between young and old because Grandparents have the specific task of transmitting the faith to the younger generations and accompanying their grandchildren with their wisdom.” Said Fr Chinkanda.
Fr Chinkanda further said as we are in the preparation period For World Mission Sunday, we are all encouraged to live our faith and express it though prayer, service and contributions.
“We should realize that these actions of faith, are also a way of expressing gratitude to God for all the gifts we receive from him. We need to be grateful to God for peace and freedom of worship in our country. Although there are many economic and social problems in our country, still, we enjoy the peace and freedom of going for work in our gardens, offices and business places. We have to be grateful to God because of the good land, soil, water in rivers and lakes, and the green vegetation that comes up every rainy season. With also these gifts of natural resources, we can express gratitude to God by praying for the Elderly, serving them and contributing money generously for supporting them,” Concluded Fr Chinkanda.
Highlighting the challenges being experienced by grandparents and the elderly in Malawi, the Pastoral Coordinator said Grandparents are often forgotten and we forget this richness of preserving our roots and passing them on
“The Elderly and Grandparents lacks support and prayers from the community and they face the risk of isolation and loneliness which affect their everyday life hence a need to help them live a happy life. Said Fr Chinkanda.
Pope Francis in his message highlighted that old age is a gift and that grandparents are the link between generations, passing on the experience of life and faith to the youth.
“It is important that grandparents meet their grandchildren and that grandchildren meet with grandparents, because as Prophet Joel says in the scriptures, ‘grandparents seeing their grandchildren dream, and young people drawing strength from their grandparents, will go forward and prophesy’.”
His Holiness also reflected on the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple when Simeon and Anna, both elderly, recognized Jesus as the Messiah and said The Holy Spirit still arouses thoughts and words of wisdom in the elderly today and that their voice is precious because it sings the praises of God and guards the roots of people. The prayer of the elderly however according to His Holiness the Pope can protect the world, helping it perhaps more effectively than the frenetic activity of many others.
The Holy Father calls on the Church to care for the elderly by going to them with a smile on our face and the Gospel in our hands. He urged all of us to create communities that strengthen intergenerational relationships between the older persons, the children, and youth in our communities.
This year’s world day for Grandparents and the Elderly is being celebrated under the theme “I am with you always”