July 23 World Day highlights importance of intergenerational dialogue

On July 23, the Church celebrates the third World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. Established by Pope Francis in January 2021, the observance is celebrated each year on the fourth Sunday of July, coinciding with the feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s parents and Jesus’ grandparents, Sts. Joachim and Anne.

The theme for this year’s World Day is “His mercy is from age to age” (Lk 1:50) According to Vatican News, the theme was chosen to be in tune with that of World Youth Day in Lisbon: Mary arose and went with haste, taken from Luke’s Gospel. Even the short passage “His mercy from age to age” is taken from Luke’s Gospel and is the end of the first part of the Magnificat, when Mary immediately goes to meet her elderly cousin Elizabeth after the Angel’s annunciation. Thus, it is a theme that highlights the importance of dialogue between generations, which is fundamental for perceiving and contemplating God’s merciful action on behalf of human beings.

In his message for the third World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, Pope Francis writes:

“The Lord trusts that young people, through their relationships with the elderly, will realize that they are called to cultivate memory and recognize the beauty of being part of a much larger history. Friendship with an older person can help the young to see life not only in terms of the present and realize that not everything depends on them and their abilities. For the elderly, the presence of a young person in their lives can give them hope that their experience will not be lost and that their dreams can find fulfilment. Mary’s visit to Elizabeth and their shared awareness that the Lord’s mercy is from generation to generation remind us that, alone, we cannot move forward, much less save ourselves, and that God’s presence and activity are always part of something greater, the history of a people.”

Read Pope Francis’ World Day message in full (English | Español) (Vatican website)
Prayer for the World Day (English | Español)

Read Bishop Walkowiak’s March 2021 FAITH GR column “Pope shines a light on family life” in
English (p.2) & Español (p.3)

Plenary indulgences are available to all the faithful who participate in the World Day “motivated by a true spirit of penance and charity.”