On this 6th day of prayer specially dedicated to grandparents and the elderly, Pope Leo XIV invites us to make time for them! We have so much to learn from their lives, rich in experience and wisdom. He encourages us with the words of the prophet Isaiah not to leave them alone:
"Yet I will never forget you" (cf. Isaiah 49:15).
May this day be a concrete opportunity for everyone to find time to spend with their grandparents... and especially with those elderly people who live in loneliness. Their lives are the precious pearl that makes the Kingdom of God present among us.
Saints Joachim and Anne, grandparents of Jesus, pray for us.
Prayer for the elderly
Holy Father
Who watches over every person
Watch over me too when I am elderly.
You have revealed your name to me in Christ,
And You were not discouraged by my frailties.
You hold me tenderly in your hands,
And You caress my lines.
You will never forget me! (see Is 49:15).
Grant that I may not fear my weakness;
Help me learn to love it
Just as You love it.
Help me learn to listen to it
Just as You listen to it.
Help me embrace it
Just as You have chosen it –
You who, though all-powerful, clothed yourself in humility.
May growing old strip away all our pride
and all division
So that we may live these years
united in You.
You will never forget us! (see Is 49:15)
Amen.