Two Argentine archbishops offer their reflections when celebrating, this Sunday, July 27, the World Grandparents and the elderly 2025, held this year the day after the Fiesta de San Joaquín and Santa Ana, the parents of the Virgin Mary and grandparents of Jesus.
“Old are the rags”
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In his reflection, the archbishop of San Juan de Cuyo, Mons. Jorge Lozano, stressed that “the dignity of the human person does not aging, does not retire, does not degrade over the years or with the fragility of the body” and called to “recover tenderness” in dealing with the elderly.
The 70 -year -old archbishop then lamented the “disqualifying” gaze of many who assume “the perverse paradigm of efficienteism”, which measures the value of people for their productivity; And he warned that “the cult of eternal youth and the idolatry of speed have made us despise slowness, weakness and memory.”
“Every word of mockery or indifference to the elderly is an open wound to the dignity of all,” he lamented and stressed that “the most significant inheritance that grandparents and elderly leave us is the faith lived, the patience learned, shared prayers, silent fidelity.”
Prelate encouraged grandparents to seek since “visiting an old man is a way to meet Jesus, who frees us from indifference and loneliness.”
“In old age will continue to bear fruit”
On the other hand, Archbishop Emeritus of Corrientes and member of the Episcopal Commission for the Life, Lay and Family of the Argentine Episcopal Conference (CEA), Mons. Andrés Stanovnik, said he was moved by the Message that Pope Leo XIV published for this day.
The 75 -year prelate stressed that in the message, Pope León encourages to live “this providential stage of life that we have to travel, with the inspiring phrase of Psalm 94. Listen well, in old age will continue to bear fruit.”
“How good makes someone recognize that the time of old age is for us to live with a grateful, cheerful heart, and encourage me to say that also with missionary mood,” said Archbishop Emeritus.
Mons. Stanovnik encouraged the elderly to share with joy their experience no longer losing “hope in our condition of pilgrims, even though life at this stage is done uphill.”
In the reflection published by Aicathe archbishop stressed that “our hope is to continue announcing with joy to Jesus Christ. He makes our old age fertilize, even if we do not see the fruits.”
After encouraging to live the old age always close to God, the prelate concluded: “Very dear grandparents and elders, I, uncle grandfather and old man, hug them with enormous affection and blessed. Very happy day.”
Walter Sánchez Silva
I am husband since 2008. With my wife we have three children here and one who went to heaven in 2023, before birth. Since I joined ACI Press in 2005, I have had the opportunity to cover various events of the Catholic Church. Among them, the World Youth Days in Colonia, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro and the apostolic trips of Pope Benedict XVI to Mexico and Pope Francis to South Korea. I have been sent to the Vatican to cover the family’s synods, in 2015; of the Amazon, in 2019 and that of Sinodality, in 2023. I follow the situation of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, which suffers the persecution of the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega, as well as the ecclesial news in the region.