This Tuesday, on the third day of his visit to Canada, Pope Francis celebrated Mass at Commonwealth Stadium, in which he reflected on the heritage of grandparents.
Below is the homily delivered by the Holy Father:
Today is the feast of Jesus’ grandparents; The Lord wanted us to gather in large numbers precisely on this occasion that is so dear to you, as it is to me. In Joaquín and Ana’s house, little Jesús met his eldest and experienced the closeness, tenderness and wisdom of his grandparents. Let us also think of our grandparents and reflect on two important aspects.
First. We are children of a history that must be protected. We are not isolated individuals, we are not islands, no one comes into the world disconnected from others. Our roots, the love that awaited us and that we received when we came into the world, the family environments in which we grew up, are part of a unique story that has preceded us and generated us. We do not choose it, but we receive it as a gift; and it is a gift that we are called to guard. Because, as the book of Ecclesiasticus has reminded us, we are “the descendants” of those who have preceded us, we are their “rich inheritance” (Si 44,11). An inheritance that, beyond the feats or the authority of some, the intelligence or creativity of others in song or poetry, has its center in justice, in being faithful to God and his will. And that is what they have passed on to us. To truly accept what we are and how much we are worth, we have to take care of those from whom we are descended, those who did not think only of themselves, but passed on the treasure of life to us. We are here thanks to our parents, but also thanks to our grandparents, who made us experience that we are welcome in the world. They were often the ones who loved us without reservation and without expecting anything from us; They took us by the hand when we were afraid, they reassured us in the dark of the night, they encouraged us when in broad daylight we had to decide about our lives. Thanks to our grandparents we received a caress from part of the history that preceded us; we learned that kindness, tenderness and wisdom are firm roots of humanity. Many of us have breathed in our grandparents’ house the fragrance of the Gospel, the strength of a faith that has a taste of home. Thanks to them we discovered a familiar, domestic faith; yes, it is so, because faith communicates essentially this way, it communicates “in the mother tongue”, it communicates in dialect, it communicates through affection and encouragement, care and closeness.
This is our history that must be guarded, the history of which we are heirs; we are children because we are grandchildren. The grandparents imprinted on us the original stamp of their way of being, giving us dignity, confidence in ourselves and in others. They transmitted to us something that within us can never be erased and, at the same time, they have allowed us to be unique, original and free people. Precisely from our grandparents, we learned that love is never an imposition, it never strips the other of his inner freedom. In this way Joaquin and Ana loved Mary and they loved Jesus; this is how Mary loved Jesus, with a love that never suffocated him or held him back, but accompanied him to embrace the mission for which she had come into the world. Let us try to learn this as individuals and as a Church: never oppress the conscience of others, never chain the freedom of those close to us and, above all, never stop loving and respecting the people who preceded us and have been entrusted, precious treasures that guard a story greater than themselves.
Safeguarding the history that has generated us —the book of Ecclesiasticus tells us— means not tarnishing “the glory” of our ancestors, not losing their memory, not forgetting the history that gave birth to our lives, and always remembering those hands that they caressed us and held us in their arms. Because it is in this source where we find comfort in moments of discouragement, light in discernment, and courage to face the challenges of life. But it also means always going back to that school where we learned and lived love. Faced with the decisions we have to make today, it means asking ourselves what the wisest elders we have known would do if they were in our place, what our grandparents and great-grandparents advise us or would advise us.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us ask ourselves then, are we children and grandchildren who know how to guard the wealth that we have received? Do we remember the good teachings we have inherited? Do we talk to our elders, or do we take the time to listen to them? In our houses, which are increasingly equipped, modern and functional, do we know how to set up a decent space to preserve their memories, a special place, a small family sanctuary that, through images and loved objects, also allows us to elevate our thoughts and prayers to those who have gone before us? Have we preserved the Bible and the rosary of our ancestors? Pray for them and in union with them, dedicate time to remember them and preserve their legacy. In the fog of oblivion that assails our dizzying times, it is necessary to take care of the roots. This is how the tree grows, this is how the future is built.
We now reflect on a second aspect: in addition to being children of a history that must be safeguarded, we are artisans of a history that must be built. Each one of us can recognize what he is, with his lights and shadows, according to the love he has received or has lacked. The mystery of human life is this: we are all someone’s children, we were generated and formed by someone, but when we become adults we are also called to generate, to be fathers, mothers and grandparents of someone else. So, looking at the person we have become, what do we want from ourselves? The grandparents from whom we come, the elders who dreamed, hoped and sacrificed for us, ask us a fundamental question: what kind of society do we want to build? We have received so much from the hands of those who have preceded us, what do we want to leave as an inheritance to our posterity? A living faith or a “rose water” faith, a society based on individual benefit or fraternity, a world at peace or war, a devastated creation or a still welcoming home?
And let’s not forget that this movement gives life since it goes from the roots to the branches, the leaves, the flowers and the fruits of the tree. The true tradition is expressed in this vertical dimension: from the bottom up. Let us be careful not to fall into the caricature of tradition, which does not move in a vertical line —from the roots to the fruit— but in a horizontal line —forward-backward— that leads us to the culture of “backwardness” as a selfish refuge; and that does nothing more than pigeonhole the present and preserve it in the logic of “it has always been done that way”.
In the Gospel that we have heard, Jesus tells the disciples that they are happy because they can see and hear what so many prophets and righteous people wanted to see and hear (cf. Mt 13:16-17). Indeed, many believed in God’s promise of the coming of the Messiah, they prepared the way for him and announced his arrival. However, now that the Messiah has arrived, those who can see and hear him are called to welcome and announce him.
Brothers and sisters, this also applies to us. Our predecessors transmitted to us a passion, a strength and a desire, a fire that it is up to us to rekindle; it is not about guarding ashes, but about rekindling the fire that they lit. Our grandparents and our elders wanted to see a fairer, more fraternal and more supportive world, and they fought to give us a future. Now, it’s up to us not to disappoint them. We have to take charge of this tradition that we receive because tradition is the living faith of our dead. Please, let’s not turn it into traditionalism, which is the dead faith of the living, as one thinker said. Supported by them, who are our roots, it is up to us to bear fruit. We are the branches that must blossom and produce new seeds in history. So let’s ask ourselves some specific questions. Faced with the history of salvation to which I belong and faced with those who have preceded me and loved me, what do I do? If I have a unique and irreplaceable role in history, what mark am I leaving on my path; what am I leaving to those who follow me; what am I giving of myself? Many times life is measured by the money that is earned, by the career that is carried out, by the success and the consideration that is received from others. But these are not generative criteria. The question is: am I generating life? Am I spreading in history a new and renewed love that did not exist before? Do I announce the Gospel where I live, do I serve someone gratuitously, as those who preceded me did to me? What am I doing for my Church, for my city and for my society? It is easy to criticize, but the Lord does not want us to be only critical of the system, he does not want us to be closed and “of those who go back”, of those who go back, as the author of the Letter to the Hebrews said, but rather He wants us to be artisans of a new history, weavers of hope, builders of the future, architects of peace.
May Joaquín and Ana intercede for us. That they help us to safeguard the history that has generated us and to build a generating history. May they remind us of the spiritual importance of honoring our grandparents and elders, of taking advantage of their presence to build a better future. A future in which the elderly are not discarded because functionally “they are not necessary”; a future that does not judge the value of people only by what they produce; a future that is not indifferent to those who, already advanced in age, need more time, listening and attention; a future in which the history of violence and marginalization suffered by our indigenous brothers and sisters does not repeat itself. It is a possible future if, with God’s help, we do not break the bond with those who have gone before us and nurture dialogue with those who will come after us: young and old, grandparents and grandchildren, together. Let’s go forward together, let’s dream together; And let’s not forget Paul’s advice to his disciple Timothy: remember your mother and your grandmother.
(Homily is adapted and translated from ACI Prensa)