DID YOU
KNOW?
The Pope’s deep
respect for the
elderly comes from
his profound love
for his grandparents,
especially his Grandma
Rosa, his father’s mother. It
was Grandma Rosa
who taught him how to pray, and
her words greet him every time he opens his breviary,
which is a book that contains the service for each day.
Treasured between the pages of his breviary, her letter
reads, “May these my grandchildren, to whom I have
given the best of my heart, have a long and happy life,
but if on some painful day, sickness or the loss of a loved
one fills you with grief, remember that a sigh before the
Tabernacle, where the greatest and most august martyr
resides, and a gaze at Mary at the
foot of the Cross, can make
a drop of balm fall on the
deepest and most painful
of wounds.”ONE GENERATION TO
ANOTHER
Since there are grandparents,
there are grandchildren too,
and the Pope suggests creating
an intense bond between the
two. He explains, “Children
are naturally attached to
their grandparents and they
understand things that only
grandparents can explain with
their lives, their attitude. Speak
to your grandchildren, let
them ask you questions. They
have different peculiarities
from yours, they do other
things, they like other types
of music, but they need this
continuous dialogue. Also,
give them wisdom.” And for
the Holy Pontiff, this last
sentence is the key to the bond
between grandparents and
grandchildren. He points out,
“The future of a people requires
that the youth and the elderly
converge: the youth are the
vitality of an advancing people,
and the elderly reinforce this
vitality with their memories
and wisdom.” Such wise—and
true—words from our
dear Lolo Kiko!The Santo Papa blesses two elderly women
in Paraguay during a visit to the country.According to Lolo Kiko, “Children are close to
their grandparents and understand things that only
grandparents can explain with their lives.”