Lent During the Holy Year of Hope:
Uncovering Signs of Hope – Becoming Beacons of Hope
The Fifth Week of Lent:
The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad indeed.
(Ps. 126:3)
In Spes Non Confundit or “Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5), the Papal Bull that officially established the Holy Year of Jubilee 2025, Pope Francis invites us on the one hand to discover signs of hope in our world and on the other hand to be “tangible signs of hope for those brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind.” Among the people who are in need of hope, he mentioned people who are elderly and “who frequently feel lonely and abandoned.”
Recognizing a deep-felt need, Pope Francis inaugurated the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly in 2021. It is celebrated annually on the fourth Sunday of July, close to the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus. When announcing this new initiative, Pope Francis insisted that the voice of our elders is “precious because it sings the praises of God and safeguards the roots of peoples.” Old age is a gift, he continued our elders are the “link between generations, passing on the experience of life and faith to the young.”
In a message released on the most recent World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly in 2024, Pope Francis very poignantly assured all of us that “God never abandons his children, never. Even when our age advances and our powers decline, when our hair grows white and our role in society lessens, when our lives become less productive and can risk appearing useless. God does not regard appearances (cf. 1 Sam 16:7); he does not disdain to choose those who, to many people, may seem irrelevant. God discards no stone; indeed, the “oldest” are the firm foundation on which “new” stones can rest, to join in erecting a spiritual edifice (cf. 1 Peter 2:5).”
During this fifth week of Lent, for those of us who are elderly, let us cherish our memories of the past, good and bad, and let us dream of a future that is ever better. And for everyone else, let us cherish, respect and uphold our elders as we celebrate that our lives are built upon theirs.
Abstinence (fasting):
In his important encyclical, Laudato Si’, on the Care of Creation, Pope Franics laments our “throwaway culture,” that abandons the elderly “who no longer serve our interests.” That same year while addressing a meeting of elderly people he said: “In a special way, old age is a time of grace, in which the Lord renews his call to us: he calls us to safeguard and transmit the faith, he calls us to pray, especially to intercede; he calls us to be close to those in need…. The elderly can understand the most difficult of situations: which is a great ability! And when they pray for these situations, their prayer is strong; it is powerful!”
During this fifth week of Lent may our elders be blessed with the knowledge that not only are we not unproductive and irrelevant, but we are also and continue to be the firm foundation upon which new generations are built. And for those of us who are young, let’s look beyond the outer appearance of our elders and celebrate the fullness of their lives and their continued gifts to our community.
Appeal (prayer):
Shortly before his resignation the late Pope Benedict said that “the prayer of our elders can protect the world, helping it perhaps more effectively than the frenetic activity of many others.” And after resigning from the papacy, he dedicated most of his time to praying for the church and the world while living in a small monastery in the Vatican. Pope Francis affirmed that the prayer of the elderly is a very precious resource. In his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium or the Joy of the Gospel he calls the prayer of our elders “a deep breath that the Church and the world urgently need.”
During this fifth week of Lent may those of us who are elderly and maybe have more time be cognizant of our important task to pray for the church and the world and to take this task to heart. And may those who are young and engage in the frenetic activities that come with youth learn from our elders and, at times, slow down and join them in prayer for the church and the world.
Action (almsgiving):
The prophet Joel promised that: “Your old shall dream dreams, and your young will have visions” (3:1). This is how young and old people together build a better world according to Pope Francis. Rooted in their memory of the dark moments of their past, our elders dream of a better world. They have “dreams of justice, of peace, of solidarity.” Those dreams can only be realized through the vision and commitment of our young people. That is how young and old together build the future.
During this fifth week of Lent let us commit ourselves to never stop remembering; never stop dreaming; never stop hoping. We must remember the evils of the past. It is these memories that cause us to dream of a better world and to strive for more just societies.
And please remember to be patient with yourself. Lent is neither an endurance test nor a demonstration of Christian heroism. Instead, it is a period for reflection on the core aspects of our faith and mend our lives accordingly. It is important to proceed at a manageable pace and to be patient with yourself and others.