Praying for the elderly

The Lord Is My Chef Breakfast Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Monday, Memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne, Parents of BVM, 26 July 2021
Sirach 44:1,10-15   ><]]]]*> + <*[[[[><   Matthew 13:16-17

"Old age is the final stage
of human maturity and a sign
of God's blessing." 
(St. John Paul II, Letter 
to the Elderly, 01 October 1999)

God our loving Father,
today we remember 
the elderly among us 
in celebration of the Memorial 
of St. Joachim and St. Anne, 
parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
grandparents of our Lord 
Jesus Christ.

Thank you for their many gifts
that without them, we won't be
here at all while at the same time,
life for us will be not this easy
and comfortable without their
many sacrifices and efforts
we may never know 
or even experience.

"Their bodies are peacefully laid away,
but their name lives on and on."
(Sirach 44:11)

Teach us, O Lord, to put a stop
to the wrong and evil mentality
 of our time that gives priority
to human usefulness and productivity
 that lead to contempt
 for the later years of life
that make older people wonder
if their lives are still worthwhile.

Help us recover, merciful Father,
the correct perspective on life
as a whole that leads to eternity
for which we are all preparing for,
guided by the elderly among us
who share with us their wisdom
and maturity of the past
on which our present is firmly rooted.

"But, blessed are your eyes,
because they see, and your ears,
because they hear.  Amen,
I say to you, many prophets
and righteous people longed
to see what you see but 
did not see it, and to hear
what you hear but did not hear it."
(Matthew 13:16-17)

We pray most especially, dear God
on this day for the young people
to remain close to the elderly
with much love and generosity,
for them to realize how older people
can give them much more
than they can imagine
to grasp life's meaning.

Make us remember to keep
your only commandment with 
the promise of blessing at old age
to honor our father and mother
by welcoming the elderly,
by helping them in their old age, and most
specially, by upholding their dignity as your
most unique gift to humanity.  Amen.