In honour of our grandparents
Brothers and Sisters, 
Welcome to the seventh and final week of the Season of the Resurrection. Today we celebrate the pivotal meaning of our faith through the new commandment that our Lord gives us – “Love one another…just as I have loved you.” If we take a moment to think about these words: Love one-another just as much as Jesus loved us. Are we able to do this? He loved us so much that He sacrificed His life for us. Are we able to sacrifice our lives for those we love? Our mothers and fathers sacrifice so much for us, husbands and wives sacrifice so much for each other and for their children, a priest sacrifices so much for his parish. But how can we love each other if we don’t love Him first and sacrifice of ourselves for Him. There are so many people that cannot afford to spend one hour with Him so that He can show them how much He loves them. They are more concerned about the material things about this world, the things that will not last. His love on the other hand will last forever
.
Our grandparents are great examples of this love. When we think of our grandparents we think of the beautiful Lebanese saying: “there is no-one dearer than the child, other than the child of the child.” We see this saying in action in our parish when we see the abundant love that grandparents have for their grandchildren. I remember from my childhood how much my own grandfather played a big role in my life. He was a very wise man from whom I learnt so much.
Pope Francis tells us that grandparents play a key role in the lives of the youth. Reflecting on his own experience with his grandmother, he says that when the hearts of our grandparents are free from “past resentments and present selfishness,” they become attractive for the youth, “who hope to find in them a strong support in their faith and meaning for their lives.” He specifically pointed to the importance of prayer for grandparents, in which they are able to thank the Lord for many blessings that would otherwise go unnoticed, and intercede for the needs and hopes of the youth. This purifying ability of faith and prayer can also help society to find “the wisest way to teach the young that the true meaning of life is found in self-sacrificing love and concern for others.”
In our parish today we celebrate and Honour the life giving love of our Mothers and Grandmothers who truly manifest the commandment of our Lord by not only being examples but a living testimony to these words. No amount of thanks can exclaim the gratitude and love that we feel for them. No words can express exactly how much we love them. As I said last week, they teach us how to pray and how to communicate with God. Besides the gift of life, there is nothing on this earth that can be more valuable than this gift. Thank you for all that you do for your families, for your parish and for the world.
Don’t forget to look out for everything that is happening in our parish. We are bustling with the Marian spirit in this blessed month through all the spiritual celebrations, home visits, faith formation talks and we will be emanating the fragrance of roses this Friday as we celebrate the feast of St Rita. I look forward to seeing you throughout the week.
