Mimi and Papa

Welcome Address on Grandparents Day

Catholic Schools Week, 2016

          One day, six year old Sophia was sitting on her grandfather’s lap as he read her a bedtime story.  From time to time, Sophia would take her eyes off the book and reach up and touch her grandfather’s wrinkled cheek.  She was alternatively stoking her own cheek, and then his again.  Finally, Sophia spoke up, “Grandpa, did God make you?”  “Yes, darling,” he answered, “God made me a long time ago.”  “Oh,” she paused,” Grandpa, did God make me, too?”  “Yes indeed, sweet heart,” he said, “God made you just a little while ago.”  Feeling their two respective faces again, Sophia said, “God’s getting better at it, isn’t he?”

          But let me tell you something that God is not getting better at: and that is in imparting his wisdom.  And grandparents understand God’s wisdom (God’s ways, God’s heart) much better than the younger generations do.  Mimi and Papa may not be too savvy about texting and tweeting and tablets -- but they do take a lot of other tablets -- however, they know that “as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God’s ways higher than our ways, and his thoughts higher than our thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).  When it comes to wisdom, God doesn’t get any “better at it,” in fact, he has shared all his wisdom two thousand years ago when he sent his Son to save us.  Jesus is God’s first word and Jesus is God’s last word.  Grandparent’s Day is a special part of Catholic Schools Week because grandparents are a special part of their grandchildren’s education; they teach them God’s wisdom.  So, welcome to all our wrinkle-faced, but also very wise, grandfathers and grandmothers.  We need you here!  Let’s say a little prayer.

          Heavenly Father, we thank you for the blessing of Immaculate Conception School, and your great gift of our grandparents.  May we never take them for granted but always respect them and honor them.  Help us to listen to them as they read bedtime stories, and also when the read “the greatest story ever told,” the Holy Bible.  Open our ears to hear your wisdom in their words.  And please bless Mimi and Papa.  We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.