A Century of Love, A Legacy of Faith

Last July 4, Saturday, our family celebrated my mother’s 100th birthday at the PME Resthouse in Bago Aplaya, Talomo District. It was a day filled with gratitude, and what better way to express this than with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, presided over by Rev. Msgr. Paul A. Cuison, together with concelebrants Rev. Fr. Rene Retardo and Rev. Fr. Randy Vergara. Looking around the room, seeing children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, relatives, and friends gathered around her, I couldn’t help but thank God for the gift of her life and for everything she has meant to our family.

As the Church celebrates the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, I find myself thinking about my mother in a deeper way. She reminds me why grandparents matter so much. They are more than just being the oldest members of the family. They carry our stories, keep us rooted, and quietly show us what a life of faith looks like.

At one hundred, my mother is still the heart of our family. We still look forward to seeing her. We still seek her blessing. Her smile, her quiet presence, and the simple joy of being with her bring us together in a way nothing else can.

When we were growing up, our parents never sat us down to lecture us about the Catholic faith. They simply lived it. Together with our late father, my mother made our home a place where prayer came naturally, where going to Mass was simply what our family did, and where trusting God was part of everyday life.

We learned to pray because we saw them pray. We learned to depend on God because we watched them do the same through good times and difficult ones. They taught us to be generous, to forgive, to work hard, and to put God first—not so much by what they said, but by how they lived each day.

Looking back now, I realize those ordinary moments shaped us more than we knew. The values they passed on became the values we tried to pass on to our own children. The faith we received from them is the same faith we hope our grandchildren will one day hand on to theirs.

Our father has gone home to the Lord, but the life of faith he shared with our mother continues through her. When I see her today, I see not only the woman who raised us but also the quiet strength that sustained our family through the years. Her life reminds me that holiness is often found in simple acts of love, repeated day after day, year after year.

Pope Francis has often encouraged us not to overlook our grandparents and the elderly. They are the keepers of memory and witnesses of hope. That rings true for me. My mother’s greatest legacy is not found in anything she owned or accomplished. It is found in the faith she lived, the family she nurtured, and the love she gave so generously.

Celebrating her 100th birthday reminded us that a meaningful life is measured less by the number of years we live than by the lives we touch. For that, we will always be grateful to God for our mother, Thelma, and for our late father, Rolando, Sr., who together showed us what it means to love God, love one another, and remain faithful through every season of life.

On this World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, may we remember to thank God for our parents, grandparents and older people who have shaped us. May we spend time with them, listen to their stories, learn from their faith, and let them know how deeply they are loved while we still have the chance.

“Her children rise up and call her blessed.” (Proverbs 31:28)

(By Eddie Pacana)