The parents of Mary raised her to be God’s loving daughter before she became His loving mother
Reflections on the readings for the Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne (July 26, 2018): JER 2:1-3,7-8,12-13; PS 36:6-7,8-9,1-11; MT 13:10-17
MISSIO offers “Preaching Mission,” as a homily help, providing connections to mission from the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
Today we honor the parents of Mary, our Mother and Queen. Saints Joachim and Anne are the names traditionally given to the grandparents of Jesus.
In fact the Bible offers no specific information about them other than that, in referring to Mary, we learn the family lived in Nazareth. Some stories say that they were elderly when their daughter was born and that she was their only child. Still, Almighty God must have found them a devout couple worthy of raising the Mother of Jesus, the Son of God.
It was within the womb of Anne that Mary was conceived without sin, unlike any other person except for her own Son. Mary surely learned her fidelity to the Jewish religion and people, her love of the Father and her humble obedience to His will through the care and teaching of her parents. In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus tell His Apostles how they have been singled out: “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). Whether or not Saints Joachim and Anne ever saw their grandson Jesus, we cannot know for sure. However, we can be sure that they brought up Mary to be a true child of God – chosen above all others to become the Mother of God as well.
