Thursday, July 26, 2007

Memorial of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne


parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Biographical Information about
St. Joachim and St. Anne[1][2]

Readings for the Memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne[3]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Commentary:

Reading 1 Ex 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b

The story of Moses leading the people out of bondage in Egypt is continued in this passage as God tells Moses what signs he will perform for the people in order that they may be made holy and faithful followers.

Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
R. Glory and praise for ever!

This passage from the book of Daniel is a selection from the song sung by the three brothers who were cast into the furnace because they would not renounce their faith in the One True God. We use it as a song of praise for all he has done for us.

Gospel Mt 13:10-17

From the NAB footnote: “Since a parable is figurative speech that demands reflection for understanding, only those who are prepared to explore its meaning can come to know it. To understand is a gift of God, granted to the disciples but not to the crowds. In Semitic fashion, both the disciples' understanding and the crowd's obtuseness are attributed to God.”


Homily:

Tradition holds that Jesus’ grandparents, Joachim and Anne, were told separately by messengers from God, angels, that their daughter was with child. It is consistent with the notification of Joseph and Mary, the human parents of the Lord that this mechanism was employed. God was fiercely involved in the conception of the Lord through the Holy Spirit.

To most people of the day, however, this flurry of heavenly messengers would have seemed far fetched had it been widely known at the time. We must assume that Joachim and Anne did not go to their neighbors and tell them, guess what, my daughter is pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

What we are given, surrounding the conception of the Lord is a remarkable group of saints who provide us with examples of not only obedience but perception and acceptance of God’s plan in their lives. Like Mary their daughter and their son in law Joseph, they heard the messenger of God and accepted, lovingly, the role God had chosen for their family.

In today’s Gospel from St. Matthew we hear the Lord tell the disciples “…blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear”. That ability, to see God’s plan for us and hear the Lord’s response to our prayer is what we ask for today. For us, life is God’s parable and it is up to us to see in it the messages he places in it for us. Like Joachim and Anne, we must see and understand if we are to fulfill God’s plan for us.

Pax

[1] The first painting is St. Anne, by Albrecht Durer
[2] The second painting is The Annunciation to Joachim by Bartol O DiFredi, 1383
[3] After Links to the Readings Expire

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