Saint Anne and Saint Joachim

Today is the Feast Day of Saints Anne and Joachim, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They nurtured Mary, taught her and brought her up to be the worthy Mother of God. It was their teaching that led her to respond to God's request with faith, "Let it be done to me according to Your Will." It was their example of parenting that Mary must have followed as she brought up her own Son, Jesus. It was their faith that laid the foundation of courage and strength that allowed her to stand at the foot of the cross as her Son was crucified. Such parents are examples and models for all parents.

In the Scriptures, Matthew and Luke traced ancestry to show that Jesus is the culmination of great promises. The heroism and holiness of the parents of Mary established the whole family atmosphere around her in the Scriptures. We see in her a fulfillment of many generations of prayerful persons, herself steeped in the religious traditions of her people.

The strong character of Mary in making decisions, her continuous practice of prayer, her devotion to the laws of her faith, her steadiness at moments of crisis, and her devotion to her relatives, all indicate a close-knit, loving family. Saints Joachim and Anne faithfully performed their duties and practiced their faith quietly.

Saint Anne is the patron saint of mothers, grandmothers and pregnant women. Devotion to her was the beginning of this prayer ministry. The novena to Saint Anne had a powerful impact on the pregnancy and birth of Lily Grace because of a community of people who were praying the novena to her that this precious baby would have abundant life. The prayers were answered in the gift of this child who brings love and joy to everyone she meets.

"Joachim and Ann, how blessed and spotless a couple! You will be known by the fruit you have born, as the Lord says: By their fruits you will know them. The conduct of your life pleased God and was worthy of your daughter. For by the chaste and holy life you led together, you have fashioned a jewel of virginity: she who remained a virgin before, during and after giving birth. She alone for all time would maintain her virginity in mind and soul as well as in body." Saint John Damascene, Early Church Father and Doctor of the Church

Good Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, pray for us.