17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
World Day of Grandparents
July 26 is the Feast of Saints Joachim & Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and therefore the grandparents of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Scriptures are silent on whether they were still living during any or all of Jesus’ life. But given that Mary was engaged to Joseph, and that would typically have been arranged in part by Joachim, they likely had the honor & blessing of knowing of Mary’s pregnancy and perhaps meeting Jesus (maybe more so, after Joseph & Mary returned from Egypt and settled in Nazareth.) Can you imagine Anne’s worry & concern at her daughter’s situation? Her journey with Joseph to Bethlehem to be enrolled in the Census? The long delay when they did not return immediately, especially after word of the slaughter of innocence by King Herod reached her ears. Joachim too would have been worried about the plight of his precious daughter. To what extent they had an active role in Jesus’ life day to day is mere speculation. But they did influence His holy life & ministry, by virtue of their influence, parenting, and love of Jesus’ mother Mary when she was young. It is a comforting thought to think of them praying for, if not actively supporting, Mary and Jesus and Joseph in their early years as a Holy Family. Grandparents can still play that important and vital role today.
Pope Francis wrote: “I would invite you to make a concrete gesture that would include grandparents and the elderly. Let us not abandon them. Their presence in families and communities is a precious one, for it reminds us that we share the same heritage and are part of a people committed to preserving its roots. From the elderly we received the gift of belonging to God’s holy people. The Church, as well as society, needs them, for they entrust to the present the past that is needed to build the future. Let us honor them, neither depriving ourselves of their company nor depriving them of ours. May we never allow the elderly to be cast aside! The World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly is meant to be a small but precious sign of hope for them and for the whole Church.”
In this Jubilee Year of Hope, if they are still living, perhaps you should consider a pilgrimage to your Grandparents. Visit with them. Acknowledge them. Thank them. Support them. Love them. We are who we are by virtue of numerous influences, factors, and people. Certainly among those influential people is our grandparents, living or dead. Our Grandparents are vital in you becoming you. Pray for them today.
I know this is true for myself. My grandparents have all passed on to the Lord. At the left are my mom’s parents on their wedding day. At right are my dad’s parents about 5 years before my grandfather passed away. My paternal grandfather was influential in my becoming a priest. He himself studied at St Meinrad for the priesthood, before serious health issues sent him home and eventually on to work in the world. He prayed & actively supported priestly vocations all his life. His wife, my grandmother, must have prayed a million Rosaries (no exaggeration!), and among her intentions were her grandchildren & holy priests. Living in Indy, I spent substantially more time with my mom’s parents. I learned from them the joy of family closeness, sharing stories, patience & forgiveness, love & tenderness. As well as my love of the outdoors. One of our most common ‘vacations’ was long weekends at my grandparent’s cabin outside Nashville, IN, where I’d spend the days hiking, creek stomping, and getting dirty… after I’d finished helping grandpa with any cabin chores! Good memories all, for which I am grateful. Grandparents, who helped make me, me.
Nothing Less than saints for the Holy Family of God.
Holy Family, Supported by Holy Grandparents Joachim & Anne, Pray for us.
~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries
