Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(Sirach 44:1, 10-15, Matthew 13:16-17)
“Now will I praise those godly men, our ancestors, each in his own time” (Si. 44:1). Today, the Church encourages us to remember our ancestors. Our identity is wrapped up in the lives of the people who have gone before us. By celebrating the parents of Mary, we insert our faith journey into a context of living faith, faith that is passed down from one generation to another. We have only to recall this passage from the Book of Deuteronomy. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be in your hearts. Impress them on your children” (Deut. 6: 4-7). Thanks to the fidelity of our ancestors, we have come to know the love and fidelity of God. By recalling the hands that caressed us and the arms that carried us we can find consolation in moments of discouragement, a light to guide us, and courage to face future challenges.
In his first letter, Saint Peter wrote: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, as a result, you can declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Pet. 2:9). Our ancestors are sources of richness and connect us with our roots. We are the heirs of a marvelous heritage that has been handed down to us by past generations. Jesus learned at the knees of Mary, what she was taught by her mother, what she inherited from her mother before her. Homeschooling has an ancient pedigree. Today’s celebration is a reminder that faith is homegrown. Gathered around the kitchen table, the family altar, we are nourished with the bread lovingly baked, and words lovingly spoken. It is there that we learn to graciously receive what has been offered and to share with others what we have received.
Within the family of God, there is a bond that unites the young and the old. I was touched by what Pope Francis had to say. “The Lord trusts that young people, through their relationships with the elderly, will realize that they are called to cultivate memory and recognize the beauty of being part of a much larger history. Friendship with an older person can help the young to see life not only in terms of the present and realize that not everything depends on them and their abilities. For the elderly, the presence of a young person in their lives can give them hope that their experience will not be lost and that their dreams can find fulfillment.”
All who partake of the One Bread and the One Cup have become one family. Having been fed by the Bread of Life, we are called to become bread blessed and broken for others. The Eternal Word became man to show us how to accompany one another on our pilgrimage of life. To think that a simple crust of bread in the hands of the Lord becomes a banquet for those who believe. The passage from Saint Luke’s gospel is fulfilled in our hearing. “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him” (Lk. 24: 30-31). Jesus turns his loving gaze toward us as we gaze upon him. As he did to his disciples of old, he says to us: “Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear” (Mat 13:16). May Joachim and Anne intercede for us that we may cherish the history that gave us life and may build a history that gives life.
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