From the Pastor:
This Wednesday the Church celebrates the feast day of Saints Joachim and Anne. They are the parents of the Virgin Mary, who would become the mother of Jesus. In the image below, St. Anne is shown holding Mary in one arm and the Sacred Scriptures in the other arm. The visual words at the top of the image are “Anna, Mater BMV” which translate as “Anna, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” The image is of a mosaic on the ceiling of the lower church in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. If you have never been there, it is worth visiting. (Maybe we’ll make a tri-parish pilgrimage there!)
What is of particular importance in this image is what Anne is doing. She is teaching her daughter about God through the writings of the Old Testament. Parents need to see themselves as teachers of their children just like school teachers. Parents are the first and most important teachers of their children. Here in this image, we see that Anne was critically important to whom Mary would later become. As a young child, Mary already begins to know and love the Lord because of her parents, Joachim and Anne.
In this regard, Pope Francis said the following (emphasis added): “In their home, Mary came into the world, accompanied by the extraordinary mystery of the Immaculate Conception. Mary grew up in the home of Joachim and Anne. She was surrounded by their love and faith. In their home she learned to listen to the Lord and to follow His will. Saints Joachim and Anne were part of a long chain of people who had transmitted their faith and love for God, expressed in the warmth and love of family life, down to Mary, who received the Son of God in her womb and who gave him to the world, to us. How precious is the family as the privileged place for transmitting the faith!”
Parents sometimes don’t think they have the ability to teach their children about the Catholic Faith. They need to be encouraged, as they are fully capable of doing so. This type of teaching begins with love and respect of God and His commandments just as we are to love and respect our neighbor. Love of God is first. Parents themselves are learning about the Faith as they seek to teach it to their children. Each day parents should devote 30 minutes to praying with their children and teaching the Catholic Faith. Worldly knowledge is important but only knowing and living the Faith will get you to heaven!
Sts. Joachim and Anne, pray for us!
Fr. Miller