Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today is the memorial of St. Anne and St. Joachim, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. While they are not mentioned directly in the New Testament, from early on, the Christian community has transmitted many elements of their lives. One of these is the fact that St. Anne taught the Virgin Mary how to read. You’ll see it represented in many paintings and statues: Mary as a little girl holding a book open, St. Anne instructing her, and sometimes, St. Joachim proudly looking on.
“The seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold,” says Jesus. How beautiful to think that Mary’s understanding of the word that she heard came from the knowledge that her mother imparted upon her. Today, we can think of all those that came before us, that have shared the Word, that have helped our understanding in ways that we know and in ways that we may never know.
St. Anne and St. Joachim, pray for us!