Sr Lini Sheeja MSC –
Introduction
On July 24, 2022, the Catholic Church celebrates its second annual World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. On 26 July we celebrate the feast of St Joachim and St Anne, the grandparents of Jesus and the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The only source of information we have about them is from the Apocryphal Gospel of St James. The Gospel of James is a 2nd century Infancy Gospel narrating about the miraculous conception of the Virgin Mary, her upbringing and marriage to Joseph, the journey of the holy couple to Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus, and the events immediately following. It is the earliest surviving assertion of the perpetual virginity of Mary, meaning her virginity not just prior to the birth of Jesus, but during and afterwards, which also became a widely influential source for Mariology.
Life as Total Dedication
Sts Joachim and Anne were very devout and followed the Commandments of God. They divided their possessions into three parts: the first part was for God, the second part for the poor and pilgrims whilst the third part was for themselves and their household. They were married for 20 years but didn’t have any children. St Joachim was ridiculed and hence retreated to the countryside. St Ann, grieved by her barrenness, solemnly promised God that if they were given a child, she would dedicate the child to the Lord’s service. Joachim and Anne received the vision of an Angel who announced that Anne would conceive and bear a most wondrous child whom they would name ‘Mary’.
Life as Consecration
In keeping with the commitment they had made to the Lord, Joachim and Anne consecrated the child to the temple when she was three years old – the child who was to become ‘Mary, Mother of God’. They would become the grandparents of the Messiah, although not much talked about. They were the instruments that God used to bring forth the spotless vessel Mary, the Mother of God, who would bring peace, hope and joy to the world.
Life as Complete Holiness
This saintly couple were parents to Mary and grandparents to Jesus. With such an amazing offspring, Joachim and Anne shared an extraordinary love. They have long been held up as exemplars for married couples, and in fact, they are one of the few married couple saints canonised in the Catholic Church. Not only did Joachim and Anne raise a sinless daughter, in course of time they would become the proud grandparents of a perfect grandson! Indeed Joachim and Anne performed their parenting responsibilities with grace.
Life as Silent Suffering
Sts Joachim and Anne were married for 20 years, but they were barren. One can imagine what life meant for them in those 20 years. Those days a couple without children were considered a curse and with children a blessing. The blessed couples looked down upon cursed couples. The grandparents of Jesus understood that God can work wonders in their silent life. Miracles happen in silence and in their silence God’s might became powerful. Joachim and Anne were greatly honoured by God for their silent suffering by granting them a daughter who was conceived without sin and was to become the Mother of God! Sts Joachim and Anne are very important in history because they paved the way to receive salvation that was to come through Jesus. It is from them that Mother Mary learned to ponder everything silently. When she saw her Son Jesus being brutally tortured, beaten, His clothes torn, crucified, given bitter vinegar to drink and His side pierced with a spear, she stood silently at the foot of the Cross saying “Let Thy will be done”. Jesus, our redeemer and Lord, whom she bore, said the same words, “Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit” (Lk 23:46)
Life as Total Yes to God
Sts. Joachim and Anne had kept their word to the Lord, and never forgot the promise they had made. They remembered with gratefulness the moments when God had looked upon them in their days of grieving. Saying yes to God’s will is the best decision one can ever make on this earth. Having realized God’s plan in their lives they moved on with faith and uttered ‘Yes’ in all aspects of their lives. With their life of yes to Mary, the Mother of God learned to say yes to God’s will as she said courageously and humbly bowing down, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). Jesus, the only Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary learned to accept suffering because his mother was in her turn born to parents who knew suffering and lived their lives in total dedication to God. His total surrender continued as Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want, but what you want” (Mt 26:39).
Festal Blessings
Can we bow to the Almighty in all walks of our lives and say, “Let Thy will be done”? As we celebrate ‘Grandparents Day’ remembering the grandparents of Jesus on 26 July, let the attitude of each of us be “I do not know what my future holds, but I know who holds it”. The Catholic Church remembers Sts Joachim and Ann as model parents. They are patrons of grandparents and infertile couple. Their feast day on July 26 is a day to honour them and all grandparents for their contribution to our lives.
When I was a child my grandmother used to put me on her lap and tell me many stories which still continue to echo in my mind. Today individual families living in flats have snatched away all these precious moments for today’s grandchildren. Children are brought up in circumstances where they do not appreciate the value of their grandparents. Can we get back to the older system wherein we learned the values of unity, love and care; and not merely money, fame and achievements?
For every grandparent their grandchildren are precious, but for how many grandchildren their grandparents are precious? Our grandparents had never asked our parents to place us in an orphanage. But today, we ask our parents to place our grandparents in old age homes. They have given love and care in abundance. In their moments of helplessness, they expect nothing but to be someone to them by being with them. Can we return the loan of love which we have received from them? Let us not forget our childhood and their old age. On July 24, 2022, the Catholic Church celebrates its second annual World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. Festal greetings and blessings of Sts Joachim and Anne and wish you all grandparents ‘Happy Grandparents Day!’
Sr Lini Sheeja MSC, belongs to the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. She worked as the team member of Child-line, BOSCO Bangalore. She served as the Chief-Editor for Prison Voice, a national monthly magazine and she authored a book named, Prison Ministry: The Dreamers’ Mission in which she invites the dreamers to join hands together to do wonders for the broken humanity.