26TH JULY 2022
FEAST OF ST. ANNE AND JOACHIM
Today the holy mother church celebrates a special Feast day which has come to be identified with Grandparents Day – the Feast of the parents of Our Lady and the grandparents of Jesus himself.
One of the developmental tasks of childhood, teenager and young adulthood is discovering and affirming one’s identity. What defines one’s identity – family ties, religious experience, a sense of vocation, a personal creed, or one’s dreams and ideals? Jesus found his identity by affirming his relationship with God. You know the story of the dialogue which took place between Jesus and his mother when he was found in the Temple speaking with the doctors of the law. You can well imagine that the concern which was experienced by Mary and Joseph would also have been shared by St. Anne and St. Joachim.
Pope Francis has quite frequently indicated the important role which his grandparents and particularly his grandmother had in helping to form his life. He acknowledges that he learned his first prayers from her. You can well imagine that Jesus would have learned of the Psalms from both Our Lady and St. Joseph but also from St. Anne and St. Joachim.
Today, thanks to the wonderful feast that we celebrate, the role of grandparents is being highlighted and appreciated.
On this special Feast day let us congratulate all the grandparents and acknowledge the wonderful work they are doing in terms of the human formation of our grandchildren and the way in which you are ambassadors for Jesus Christ in this most urgent form of evangelisation as the young are introduced to God as a loving Father and to Mary as a caring mother. When these essentials of our Christian faith are put in context then the young are provided with a solid foundation on which the building of character and responsibility will follow in the future. On this Feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne we entrust all grandparents and grandchildren to their care and protection.
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