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Saints Joachim and Anne

Saints Joachim and Anne: Feast Day July 26th

Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus had grandparents? When God the Son took on human flesh, he also paced himself within the dynamics of the human family. Although there is no specific reference in the Bible to the Blessed Virgin Mary’s parents by name, the Church celebrates Jesus' maternal grandparents under the names Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. It took a special father and mother to raise, care for, and help prepare the Blessed Virgin Mary for her future vocation and extraordinary relationship with God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and her saintly husband, Saint Joseph; and those special parents were no doubt saints themselves. Speaking of Saint Joseph, his parents would also have been grandparents of the Lord. Celebrating Jesus' grandparents today, reminds us that grandparents are the keepers and transmitters of family history and tradition, and are the patriarchs and matriarchs of families, holding generations together. Christ not only learned, embraced, and had his human needs met by the human family of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, but also from his grandparents. Watching his mother and father being respectful and obedient to his grandparents, Jesus must have smiled as He was reminded of His own obedience to God the Father. In a modern society that often concerns itself with the new, young, fashionable, and disposable, grandparents tend to be seen as "old, outdated, not in tune with the times, and even burdensome." Grandparents are a family's treasures! They bridge the old with the new when they pass on their knowledge to their grandchildren. They've lived in various generations/times and have seen what's good and bad in both, and as they grow older, needing more help from their children and family members, they teach younger generations to care, make sacrifices, serve, and be selfless; virtues that help raise up and mold future saints. Spend time with your grandparents today. Call them if they live far away. Pray for all grandparents if yours are no longer living, and see the treasures and wisdom that grandparents and older generations bear.       

Celebrating with Food:

When I think about visiting my grandparents as a kid, not only do I reminisce about all the fun times I had, but I also think about all the yummy sweet treats I got to eat. My Grampy and Grammy used to have jars of candy on their counter that my siblings and I could munch on, and my Great Grandma had a kitchen draw stuffed with "Little Debbie" treats and a jarful of licorice. Today, I like to think that when Jesus spent time with his grandparents he would get to eat some kind of tasty treat. Since Saints Joachim and Anne were Jewish, and passed on the Jewish faith and traditions to Jesus, make cheese blintzes, a sweet breakfast crepe, using this recipe from the website, “My Jewish Learning.” If your grandparents live nearby, you can even invite them over to share your meal. 


Celebrating with a Crafts/Activities:

1. If you can spend time with your grandparents today, spend time with them and visit and talk. Ask them what kind of faith traditions they remember as a kid, and ask them to tell you stories about your parents when they were kids. 

2. Record some of the stories and traditions they tell you, so that you will have an audio record of their voice and wisdom to share with even more future generations.

3. If your grandparents live far away, call them and talk to them. Have your children draw pictures and/or write letters to them and send them in the mail. 

4. Make a family tree. Go back in your family's history, as far as you can, adding grandparents, great- grandparents, and great-great grandparents. Thank God for the family and generations of family you have been blessed with. 

(I tried to make a family tree that shows with Jesus’ birth we, and all of humanity, have been added to God’s family tree as adopted sons and daughters of Christ)

Celebrating with Prayer:

Saints Joachim and Anne, please pray for all grandparents, especially (list your grandparents names), that they may be blessed for all they do for our family. Please pray that they will continue to share their faith, wisdom, and knowledge with future generations, and that their children, grandchildren, and society will treasure them and see the value they possess—they are the glue that hold generations together. Grandparents of our Lord and Savior, pray for us! Amen.


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