This past Friday, July 26, we celebrated the feast day of Saints Anne & Joachim, Mary’s parents - and so the grandparents of Our Lord. There is a tradition that says they were unable to conceive for a very long time in their marriage. Like holy Abraham and Sarah (and others in Israel’s history) they kept faith in God and continued to pray for a child of their own.

We can imagine them being very kind to the many children and vulnerable of their village in Galilee - and overjoyed when Anne realized she was pregnant. Of course, we know that the baby growing in her womb had been immaculately conceived “by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race…” (Bl. Pope Pius IX, 1854)

In time, this little girl, Mary, who was the first ever to have been conceived without original sin was visited by the Archangel Gabriel and said yes to the Divine will that she would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and her baby boy would be the Son of God and save the world. (In response to the now famous Christmas song, YES MARY KNEW!)

Anne and Joachim are not revealed to us in the Sacred Scripture like the Annunciation is but I think we all trust that the traditions about them are true and so they serve as wonderful examples and patron saints for parents, couples praying to conceive, and grandparents.

It’s this last group I hope we’ll pray for and celebrate this week. There are many sayings - two of my favorites are “If Mom says no, ask Grandma. If Grandma says no… Who are we kidding? Grandma never says no” and “Grandchildren are God’s reward for putting up with your children.” I hope we can all look to our own grandparents with fondness and that any grandparents reading this are enjoying some fun and joy in your time with your grandkids.

It’s often the case that religious traditions, family memories and character traits are shared down through the generations by grandmas and grandpas. My mom often shared how she learned to bake and sew from her grandmother. My sisters and I learned devotions to St. Jude and St. Gerard from Grandma Pat.

Take a moment this week with your family to share what traditions you’ve received from your grandparents and great-grandparents. Ask your children what they’ve learned from theirs. If your grandma and grandpa are still alive on earth let them know what you shared. If they’ve gone home to the Lord, perhaps you can visit their graves or say a prayer as a family and thank them - all through the intercession of Jesus’ grandparents Anne & Joachim. May God bless all the grandparents in our parish!

Remember that the family that prays together, stays together! That works over the generations too….

Have a great week, stay cool and stay close to Jesus,

Fr. David

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