Sts. Joachim and Anne

 Sts. Joachim and Anne according to old traditions are considered to be the parents of Mary. However the gospel writers give no indications about this in their writings. The proto Gospel of James which is no way should be trusted names the parents of Mary as Anna or Hanna which means “grace” – and Joachim, which meant “Yahweh saves”. According to the legend, after long years of having no child, an angel of the Lord appeared to convey to Anne and Joachim that they would have a child, Anne promised that if this were to be true she would honour God by dedicating this child to Him.

      St. Anne is glorious among the other saints because of the simple fact that the Immaculate Conception was conceived in her womb. In other words, she became the mother who bore the mother of God. To this effort St. John Damascus says “For she who was to be born had to be a 1^st born daughter, since she would be the mother of the 1^st born of all creation; in whom all things are held together” St. Anne is the patronesses of Britanny in France which is a Land of sailors. The ancient shrines of St. Anne in Jerusalem and in Apt, France still exist today.   

         Sts. Joachim and Anne come across to us as perfect role models for Christian parents, this is clear to us by the fact that they brought Mary to the temple at the age of 3 to dedicate her to the service of God. They did this in fulfillment of Annes promise. Earlier 26^th of July was observed only as St. Anne’s day until in recent times when it has come to be observed as parents’ day. The striking fact is that both of them nurtured Mary, taught and brought her up to be a worthy Mother of God. It was their example of parenting that helped Mary bring up her own son, Jesus. They also put seeds of courage and strength which helped her to stand by the cross of her Son.

        This feast is of great significance in the sense that it gives 2 reminders; namely to parents and to children. Parents and grandparents are reminded of the goodness of Sts. Joachim and Anne and are expected to be like them. On the other hand children and the young are reminded of the responsibilities that their elders have. They are expected to respect them and put into practice what their elders tell them.