Thanks be to God for Saints Joachim and Anne!

Times, they're always a'changin', but whether you like to keep up with them or hearken back to the older traditions, either way you gotta admit that Saints Joachim and Anne are the cat's pajamas!

I've only been discovering them in recent years, but how wonderful they are, and how much there is to muse on when we consider their life and the miracles that surrounded them. You don't have to know much (and believe me, I don't!) but can simply start with this:

Joachim and Anne are the parents of Mary who was conceived without sin.
Mary is the Virgin Mother of Jesus, the Incarnate Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
To put it more simply, as they did at Ephesus, Mary is the Mother of God.
Without worrying about which type of syllogism this is, we can say conclusively from the above:
Joachim and Anne are the grandparents of God!

Above you can see a photo of St. Anne teaching Mary how to read while Joachim looks on proudly and the angels hover about in awe.

And below? I couldn't resist finding a picture (thank you, Getty Images) to illustrate the truth I so happily discovered in my morning prayer (from the Divine Office):

"The saints will exult in glory: they will sing for joy as they bow down before the Lord. Alleluia!"

As I didn't have a photo of Joachim pretending to be a lion while he play-bowed down before his sweet grandson Jesus, I had to settle for this Getty Image which pictures a grandfather kneeling before his grandson while playing blocks. I bet Jesus had a fabulous set of wooden blocks thanks to St. Joseph's ability and love for Him! And can't you guess that Grandpa Joachim would have spent time on the floor, kneeling before his Lord (Who was also his grandson!), playing with the blocks and the Boy? Marcel is delighting in the possible Vietnamese look of these two in the photo, and so am I!

Today we celebrate the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne in the new calendar. I looked up their feasts in the old missal (1962) and discovered that Joachim was separated from Anne, or rather his feast was apart, perhaps so that we could really revel in their privileges - twice! St. Anne was celebrated on this day, July 26, but here is what we find in the explanation for St. Joachim's feast on August 16:

St. Joachim. Confessor, Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The holy Patriarch Joachim was the husband of St. Anne, and the father of Our Lady. This feast, originally kept on March 20, was transferred to the day following the Assumption, in order to associate the Blessed Daughter and her holy father in triumph.

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I love being reminded that nothing stays the same on this earth, not feasts, and I suppose not famines, despite the constant recurrence of both! I love that St. Joachim and St. Anne have been reunited in one feast, even as I lament that when we come to St. Martha in a few days time, we've now got her sis and bro, Mary and Lazarus, tacked on.

​And yet why should I resent their seeming intrusion? Don't I want the octave day of St. Mary Magdalene to remind us that she who chose the better part was lovingly fed and clothed by her sister Martha-Martha and her brother Lazarus? Don't I want to have another day to recall Bethany, their home, the home they so generously shared with Jesus whenever He came to town? Isn't it awesome that each of these three siblings has a special moment (or several) with Jesus - that He had a particular relationship with each one, and we need to remember them all: All three of the sibs, and as many of the moments as we can cram into the liturgy of these days?

I suppose I'm jealous for Martha-Martha, wanting to give her a day all for herself, a day when she, in perfect Martha fashion, can come to the fore and . . . put up her feet and be feted? That was never her way! My guess is that she much prefers the new combo-pack feast of July 29 so that she can have more of an occasion on which to serve serenely (for I'm sure she learned her lesson just as Emma did - both of these amazing gals, one real and one as true to human nature as the great Jane could make her, learning their lesson with just one scolding from their heroes).

I am grateful for the many liturgical calendars that grace my kitchen countertop, and whether I'm celebrating with the Universal Church in the ordinary or extraordinary calendar, the Carmelites, or the French (thanks to the Sanctuary of Lisieux I can stay on top of Therese's dates and various French feasts along with the rest), there is always more to celebrate.

Dear Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and grandparents of Jesus, our Divine Savior, have pity on thy loving and trusting clients, and listen to the petitions which we present before thee.

Oh, blessed Saints, thou art both most dear to the Heart of Jesus, Whose beloved Mother was thy own tender, devoted child! Can He refuse anything to thee, in whose veins the same blood flowed which afterwards furnished the precious price of our Redemption? Great Saints, nothing was impossible to thy power and influence over the young Jesus "Who grew and waxed strong, full of wisdom" under the maternal care of thy glorious Daughter. In mercy and compassion, be like unto Him "Who went about doing good," and come to the aid of thy servants in our great necessity!

Saint Anne, Saint Joachim, beloved parents of Mary, "our life, our sweetness and our hope," pray to her for us and obtain our requests. Amen.

Draw me, we will run!