Every July 26, the Catholic Church celebrates Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandparents of the Lord Jesus.
Through them, tradition helps us to be more aware of how valuable it is to be in contact with the ‘large family’ (grandparents, uncles, cousins, etc.) and, in particular, as Pope Francis says, of the importance of the grandparents with whom “intergenerational encounter and dialogue takes place… The concluding Document of Aparecida reminds us: “Children and the elderly build the future of the people. The children because they will carry the story forward, the elderly because they transmit the experience and wisdom of their lives” (n. 447)».
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The responsibility of being parents
Joaquín and Ana – patron saints of the grandparents – were people of deep faith and trust in the promises of God. Both educated the Virgin Mary in the faith of the People of Israel, nurturing in Her love for the Creator and contributing in a unique way to Our Mother being ready for her unique vocation.
It is through her parents that Mary joins that portion of the chosen people who await the arrival of the Savior of humanity, the Messiah.
The immense gift of being grandparents
Pope Benedict XVI, on this day in 2009, highlighted through the figures of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, the treasure that grandparents constitute within the family, especially in the educational aspect. The Pope said that grandparents “are repositories and often witnesses of the fundamental values of life.”
In 2013, Pope Francis, also on the occasion of this feast, celebrated within the framework of World Youth Day Rio 2013 (Brazil), highlighted that “the saints Joachim and Anne are part of that long chain that has transmitted the faith and the love of God, in the warmth of the family, even Mary, who welcomed the Son of God into her womb and gave him to the world, has given them to us. How precious is the value of the family, as a privileged place to transmit faith!”
Happy Saint Joachim and Saint Anne’s Day!
Happy grandparents day!
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If you want to know more about these saints, you can read the following article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/San_Joaquin.
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