July 27, 2008
Solemnity
of Sts. Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Virgin Mary
The Holy Year of Paul,
the Apostle
“The Kingdom of heaven
is like a treasure buried in a field, that a person finds and hides again, and
out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”—Matthew 13:44
Dear Friends;
Have
you ever watched the Antiques Road Show? The Antiques Road Show is a traveling
venue where people can find out from experts what various things they own or
inherited are. And they find out the values of those things. Often times they
may have little or no idea what an object is let alone its’ value.
Sometimes
these objects are treasured family heirlooms. Once in a while someone will find
out that their family heirloom which they thought had little value is worth a
tremendous amount of money. But it was something that they have kept because it
was in the family and has great sentimental value.
I
have often wondered if knowing the monetary value would they sell the heirloom
because they knew they could get cash for it? Or does it only bring a new level
of awareness to the meaning of that treasured object. Maybe in the end the
money makes no difference because the sentimental value makes the object priceless.
They would never part from it, “after all this belonged to grandma.”
Many
times people do not realize what a treasure is our faith. Often times it is an
object which many do not know the value. They only see it as an object from the
past with which they are not sure of its purpose. They do not know that it can
become a conduit that connects us to the power and love of God.
Our
Catholic Christian faith is a treasure trove of spirituality, discipline,
traditions, foods, cultures, community, beauty, truths, wisdom and family.
Catholicism is a kaleidoscope of faith’s practice and expression. But if we do
not investigate it we will never understand its value. It is just an old object
from the past; it is not connected to our daily life. I would encourage you to
find out more about your faith. Read a book. Attend a class (on Monday nights
at Family Faith Formation we have adult classes.) Join a bible study. But do not stop searching!
Today
we celebrate a treasure for our parish community, the Feast of Sts. Joachim and
Anne parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The feast day is July 26; however we
always celebrate it on the Sunday closest to that date. The story of Joachim
and Anne is not mentioned in the New Testament but comes to us from an early
Christian text called the Infancy Narrative of James from the second
century.
According
to the story, Joachim and Anne were a devout people; however they were
childless (seen as a great curse in biblical times). But like other faithful
souls of the bible God had made their barrenness a promise of hope. They were
to become the parents of Mary whose “yes” to God would allow the Savior to be
born among us. They would be the conscientious parents who would create a
climate rich in faith that would empower Mary to respond faithfully to God’s
invitation. They also would be the human grandparents of Jesus.
The
story of Joachim and Anne reminds us that God has chosen to become one with our
human family and all our individual families. This story emphasizes the reality
of the Incarnation. Jesus was born as truly human in a real live family. And
what family does not need the wise experience of their faith-filled elders. We
need to respect and value the treasure that is our elders. Today we bless all
our grandparents living and deceased.
Sts
Joachim and Anne pray for us!
Fr. Ron