Grandparents

On July 26, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the feast of  Saints Joachim and Anne.

The scriptures for the day are Exodus 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28 and Matthew 13:36-43.

Following is an unedited homily submitted to the Diocese of Saginaw for their homily resources. Reprinted with permission.

On July 26, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne. They were the parents of Mary of Nazareth, the mother of Jesus. Naturally, then, they were the grandparents of Jesus. There is always a special quality in grandparents. Very often the characteristics of the grandparents can be seen in the future family line. The Scriptures do not tell us much about Joachim and Anne but we can imagine that they must have been people dedicated to God, living in kindness and justice and providing a welcome home for their family and visitors. We see these qualities and gifts in Mary and in Jesus and we can be sure they existed first, in Joachim and Anne.

In the reading from Exodus, Moses goes to the meeting tent to consult the Lord. All the people in the camp acknowledge that this tent is a special place for Divine and human interaction. To indicate the experience of God's presence, a cloud stands at the entrance of the tent. In the tent, Moses and God speak face to face. Forty days after this experience, Moses writes the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

Another "meeting tent" appears in the New Testament. Mary, overshadowed by an angel, becomes a meeting place for God and humanity. Mary, through prayer, speaks with God, gives birth to the God-Man who gives the new law of love and justice to all who will follow him. Mary is the fruit of the good seed and the fruit of her parents and she gives to us, the fruit of her union with God. The divine seed of goodness and love is communicated from God through humanity to produce healing and kindness on earth.

We are called to shine like the sun in God's Kingdom. Today might be a graced day for us to reflect on the seeds of goodness that have come to us through parents, grandparents, and the long line of those who have shaped our lives today.

Rosemarie Greco, DW