The Solemn feast of St. ANNE and ST. JOACHIM spouse of St. Anne is celebrated on 26th July. However some Churches celebrate the feast on the Sunday preceding 26th. In Goa we have many Churches and Chapels dedicated to St. Anne and St. Joachim and even one village is named SANTANA.
26th July is a very important date in the Catholic Calendar. wherein we celebrate the feast of St. Anne mother of Blessed Mother Mary and grandmother of Jesus. More recently we began to celebrate the feast of St. Joachim, husband of St. Anne and grandfather of Jesus.
Being the grandparents of Jesus, this day is celebrated as grandparents day to commemorate the in exemplary ways in upbringing of their child Mary. St. Anne and St. Joachim have played a very important role in the life of Jesus.
There is not much mention in the Bible about the life of these two great Saints. However the Gospel of James and other relevant holy books do mention about these two saints and we know about them as history recorded it and down the generations it has been told to us in the preachings and teachings.
St. Anne also Hannah in Hebrew was the Mother of Many. She married Joachim who was 42years old while she was 24 years old. They had no children for a very long time and they had passed the age of bearing children. But both of them never lost hope and continued praying to God and pleaded with Him.
St. Joachim too prayed for this favour, as he suffered because he was reproached and was not allowed to guard the doors of the Holy temple. As he could not bear a child, he went in the desert and fasted and prayed for 40 days.
St. Anne prayed to God to answer her prayer. One day as she was praying an Angel appeared to her and said “Anna, the Lord has heard your prayer. You shall conceive and bring forth a child which will be spoken of, in all the world”. Anna replied ‘As the lord gives me, whether a boy or a girl, I will bring it as a gift from God and shall minister in holy things all the days of life’ and thus Anna became the mother of Blessed Virgin Mary.
As St. Joachim was praying he was also told that Anna would conceive and this child would be the Mother of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
When Mary was three years old St. Anne and St. Joachim took her to the Temple, and she walked through the steps and went into the inner sanctuary.
St. Anne and St. Joachim humbly adored the divine will and allowed her to learn the scriptures as she desired.
St. Anne and St. Joachim are an example for all generations to come as Grandparents ought to be. They nurtured and tutored their child Mother Mary as an example chosen by God Himself to be the mother of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
The Grandparents day that we celebrate on this day, is to ascertain the values that we have inculcated in our children who have or are Mothers and Fathers of their children, and find it difficult in this present worldly situations. They have to find out and use the values they have inherited from their parents and incorporate them in their children. Thus everything will be good at all times.
Wishing you all a very happy feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne, our exemplary Grandparents in whom we can find recourse.
Rosarito Coelho.