Saints Joachim and Anne

Matthew 13:10-17

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Joachim and St. Ann. Even though the scriptures tell us nothing about Joachim and Ann, their holiness is inferred from Mary who was steadfast in her faith and who was a woman of prayer and religious devotion. Mary’s family love for Jesus and Joseph reflect her own growing up in a loving family. How often we say that children reflect their parents. Mary’s parents, whose feast we celebrate today, represent all those who live their faith day-by-day and establish an atmosphere for the coming of Christ into our world. May our lives be filled with wonder and expectation – to meet the Lord in all we do today.