Sts. Joachim & Anne (1st century BC)

Christ’s grandparents are an inspiration to all Christians, particularly parents and grandparents . . .

Feast Day: July 26
Patron of parents, grandparents

Joachim and Ann are the maternal grandparents of Jesus Christ. While nothing appears about them in sacred scripture, history shows us that the first Christians had an interest in and devotion to Jesus’ biological family. Joachim and Ann were honored from very early in Christian history, especially by the Greeks.

Tradition holds that the couple lived in Galilee and later moved to Jerusalem where Mary was born and raised. Very little else has been passed down to us about them, but it’s safe to assume that Mary’s parents were holy people, appropriate patron saints for Christian parents and grandparents. We can know this by looking at Mary’s faith.

Mary’s faith could move mountains. She surrendered her life utterly to God when she said “Yes” to the Archangel Gabriel. She continued that fiat all the way to the foot of the cross and beyond.

Such amazing faith doesn’t come out of nowhere. Pope John Paul II called parents the “first heralds of the Gospel” to their children (Familiaris Consortio, #39). The family is where children learn what love is and what their worth is as human beings. It’s where children are to get their first glimpse of the Heavenly Father’s love in their parents’ faces. It’s safe to say that Mary learned these things from Joachim and Ann.

The fact that so little is known about the people who inspired Mary’s faith makes them even more fitting patrons. Author Nicole Johnson points out that Europe’s great cathedral builders didn’t live to see their works completed. Yet without their unsung, daily sacrifices, we wouldn’t have those cathedrals today. So it is with these patrons of moms and dads — and with all parents who strive and sacrifice daily to build something more lasting than cathedrals.

This column is produced for Legatus by the Dead Theologians Society, a Catholic apostolate for high school age teens and college age young adults. On the web: deadtheologianssociety.com