Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

WEDNESDAY, March 30TH    Jn. 5:17-30   Verse before the Gospel   “I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord; whoever believes in me will never die.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church:

1324: The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” “The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.”

Quotes from St. Maximilian Kolbe:

“God dwells in our midst, in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar.”

“He remains among us until the end of the world. He dwells on so many altars, though so often offended and profaned.”

“The culmination of the Mass is not the consecration, but Communion.”

“Lord, you come to me and unite Yourself intimately to me under the form of nourishment. Your Blood now runs in mine, Your Soul, Incarnate God, compenetrates mine, giving courage and support. What miracles! Who would have ever imagined such!”

“If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion.”

BREAD OF LIFE AND THE GATE TO OUR SALVATION by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

PRINCIPLE AND FOUNDATION.  St. Ignatius of Loyola gives us his fundamental and essential reflection on the purpose of our existence in “Principle and Foundation (#23 Spiritual Exercises): “Man is created to praise God, reverence God, serve God and by means of that to save his soul.” Put succinctly: Man is to praise the Triune God and to save his immortal soul.

This being the case, we should utilize the most efficacious means to arrive at our eternal salvation—that is to say: to get to heaven. Take this analogy: means of transportation. If you wanted to travel from Los Angeles to New York, you could use various means of transportation: walk, skateboard, bike, car, Jet-Plane. Obviously, the Jet-Plane is the quickest and most efficacious means of transportation. Therefore, if we are seeking the quickest and most efficacious means to wing our way to heaven, Jesus gave us the Bread of Life Discourse. (Jn 6:25-59)

Jesus teaches with utmost clarity that for us to live we must eat, we must nourish ourselves, but most especially, nourish our immortal souls. Jesus teaches: “I am the Bread of life. Whoever eats my Body and drinks my Blood will have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day.” (Jn 6:35, 56) Jesus repeats this message time and time again emphasizing the supreme importance of this gesture.

MEANING.  Let us spell out the meaning with great clarity. For us to attain and live out Principle and Foundation and achieve eternal salvation, we must go to Mass, participate in Holy Mass, and receive Jesus, the Bread of Life faithfully, frequently and fervently.

SACRAMENTAL THEOLOGY: DISPOSITIVE GRACE.  Sacramental Theology teaches clearly that the Eucharist is God and has infinite value and grace because it is Jesus Himself. However, the graces received by each individual person depends upon their disposition of soul. Such that one could even be receiving the Body of Christ to the detriment of their soul or even to their own condemnation as expressed in the Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians. (1Cor 11:17-34)

Therefore, let us offer a few concrete suggestions to help us during the course of our lives to upgrade our reception of Holy Communion. Let us always strive to receive Jesus, the Bread of Life, with greater faith, fervor and frequency such that Holy Communion will transform us into saints; in the words of St. Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Gal 2:20)

CONCRETE PRACTICES TO IMPROVE OUR RECEPTION OF HOLY COMMUNION

1. CONFESSION.  If we clean our windows with WINDEX, then the light of the sun can penetrate and permeate with light the whole room. So it is with our soul; the cleaner and more pure the soul, the more abundant will be the light, peace and joy that will inundate our souls upon the reception of Holy Communion. Make good confessions and your Communions will become more fruitful.

2. COME EARLY BEFORE MASS.  None of us would arrive late for a World Series game, a Graduation Ceremony, or to receive the winnings of a Lotto ticket of ten million dollars. But we can easily slip and slide into Mass five to ten minutes late. By doing so we disturb the Mass, the priest, and we will ourselves will be distracted the whole Mass.

3. INTENTIONS.  The Parish priest has his intention for the Mass—a living or deceased person in a family. However, you can offer your own intentions in every Mass. In theology, this is called living out the Common Priesthood of the faithful. The book of Hebrews in the Bible defines the priest as the person who goes before God and offers gifts and sacrifices in reparation for sins. What are some intentions you might offer? Limitless! However, three could be very pleasing to God.

a) THE DECEASED/ THE SOULS IN PURGATORY. The souls in Purgatory are saved. However, they need our prayers, sacrifices, and especially Masses and Communions to purify their souls so they can have access to heaven. Then, in gratitude, they will pray for you!

b) CONVERSION OF SINNERS (FAMILY MEMBERS). We all have in mind many of our loved ones who have drifted away from God and whose eternal salvation is in jeopardy. Offer up your Masses and Holy Communions so that these lost sheep, these prodigal sons and daughters will return.

c) PERSONAL HEART-TRANSPLANT.  We are all in need of our own personal conversion. Why not, upon receiving Holy Communion, beg for a transformation of your life. Let Holy Communion become your own personal Heart-transplant. No better way to become like Jesus than to receive Him into your very heart in Holy Communion.

4. RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION THROUGH THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY.  St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta offers this prayer: “Immaculate Heart of Mary, give me your Heart, so that I can love more fully the Heart of Jesus.” If we receive Holy Communion through the Heart of Mary, then Jesus will be received with the best of dispositions and with great love.

5. THANKSGIVING.  When invited to a meal, we do not eat and run. That would be rude. Rather, we stay, we linger for not only do we enjoy the food, but even more the company! Likewise, the Eucharist is the Sacrifice of Calvary renewed, but also the Eucharist is in the context of a Sacred Meal. After Mass, spend some time in thanksgiving. Actually, the word Eucharist means Thanksgiving. In the words of the Psalmist: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His mercy endures forever.” (Ps 136:1) Spend quality time thanking, praising, worshiping, and loving the Lord. These moments after receiving Holy Communion are the most precious in all of our days until our next Holy Communion!

A MODEL FOR US.  St. Charbel Makhlouf who was a Lebanese Maronite monk can serve as a model and powerful example for us. This holy man of God knew the source and summit of his holiness: Mass and Holy Communion. In his monastery, St. Charbel was given permission to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at 12 noon. The reason for this midday Mass? St. Charbel ardently desired to spend all of the morning in preparation for Holy Mass; then after Mass and Holy Communion, he strove to spend the rest of the day, evening and night—in praising and thanking Jesus for Mass and Holy Communion.

Let us all starting now make a concerted effort to prepare our hearts for Mass, to participate fully, actively and consciously in Mass, and make excellent thanksgivings after Mass. If done, Jesus’ promise is sublime: eternal life! Jesus, the Bread of Life and our Savior and Redeemer, stated unequivocally: “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever eats my Body and drinks my Blood will have eternal life and I will raise Him up on the last day.” (Jn 6:35, 58) Let us not walk, skateboard, bike, or even drive on our way to eternal life. Let us soar and sky-rocket our way through the clouds by frequent, faith-filled, fiery and fervent receptions of Holy Communion—Jesus, the Bread of Life!

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

TUESDAY, March 29TH    Jn. 5:1-16   Verse before the Gospel:  “O God, give me back the joy of your salvation.”

Lent is a time of purification, a time of relinquishing bad and sinful habits so that we can experience again the joy of the Lord’s salvation. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Lk 6:45) Today, Fr. Ed gives us a meditation on taming our tongue! Let us beg for the grace to speak only to praise God, accuse ourselves, and edify others!

TAMING THE TONGUE: 10 FATAL ABUSES OF SPEECH by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Saint James warns us that we should be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry”. (Jas 1:19) Thomas a Kempis in his classic The Imitation of Christ asserts that few ever regretted having refrained from speaking. On the other hand, many have regretted opening their mouths when they should have kept them shut! Still more, Jesus warns us that every word that comes forth from our mouth will be judged, for “From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Lk 6:45)

Finally, Saint Bonaventure asserts that we should open our mouth on three occasions: to praise God, to accuse ourselves, and to edify others. Hopefully this will be our criteria for speaking! The primary purpose for this gift of speech that God has given to the human person is to communicate the truth with love.

Thus we would like to briefly go over the ten fatal flaws that result from improper speech. In each instance, our purpose is to find preventive medicine rather than curative. The reason being, that once a word issues forth from the mouth, it cannot be retrieved. Much like when a rock is launched in the direction of a window pane it cannot be returned to the hand, but goes out and shatters the glass in nearly an instant. Likewise, when it comes to taming the tongue, it is far better to prevent the stones of our words flying from our mouth, than trying to repair the damage.

1. Lying 

Lies should be avoided at all costs. A lie perverts the proper end and purpose of human speech by falsifying the truth that ought to be spoken. If all were to lie, human solidarity and unity would be impossible because nobody could trust anyone else’s word. We would always be living with the suspicion that the other who speaks is deceiving. Jesus said that the devil is the father of lies. Therefore, in a very real sense liars are sons and daughter of the devil! A strong statement, but true.

2. Telling White Lies 

Many will justify the lie by saying that it is only a white lie, or an inoffensive lie, or no one will be hurt by the lie, or even that the white lie was said to avoid hurting another! There was a moment when Charlie Brown told Lucy that what he told was only a white lie. Lucy responded: “Charlie, I did not know that lies come in colors.” In sum, your speech should always communicate the truth in the big as well as in the small things. Jesus reminds us that those who are faithful in the small will be faithful in the large.

3. Shouting and Yelling

Frustrated people who have little self-control often have recourse to yelling or shouting with the hope of moving their listeners to action; this might be the case of parents with their children. The purpose is to get those subjected to the shouting to submit in obedience, which rarely results as planned. On the contrary, people will pay even less attention to overly-emotional and uncontrolled shouting. Rather than losing control of our emotions, it is far better to give fraternal correction with calmness and peace. In this way you show love giving parental or fraternal correction, while also maintaining control over your tongue.

4. Slander or Calumny

At all costs, we should strive to maintain and defend not only our own good reputation, but also the good reputation of others. All have a right to the defense of their good name. But how quickly someone’s good name can be undone by slander or calumny, that is, false statements about another! Therefore, slander or calumny can be defined as “character assassination”—that is to say, killing the good name of another.

Actually, in this light, slander not only violates the Eighth Commandment—“Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor”—but it can also be seen as a violation of the Fifth Commandment: “Thou shalt not kill.” Even the Book of Proverbs tells us the harm that is done by slander or calumny: “A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.” (Prov 25:18)

There is in fact a third sin to avoid or confess that falls in this general category, the sin of Detraction. This is the sin of revealing another person’s real faults or sins to a third person, thereby lessening the reputation of that person.

5. Spreading Gossip

All too prevalent in our modern society are those who have become gossipers. Such a person talks about another person behind their back about things that may or may not be true, and it is a sin either way.

Gossipers cause damage in many ways:

1) They hurt God, the Source of Truth who hears all things. Sharing a piece of gossip that is false, harms the person spoken of—that is the sin of slander or calumny. The fact that a piece of gossip is true still does not give us license to share it; that also harms the person spoken of and that is the sin of detraction.

2) They hurt themselves, by sinning with their speech.

3) They hurt the persons listening to the gossip who injure charity listening to it.

4) Finally, and most obviously, they hurt the person against whom they are gossiping. Words once spoken cannot be taken back.

If you are a gossiper, or you listen to gossip, stop right now! The Holy Bible is clear about avoiding this: “Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people”. (Leviticus 19:16)

Equally important, avoid sharing even truthful gossip per the Catechism of the Catholic Church (No. 2477). Remember, Jesus says that every careless word that comes from your mouth will be judged. Be prepared for Judgment Day!

6. Sarcasm in Speech

Sarcasm is using irony and mockery to show contempt. Utilizing sarcasm wounds charity; it is like adding salt to an open wound. It smarts, hurts, and burns! The sarcastic person belittles, disparages and pokes fun at others, getting listeners to laugh by degrading others and their innate dignity. It is particularly ugly.

Before giving in to sarcasm, apply the Golden Rule. How would you like it if you were the butt of a sarcastic joke? Do to others what you want them to do to you. Speak about others the way you would like to be spoken about. As one saint said: “We should only open our mouth to excuse others and accuse ourselves.”

7. Breaking Confidences

If what you have heard is meant to be kept in confidence, kept secret, not to be revealed to anyone, then keep your mouth shut and sealed. Priests must maintain the seal of the confessional. Professionals are obliged to maintain confidences in many cases. The common proverb, silence is golden, is true and operative here. Stay awake and be alert! In taming the tongue to prevent a fatal flaw, sometimes we are obliged to simply remain silent. If we can succeed in this, we have a very eloquent silence indeed!

8. Blasphemy

The utmost serious flaw of the tongue is that of blasphemy. What then is blasphemy? In Father John Hardon’s Pocket Catholic Dictionary we read:

“BLASPHEMY: Speaking against God in a contemptuous, scornful, or abusive manner. Included under blasphemy are offenses committed by thought, word, or action; serious and contemptuous ridicule of the saints, sacred objects, or of persons consecrated to God is also blasphemous because God is indirectly attacked. Blasphemy is a grave violation of charity against God. Its gravity may be judged by capital punishment in the Old Testament, severe penalties in the Church, and in many cases also of the State.”

A concrete and recent example of this was the abusive desecration in Oklahoma of a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by pouring fake blood over the statue on Christmas Eve. Through this act, the Church was mocked and Our Lord’s Mother was attacked. May God have mercy on us!

9. Abusive and Vulgar Language

While not as serious as blasphemy, a great abuse of the tongue is the all-too prevalent proliferation of vulgar language. Often words are used to degrade the human person, as well as the intimate act that God has designed for the procreation of new human beings. This is wrong and should be brought to a screeching halt for those who are in the habit of using such ugly and indecent language.

We should never forget that we are temples of the Holy Spirit. As Catholics, our tongues partake of the Body and Blood of Jesus whenever we receive Holy Communion. As part of our preparation for Holy Communion, we should tame our tongue to be ready to receive such a great gift.

Finally, we should act according to our dignity as living Temples of the Living God. We also ought to act according to our dignity as future citizens of Heaven, our eternal home with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Our Blessed Mother, and the angels and Saints!

10. Bragging and Boasting

Another form of speech that we should eschew is that of bragging or boasting.

What is this form of speech? It is when we praise ourselves, congratulate ourselves that we are not like “those others”, lauding and adulating our great qualities and abilities. In this we attribute all of our successes, merits, and rewards to our own greatness, instead of giving God – the giver of all gifts – the credit. This is very displeasing to God and the epitome of pride! Beware, pride doth come before a fall!

God lifts up the lowly, but despises the proud of heart. Our Lady in her Magnificat expresses this truth with true eloquence: “My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for He has looked with favor upon His handmaid, and henceforth all generations will call me blessed, for He who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is His name.” (Lk. 1: 46-49)

Our attitude of heart should be that of the Psalmist: “Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name give glory because of your steadfast love and faithfulness.” (Ps 115:1)

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Fourth Sunday of Lent

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

SUNDAY, March 27th    Lk. 15,1-3, 11-32   The Parable of the Prodigal Son “Let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.”

Each one of us is this prodigal son or daughter. With great thanksgiving may we relish the loving embrace of our Merciful Father in every Confession!

PART ONE OF A TWO PART MEDITATION…

PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON/MERCIFUL FATHER! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Introduction. Possibly the most famous short story ever composed in the history of literature and spirituality is that of the Prodigal Son, which also could be termed the Parable of the Merciful Father.

The author/composer of this Spiritual/Literary Masterpiece came from the lips and Heart of the greatest of all Teachers in the history of the world—the Lord Jesus Christ!

WHERE TO BE FOUND?  This Parable taught by Jesus can be found in the Gospel of Luke, also known as The Gospel of Mercy, Chapter 15:11-32. Actually, in this 15th Chapter of Saint Luke can be found three Parables of Mercy. It can also be called The Lost and Found Chapter. The reason for this catchy title is because Jesus offers us three Parables in which something, or someone has been lost and then found: a lost sheep, a lost coin, and most important, a lost son. In common, all were found and returned to their proper place.

PREPARATION TO RECEIVE GOD’S MERCY THROUGH SACRAMENTAL CONFESSION.  Since the Council of Vatican II, the Church has strongly encouraged that the Sacraments be prepared for and accompanied by reading and meditating on the Word of God. The Bible, which is truly the Word of God, serves as an excellent means to prepare our mind, heart, and soul to receive the Sacraments. In other words, Word and Sacraments work together as an efficacious team to receive the grace of God abundantly into one’s heart.

This reflection and commentary on the Prodigal Son/Merciful Father will serve as a platform, better yet, as a springboard into the arms of our Merciful, Loving, Compassionate, Kind, Intelligent, and Wise Heavenly Father. This “Best of Fathers” always desires what is best for each and every one of us, in time and for eternity.

POPE SAINT JOHN PAUL II: THE POPE OF MERCY.  Pope Saint John Paul II preached and lived the Gospel of Mercy in his life, especially in his 26 years as Holy Father. Not only did he forgive a man who tried to ruthlessly murder him, but also the saintly Pontiff wrote a spiritual masterpiece on the topic of God’s Mercy in his renowned Encyclical Dives In Misericordia—God Rich in Mercy. In this Encyclical the Holy Father explains the essential meaning of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, the Parable of the Merciful Father. If possible, it would be highly advantageous to read this Encyclical, this spiritual gem, so as to go deeper in an Ecclesial reading into the great depths of the Father’s Mercy toward all of humanity, but especially towards you and me!

LUKE 15: 11-31. THE PARABLE OF GOD’S INFINITE MERCY

Read carefully and meditate upon the Parable of Prodigal Son and Merciful Father and beg for the grace from the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Mary, the full of grace and Mother of mercy, to allow the Word of God to touch you in a most powerful way. In the words of the Apostle Saint Paul, the Word of God is sharp and penetrating as a two-edged sword that separates bone from marrow. (cf. Heb 4:12)

COMMENTARY ON THE PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON…

1. THE SON OF THE FATHER.  The son of the Father in this Parable represents all of humanity, and each and every one of us individually. We are challenged to meditate and pray over this Parable and beg for the grace to see ourselves in this story, which is really our personal story.

2. GIVE ME THE INHERITANCE.  The son cares more for material things, for money and what it can buy, than he does for his Father, much less for any spiritual riches. How easy it is to become blinded by material things, by the erroneous philosophy of Materialism!

3. FREEDOM.  Here we encounter a key element of God’s love for the human person in that God has endowed all of us with what we term FREE WILL. All of us are given freedom to make choices constantly in our lives.

4. RISK OF FREEDOM.  Of course having freedom always involves a true risk of not using freedom for its proper end and purpose. In other words, we can choose to abuse rather than use our freedom. God respects our free choices, our free decisions, and our free actions.

5. LOVE.  The reason for the reality of freedom is simply that God wants to be loved by all. Without freedom, we could never truly love God; we would simply be robots—a robot acts mechanically and without love!

6. SON ABUSES HIS FREEDOM AND WEALTH.  And it happened! Once the younger son was given his freedom and his wealth, whatever and however much that may have been, he wasted it. How often have we wasted our time, our talents, our efforts, our money and possessions on superficial and transitory, if not sinful, things?

7. WINE, WOMEN, AND THE FAST LIFE.  The son gave in to his lower passions and chose the fast life indulging in wine, women, eating—the life of sensual pleasure. He allowed his lower passions to dominate his higher faculties of reason and will. How often have we given into the same—allowing our animal and base nature to take total control of us—our thoughts, our decisions, our actions, our lives??? Make an effort to identify your own life with that of the Prodigal Son, to see some similarities!

8. LOST IT ALL!  Most likely in a relatively short time, the partying and sensual young man lost it all. Friends, he really never had any in this place from the start! This being the case, he had to find some place, some work to at least provide for meager meals so that he would not die of hunger.

9. TENDING PIGS: DEGRADATION TO THE MAX!  Of all places and jobs, the only one he was able to secure was that of tending pigs. For Jews, the pig was considered an impure animal, so much so that the kosher/dietary laws prohibited them from eating the meat of pork.

10. SIN: DEGRADES THE HUMAN PERSON!  God has created us in His image and likeness. Through the Sacrament of Baptism we are transformed into sons and daughters of God and living temples of the Blessed Trinity. We are called to recognize both our dignity as sons and daughters of God, as well as our destiny—we are citizens of Heaven, pilgrims on the way to our heavenly home. Committing sin mars, blurs, defaces the image of God in our soul. Still more, it could prevent us from reaching our final destiny—HEAVEN!

11. LEVELS OF DEGRADATION.  This now poor young man experiences poverty on various levels due to his becoming a slave to sin.

1) PHYSICAL LOSS.  On a physical level, he certainly has lost his physique—he has lost much weight and muscle that he had before leaving home.

2) APPEARANCE—No physical attractiveness!  See him: long beard, unkempt and disheveled hair, covered in filth, rags for clothes—whereas, when he left home, he walked down the street a fine and well-kept figure in elegant and costly clothes.

3) FROM ERECT POSTURE TO SLOUCHING.  Even his bodily posture has changed—from standing erect, straight, and proud, now his posture is slovenly, crouched, almost a hunch-back.

4) SLAVE OF SIN.  But worst of all, the young man has become a slave of all that is opposed to what is good, pure, and noble. In a word, he has become a slave of his lower passions, he has become a slave of sin!

5) SADNESS.  Once he experienced peace and joy, when he lived at home with family and friends; now he experiences an overriding gloom and sadness. Life has lost meaning and purpose for him!

This is the first part of the meditation of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. You are challenged to enter into the very depths of this Parable, with the father and son—the Prodigal Son. Beg for the grace to identify your own life with this story. Beg also for the grace to contemplate humanity in this light.

Final thought from the editor:

Questions for reflection:

1) Looking back over your life now, what do you wish you would you have done differently? This is the effect of original sin, our fallen nature, our darkened intellect and weakened will.

2) Looking at your life now, what has changed? What graces and insights have you been blessed with through a life of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving?

3) Now give profuse Thanksgiving to God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! And to our Blessed Mother Mary who never fails to intercede for us in all our needs and concerns!

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

SATURDAY, March 26th    Lk. 18: 9-14   “The Pharisee spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity – greedy, dishonest, adulterous – or even like this tax collector.’ The tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’”

Jesus says the tax collector went home justified, but not the Pharisee; “for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul:  “The soul’s true greatness is in loving God and in humbling oneself in His presence, completely forgetting oneself and believing oneself to be nothing.”

Yesterday was the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, which led to the Incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God made man, in the womb of Mary. In her Magnificat Mary proclaims: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his handmaid.” (Lk 1:47-48)

Today we honor two humble people whom God chose to bring forth the greatest woman the world has ever known. If we love Mary, then we should love those whom she loves most! Of course Jesus and St. Joseph, but next would have to be her parents!

UNDERESTIMATED SAINTS! MARY’S PARENTS! By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

Jesus said: “By their fruit you will know them. A good tree brings forth good fruit, but a bad tree brings forth bad fruit.” (Mt. 7:16-17) These words of the Greatest Master and Teacher in the world can most appropriately be applied to Jesus’ two grandparents, the mother and father of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Their names have traditionally been known to be SAINT JOACHIM (father of Mary) and SAINT ANN (mother of Mary).

In our humble work of promoting a knowledge, love, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, this treatise would be incomplete if nothing were mentioned about the parents of Mary, and the Grandparents of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Both Saint Joachim and Saint Ann merit the highest honor and respect!

WHY THE GREATNESS OF SAINT JOACHIM AND SAINT ANN? 

I honestly believe that given the high estate of their daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, right reason and logic point to the fact that Saint Joachim and Saint Ann deserve our study—our knowledge of them, our respect for them, our prayers to them, as well as our trust in the power of their intercession in our daily lives. Indeed, they are underestimated and all too often unknown by many Catholics!

SALIENT AND IMPORTANT POINTS FOR OUR REFLECTION ON SAINT JOACHIM AND SAINT ANN. 

There is no actual Biblical data on Saint Joachim and Saint Ann. Nonetheless, tradition points out that this husband and wife were the vessels from which God sent into the world the greatest woman ever to be born and ever to live, who would become the Mother of God and the Queen of Heaven and earth! From this woman, the fruit of the love between Saint Joachim and Saint Ann, would be born Jesus, our Lord God and Savior. For these reasons, we highlight the great importance of this couple.

THE SUFFERING OF SAINT JOACHIM AND SAINT ANN. 

This was their greatest suffering. Like Abram and Sarai, like Hannah, like Saint Elizabeth and Zechariah—Saint Joachim and Saint Ann, despite their great desire and longing, were never able to have children. Furthermore, according to tradition, by now Ann, like Elizabeth, was beyond the normal child bearing age. This was a source of excruciating suffering for Joachim and Ann, given that they both had really wanted children.

THEIR GENEROSITY. 

Despite their longing and suffering in not having a child, Saint Joachim and Saint Ann had very generous hearts. They were a devout Jewish couple, a very prayerful couple, and a humble couple. How did this unfold? From the economic means they had for themselves, they preferred to give most of it away. In other words, they were really detached from material things—especially money and its dangers—as they had their hearts set on God. As Jesus would say later on in His teachings that we read in the Sermon on the Mount: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will be given to you be besides.” (Mt. 6:33) Therefore, Saint Joachim and Saint Ann gave one third of their means to the poor; another third, they gave to the Temple and its upkeep; and they kept only a third for themselves. Talk about generosity in tithing! Most people who tithe, consider themselves generous when they give ten percent of their earnings to the poor or to the Church. In the case of Saint Joachim and Saint Ann, they gave away two thirds, or if you like 66% of their means!!!

GOD CANNOT BE OUTDONE IN GENEROSITY. 

How true the saying: “God cannot be outdone in generosity.” God intervened in a most powerful way in response to the prayerful, humble, and generous hearts of Saint Joachim and Saint Ann. In seemingly impossible circumstances, God blessed them with a child! It would be a little girl. The little girl’s name would be MARY! However, this would not be an ordinary little girl. This would be the greatest little girl in the history of the world. Because of who she was and whom she would bring into the world, all humanity would be radically transformed.

SAINT ANN AND THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. 

One of the reasons why we maintain that Saint Ann and Saint Joachim are greatly underestimated is due to what we will say now! In the womb of Saint Ann and through the seed of Saint Joachim, God performed one of the greatest miracles in the history of the world. This miracle is called the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. Yes, this took place in the womb of Saint Ann! That is to say, at the moment Saint Ann conceived a little girl in her womb—whom Saint Anne and Saint Joachim would name MARY—God intervened with what is called the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.

MEANING OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION? 

In the very moment of the conception of Mary in Saint Ann’s womb, God intervened with His all-holy Presence and preserved Mary from the stain of Original Sin. Yes! From the very moment of Mary’s conception, she was preserved from Original Sin. To be perfectly clear, the stain of original sin which taints all the rest of humanity, never touched Mary most holy! For that reason, the English poet, Wordsworth, lauded Mary in these words: “She is our tainted nature’s solitary boast!” We were all conceived in sin, the sin of Adam and Eve, the Original Sin. Mary was preserved from this Original Sin, this Original stain, this Original moral sickness, this Original disaster! However, this must be highlighted: it was through Saint Ann and Saint Joachim conceiving a child that this extraordinary privilege of the Immaculate Conception could be given by God to the child they conceived. Therefore, we should have the greatest reverence, admiration, honor, and respect for Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, and for the womb of Saint Ann that carried Mary, the Immaculate Conception, who would become the Mother of God!

There is still much that can be harvested from this abundant and rich mystery of the persons of Saint Joachim and Saint Ann. Here are some.

1. LITURGICAL FEAST DAY:  The Catholic Church celebrates the Feast Day of Saint Joachim and Saint Ann together every year on July 26th. Try to remember this date and attend Mass and receive Holy Communion to honor these chosen Saints who were the parents of Mary, the Immaculate Conception!

2. PATIENCE.  This holy couple teaches us the virtue of patience. They waited many years and finally God blessed them with the greatest gift—a child. Moreover, this child would be the Mother of God!

3. GENEROSITY.  Where did their generosity come from? They were totally detached from all except God. So they could freely give two-thirds of what they had to the poor and to the Temple.

4. PRAYERFUL.  They prayed, and God was pleased with their prayers due to their humility, patience, generosity, purity, and great love for God and His mysterious but wise and providential plans. May we learn to pray like Saint Joachim and Saint Ann. May we ask for their prayers to help us to pray better!

5. PATRON OF PARENTS.  Of course, as said earlier, “A good tree brings forth good fruit.” Saint Joachim and Saint Ann raised the greatest and most holy girl in the world. Therefore, it must be said that they can be the Patrons of Parents who struggle so hard to raise their children in the love of God and fear of the Lord, due to the many worldly distractions and temptations pulling their children away from God. Pray earnestly and fervently to Saint Joachim and Saint Ann to guide you, and to help guard and protect your children from the evils that surround them.

6. PATRON OF GRANDPARENTS.  We should not overlook the fact that Jesus indeed did have two Grandparents, and they were Saint Joachim and Saint Ann. Try to imagine Saint Joachim and Saint Ann holding their grandchild, the little Baby Jesus, tenderly in their loving arms. How much Saint Joachim and Saint Ann loved their daughter Mary, and their Grandson, the Lord Jesus. They can certainly help those grandparents who beseech their intercession to carry out their noble mission in the sanctification of the family.

7. PATRON OF SPOUSES.  Even though this might be obvious, it still should be mentioned: Saint Joachim and Saint Ann formed an exemplary marriage; they were an excellent married couple. They were faithful. They lived out fully the marriage promises and commitment: “Faithfulness in good times and in bad, in health and in sickness, in riches and in poverty, until death do they part.” Hopefully they will serve as a model for married couples in the realm of promising to be faithful and then living it out!

8. INSTRUMENTS IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION.  Indeed, it must be stated that it was through Saint Joachim and Saint Ann that the history of the salvation of the entire world had its beginning. They brought forth Mary, the Mother of God; and their daughter Mary gave us Jesus, the Savior of all humanity! For this reason, we have both Saint Joachim and Saint Ann to thank for bringing Mary, the Immaculate Conception, into the world.

9. THE OFFERING AND PRESENTATION OF MARY AS A GIFT TO GOD.  After Saint Anne conceived and gave birth to their little child Mary, according to Tradition, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne presented their child at an early age to be brought up in the Temple in thanksgiving to God! The Church celebrates the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary every year on November 21st. Thus was Mary prepared for her sublime mission to become the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and the Mother of each and every one of us!

In conclusion, Saint Joachim and Saint Ann are indeed great saints. Unfortunately, they are unknown by all too many. Their greatness in the economy of salvation can barely be measured.