Memorial of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Then he said, “If I find favor with you, O LORD,
do come along in our company.
This is indeed a stiff-necked people; 
yet pardon our wickedness and sins,
and receive us as your own.”


Saint's Joachim and Anne are nowhere found in the Bible. Their names come from ancient traditions in the Church. Yet it's certain that Mary the Mother of God had human parents and we honor them as we honor her. How could we not love the grandparents of Jesus as much as he loved them during his earthly pilgrimage. By honoring them we honor him.


And thus we esteem his human nature and the willingness of God to become incarnate, to wrap himself within the fabric of human life with its complexity of human relationships. Jesus would  happily love his family, relatives, neighbors, friends, acquaintances and, as he grew, his  enemies. He was not ashamed to call us  his brothers and sisters.


We discover that willingness even in the Book of Exodus as the LORD "came along in our company." Had there been other gods, and at one time the Jews supposed  there were, the LORD might have been embarrassed by the company he kept. We were not always the most lovable people and only a God of Infinite Love could manage it. 


We see his infinite love demonstrated most clearly as he extended his arms to us from the cross. There, lifted above all other people, he could see every sorrow and every crime, every abused child and mistreated adult. He could see that every victim is also an oppressor, and every rescuer becomes an oppressor. That triangle of victim-oppressor-rescuer swirls forever among human relationships and our only salvation comes from the One who chooses to be our victim without turning to oppression. He was willing even to be taken for granted by those who would exploit him; although, in the end, they must learn that God cannot be used. 
Speaking to Moses God revealed himself as the LORD of infinite compassion who will love those who love him to the "thousandth generation" even as he disciplines them as a parent must discipline his children. 
Christians sometimes suppose that God rejected the Jewish people when he chose Jesus and his disciples. But the Catholic Church remembers the devoutly Jewish grandparents of Jesus. They were faithful to God and they enjoy his everlasting gratitude. 


Occasionally I have sat with grandparents  as they mourn the foolishness of their grandchildren. They have so little authority over the young and yet they suffer greatly for their sins. In effect they too watch from the cross the viciousness of the world that will torment their loved ones for generations to come. They are called to die with Jesus and, by the helplessness of the cross, offer their lives for them. 
Saints Joachim and Ann are the patron saints of grandparents. If they lived to see their most beloved grandson die on Calvary, they also saw his resurrection. Their testimony still gives hope and comfort to all who helplessly watch the suffering of others.