STS. JOACHIM AND ANNE, Parents of Mary

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July 26, 2023

STS. JOACHIM AND ANNE, Parents of Mary

Introduction

We know nothing more about the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary than that the Protevangelium of James, (an apocryphal infancy gospel from the third century), gives them the names Joachim and Anne. Their feast comes from Oriental rites, in which parents are often honored with their children when these become famous.

In any case, the liturgy reminds us that people are often instrumental in bringing us God’s salvation.

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
there were many deeply believing
and simple, poor people
waiting for the coming of the Messiah.
We thank your for these believers
and we ask you today
at this celebration of the parents of Mary
that we may be longing for a deeper coming
of your Son Jesus Christ among us
May many more accept him
as their Savior and their Lord.

Reading 1: Ex 16:1-5, 9-15

The children of Israel set out from Elim,
and came into the desert of Sin,
which is between Elim and Sinai,
on the fifteenth day of the second month
after their departure from the land of Egypt.
Here in the desert the whole assembly of the children of Israel
grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
The children of Israel said to them,
"Would that we had died at the LORD's hand in the land of Egypt,
as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread!
But you had to lead us into this desert
to make the whole community die of famine!"

Then the LORD said to Moses,
"I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.
Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion;
thus will I test them,
to see whether they follow my instructions or not.
On the sixth day, however, when they prepare what they bring in,
let it be twice as much as they gather on the other days."

Then Moses said to Aaron, "Tell the whole congregation
of the children of Israel:
Present yourselves before the LORD,
for he has heard your grumbling."
When Aaron announced this to the whole assembly of the children of Israel,
they turned toward the desert, and lo,
the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud!
The LORD spoke to Moses and said,
"I have heard the grumbling of the children of Israel.
Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh,
and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread,
so that you may know that I, the LORD, am your God."

In the evening quail came up and covered the camp.
In the morning a dew lay all about the camp,
and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert
were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground.
On seeing it, the children of Israel asked one another, "What is this?"
for they did not know what it was.
But Moses told them,
"This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat."

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 78:18-19, 23-24, 25-26, 27-28

R. (24b) The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
They tempted God in their hearts
by demanding the food they craved.
Yes, they spoke against God, saying,
"Can God spread a table in the desert?"
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
Yet he commanded the skies above
and the doors of heaven he opened;
He rained manna upon them for food
and gave them heavenly bread.
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
Man ate the bread of angels,
food he sent them in abundance.
He stirred up the east wind in the heavens,
and by his power brought on the south wind.
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
And he rained meat upon them like dust,
and, like the sand of the sea, winged fowl,
Which fell in the midst of their camp
round about their tents.
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower;
All who come to him will live for ever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Mt 13:1-9

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
"A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear."

Intentions

– That we may always keep trusting in God’s providence, that he will always care for the People of God and guide his Church, we pray:

– That the Eucharist may be our food of strength and commitment throughout our journey in life, we pray:

– That seriously sick and dying Christians may have the chance to receive the viaticum, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
we are ready to listen and accept
the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.
We bring before you

these simple offerings of bread and wine
Let them express that we want
to be open to your secrets with unsophisticated hearts,

For you reveal yourself
to those who listen with their hearts.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
make us attentive to the words
which Jesus has spoken to us at his table
and keep stirring in us the love he has shown us.
Let our faith be more than formulas
that do not change our life in any way.
Make the story of our life speak to those around us
that we have understood how much you care
and that we may respond to you
with all that is in us.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Blessing

The Lord gives you bread to eat. Do those of us who have always enough to eat thank the Lord for it? Do we thank him for giving us the manna of the Eucharist? And do we share what we have with those who have not enough? May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Reflection:

16th Week in Ordinary Time – Wednesday

Sts. Joachim & Anne, Parents of Blessed Virgin Mary

26 July 2023

Matthew 13: 1-9

The life-giving Word

Today, July 26th, the Church remembers St. Joachim and St. Anne, the parents of the Virgin Mary. Apocryphal Christian writings claim Joachim was a priest of the Temple. He and his wife Anne were elderly, but they had no children. He fasted for 40 days in the wilderness out of despair. God answered their prayers and Anne conceived and bore a daughter named Mary. According to tradition, when the child was three years old, her parents dedicated her to the Temple, where she grew up until 12.

As this is the "feast of grandparents," it reminds youngsters to value the wisdom and depth of their grandparents.

The whole chapter of Matthew 13 consists of “parables of the Kingdom.” We reflected on this passage ten days ago, on Sunday, July 16.

The sower is Jesus himself. He does not force himself on us, but instead casts his Word into our lives by offering himself for us while leaving us free to choose the Good News. It contains a message of hope, a message of compassion, a message of mercy, and a message of forgiveness.

God’s word is not just a spoken word. It is a doing word, a creating, life-giving word. It’s like a life-giving seed. And yet, as the Lord narrated in the parable, many refused to hear or receive his Word. Initially, even the closest disciples of Jesus did not provide a very encouraging response. Jesus’ life and mission seemed to end in tragic and dismal failure. There was not a single disciple in sight. He was mocked and laughed at by his enemies. However, precisely at that moment of apparent failure, the seed “fell to the ground and died” (cf. John 12:24), and the Word of God began to take root.

The Lord invites us to look within ourselves today: to give thanks for our good soil and to tend the soil that is not yet good. Our hearts should be open to receive His seed with faith. Identify our thorns of vices and call them by name; we need to examine our rocks of laziness if they are still numerous and large. The Gospel calls on us to reclaim the soil, to do a nice conversion of our hearts by bringing our rocks and thorns to God in the sacraments, especially in Confession and prayer. This will allow Jesus, the Good Sower, to purify our hearts by removing rocks and thorns that choke his Word.

The life-giving Word - Youtube

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