THE WORD AND THE SAINTS
July 26, 2024: Remembering Sts. Joachim and Anne, parents of Mary, grandparents of Jesus
Ecclesiasticus 44: 1,10-15; Matthew 13: 16-17
The first setting in which faith enlightens humanity is the family, declares the encyclical Lumen Fidei (52). It further explains that passing on of faith in the family happens in the process of shared expression of faith within the family, helping children to become aware of their faith and grow and mature in it.
Christian faith is always communitarian and it is passed on primarily in the family. Recently someone observed, reflecting on the level of faith being lived (or practiced) in Europe vis-a-vis in India, that one major reason for the degeneration in Europe is the weakening of the institution of the family. It is absolutely true.
Those who hand on faith to us are really God-given. Those most important among them, our parents and grandparents who not only give us life but show us also how to live it, from their own experience.
Celebrating a day to remember the parents of Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother, provides us an opportunity to remember with thanks these our fore-runners in faith, as the first reading suggests, 'let us praise famous persons, our parents in their generations. These were persons of mercy, whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten' (Ecclesiasticus 44:1,10). Infact, thanks to them, we are in a position better than them, due to their hard work, great example and their dreams for us! Jesus acknowledges that in his words (Mt 13:16-17) and exhorts us to live up to our blessedness, our giftedness, worthy of the faith and tradition that is transmitted to us, from our predecessors.
The transmission that the grandparents effect is a practical and concrete transmission of lived faith. It deals with right practice and right living. Faith in its very essence has an all-embracing quality of transforming the entire life of a person and the community to which the person belongs. Let us treasure our traditions, transform our todays and thus pave way for meaningful tomorrows.
Let us pray for our Grandparents specially today and honour them in some little way; it's Grandparents' Day!