Sunday, July 29, 2012

Forgotten People

Thursday marked the Feast Day of Sts. Joachim and Anne. 


These two Saints represent the parents of Our Blessed Mother, although neither is mentioned in the Bible itself. 


Now before you are too impressed that I knew that, I should probably come clean.  I only know this because I read The Saint of the Day, and they happened to be the feature two days ago.  Sadly, the truth is that I forgot all about them.  


In fact, as I read the tribute to them, I started to feel embarrassed that I never ponder what good parents they were to Mary.   The lessons they must have taught her.  The strength they must have given her.  The role they played in our Salvation.  Nope, instead, I jump right from God to Gabriel to Mary to Jesus.  


But then, at the end of the summary, was this:


Joachim and Anne—whether these are their real names or not—represent that entire quiet series of generations who faithfully perform their duties, practice their faith and establish an atmosphere for the coming of the Messiah, but remain obscure. 


And then, it dawned on me how many Joachims and Annes there have been throughout Christianity.  Thousands of Holy people that did simple things like passing on a tradition, teaching the faith, or proclaim God's word.   People that will never make a holy book.  Will never have 15 minutes of fame.  Will never be revered.  


People I will never think about or appreciate.  


And yet, they hold a special place in God's heart.  They carry out His will, spread His word, and proclaim His kingdom.  


Heck, given that, maybe someday, someone will forget about us, too.


God Bless.

3 comments:

Victor S E Moubarak said...

Wot?

People will forget about me? And I haven't even had my 15 minutes of fame. Perhaps I should paint a can of soup. No ... dog food. That'll get people thinking.

About Joachim and Anne. If they're not mentioned in the Bible, then how do we know about them Michael? Please forgive my ingnorance about this.

Of course, Mary had parents, and they must have been wonderful parents to bring up a daughter whom God smiled upon. But I wonder ... how did they react when she told them about the visit by the Angel Gabriel?

If it was me I would have gone "AAAAAHHHHH !!!!!"

It's the way I show I'm being calm.

Thank you for another great thought-provoking post Michael. Perhaps you should post more often.

God bless.

Michael said...

Victor,

Something tells me anyone that has read your blog will never forget about you.

As for Joachim and Anne, I believe their names came from the book of James. Since this book is an apocryphal one, I get the feeling the names are as much symbolic as fact. (I'm far from an authority on this, though)

Regardless, I, too, wonder how they reacted when Mary told them about Gabriel.

Then again, I wonder about just about everything.

God Bless.

Victor S E Moubarak said...

Thank you Michael for your kind words and support of my writing.

It must have been very difficult, especially considering attitudes and tradition of the time, for Mary's parents to hear her news. To be un-married and pregnant was bad enough and no doubt worthy of stoning; but to say you're carrying the Son of God would have been blasphemous surely?

We rightly admire Mary's Faith, but perhaps we often forget her parents' Faith and that of Joseph.

You always make one think very deeply with your posts Michael. Thank you.

God bless you and your family