Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne

Good morning. The reading of stories, the telling of fairy tales, parables, fables and such has been part of the relationship between parents and children from time immemorial. It is part of family life. And part of family life for a good reason. Much as in today’s Gospel Jesus offers to his Apostles an explanation for why He speaks to the crowds in parables. His explanation to the Apostles is essentially so that they will come to understand the meaning of what He is trying to teach them. And, so it is with children and parents, we tell stories, fairy tales, parables, fables and such so our children will come to understand the lessons we want to teach them. This is because for children to develop character, for children to appreciate and embrace the virtues they need to experience them and there is no better way than through the use of stories. Yes, the telling of stories, fairy tales, parables, fables and such offer us much in the way of life lessons. Some of my favorites are the lives of the Saints. Today we honor the lives of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of our Blessed Virgin Mary. We know very little about the lives of Joachim and Anne, but we do know that they must have been very holy and faithful people to have been entrusted with raising the Mother of God. I can imagine that they as parents often, perhaps nightly as we do, told stories to little Mary, stories which taught various virtues and other life lessons necessary for living a good life. Not only does the telling of stories lend itself to building character, but stories provide for developing a child’s imagination and storytelling helps to develop vocabulary and reading skills, and most importantly it nourishes the relationship of love and trust between parent and child. Have you read any good books lately? Make a great day! 

Today we recall the good lives, gifts, and works of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne—parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Heavenly Father, through Saints Joachim and Anne You gave us the Mother of Your Incarnate Son. May we, through their intercession, guide our children toward making the right choices.