Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 07-26-04, Memorial, Sts. Anne & Joachim, parents of the BVM

For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

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From: Matthew 13:31-35

The Mustard Seed; The Leaven

[31] Another parable He (Jesus) put before them saying, "The Kingdom of
Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his
field; [32] it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the
greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and
make nests in its branches."

[33] He told them another parable. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a
leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it
was all leavened."

[34] All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed He said
nothing to them without a parable. [35] This was to fulfill what was
spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter
what has been hidden since the foundation of the world."

Commentary:

31-32. Here, the man is Jesus Christ and the field, the world. The
grain of mustard seed is the preaching of the Gospel and the Church,
which from very small beginnings will spread throughout the world.

The parable clearly refers to the universal scope and spread of the
Kingdom of God: the Church, which embraces all mankind of every kind
and condition, in every latitude and in all ages, is forever developing
in spite of obstacles, thanks to God's promise and aid.

33. This comparison is taken from everyday experience: just as leaven
gradually ferments all the dough, so the Church spreads to convert all
nations.

The leaven is also a symbol of the individual Christian. Living in the
middle of the world and retaining his Christian quality, he wins souls
for Christ by his word and example: "Our calling to be children of God,
in the midst of the world, requires us not only to seek our own
personal holiness, but also to go out onto all the ways of the earth,
to convert them into roadways that will carry souls over all obstacles
and lead them to the Lord. As we take part in all temporal activities
as ordinary citizens, we are to become leaven acting on the mass"
([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 120).

34-35. Revelation, God's plans, are hidden (cf. Matthew 11:25) from
those who are disposed to accept them. The Evangelist wishes to
emphasize the need for simplicity and for docility to the Gospel. By
recalling Psalm 78:2, he tells us once more, under divine inspiration,
that the Old Testament prophecies find their fulfillment in our Lord's
preaching.

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

The Life Of Saint Ann [and St.Joachim]

Monday, July 26, 2004
Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Memorial)

First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:

Sirach 44:1, 10-15
Psalm 132:11, 13-14, 17-18
Matthew 13:16-17

It is important that you choose your career with care, so that you may really follow the vocation that God has destined for you. No day should pass without some prayer to this end. Often repeat with St. Paul: "Lord, what will you have me do?"

-- St. John Bosco

Important words!

Often repeat with St. Paul: "Lord, what will you have me do?"

FEAST OF THE DAY

Sts. Joachim and Anne are revered as the parents of the Blessed
Mother. Devotion to these two saints started around the sixth century
in the East. By the tenth century, this devotion had spread to most
parts of the West.

There is little information known about the lives of Joachim and
Anne. Most of the information is inferred from the life of Mary and
how she acted. The way Mary dealt with crisis and the way she
cared for Elizabeth when she was pregnant show how she was
taught by her parents. There is little direct information about these
two saints in the Bible, but there is information about them stemming
from legends written down more than a century after the Passion of
Christ. St. Anne is the patroness of childless women and of miners.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Let us adore His power, exhausting itself in this act of love. -St. Peter
Julian Eymard

TODAY IN HISTORY

1471 Death of Pope Paul II
1926 Our Lady of Victory, in Lackawanna, NY, becomes the first
church in the U.S. to be consecrated a basilica.

TODAY'S TIDBIT

Ethics is a moral philosophy and can be applied to all spheres of
human activity - personal, social, economic, political, etc. It is often
regarded as the application of philosophy or reason to find what is
right or wrong (and everything in between) and the reasons why
such a judgment can be made.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray, through the intercession of Sts. Joachim and Anne, for
all parents and grandparents.

Monday July 26, 2004 Saints Joachim and Anne

Reading (Sirach 44:1, 10-15) Gospel (St. Matthew 13:16-17)

In the Gospel reading today, Our Lord pronounces His disciples blessed because of what they were able to see and to hear, which of course means that they were able to see the Messiah and they were able to hear the Word of God. It is indeed a great blessing if we were to just stop and think for even a split second about the blessing the apostles had to be able to be with Our Lord, to live with Him, to hear Him, to see His example. What an incredible blessing they were given!

Yet, at the same time, we have to be able to look at our own selves and see the blessing that God has given to us to be able to know the Word of God, to be able to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion, to be able to be united with Him through the sacraments and in the Church, and even to be able to be alive at this time. It is actually in some ways a far greater blessing to be alive now than it would have been then, whether that was for the apostles or whomever, because we have the full teaching of the Church and we have the example of the saints. We can look to the apostles who had to make that astounding act of faith in Christ and we can build upon that. So the privilege we have is in many ways even greater than the privilege they had.

But, at the same time, we see that the exact same thing is expected. God is going to expect that we, like they, will make this act of faith and that we will live according to what it is that we profess. God has made promises, and He is going to fulfill every last one of those promises. The timing, of course, is His. The people He is going to choose to do what He needs to do is entirely up to Him, but the fact that He will fulfill them and that for today He has chosen us means we have an obligation to be able to live according to the promises God has made.

And so we look, for instance, at our saints today, Anne and Joachim, the parents of our Blessed Lady. The holiness of this married couple was exceedingly great because they believed what God had told them. It is not that God necessarily informed them of anything, appeared to them, gave them any kind of extraordinary knowledge of what was going to be happening through them, but rather they knew the promises because of Scripture – and they believed. It was not that they were running around saying, “The Mother of the Messiah is going to be born of us,” – we do not even know if they knew that that was the daughter to whom they gave birth – but what we know is that they were faithful to God because they believed, first of all, in Him, and secondly, in the promises He had made. Therefore, they were faithful and they were filled with love for God. It is precisely that love for God which was rewarded with the greatest gift, the gift to give birth to the Mother of God and the gift of having their Grandson, Who is the Incarnate Word of God. Did they even understand that at the time? We have no idea, but the reality is still there that God fulfilled His promises through them.

For generations, the people of the Old Testament were waiting for the Messiah, but God chose the people whom He would and He raised up Anne and Joachim specifically for that purpose. He has raised us up today specifically for His purpose. Whether it is in our day that His promises will be fulfilled, that, again, we do not know; we can reason to it, but we still do not know for sure. But regardless of whether it is now or in the future, what we do know is that God has chosen us to be alive right now during this time. He has chosen us to have knowledge of Him, to have faith in Him, to love Him, and to be saints in our day. That is exactly what He wants. Anne and Joachim were in love with God and with one another precisely because of their faith in God. They were not worried so much about whether the promises would be fulfilled in them or even in their time. They were only concerned about loving God and being saints in their own day. That is exactly what we need to be concerned about: loving God and being saints. That is what God is looking for from us, and it is what the world needs more than anything else – saints, people who love God – because that is what will change the world.

So we need to really look at this and be able to say, “Blessed are your eyes and blessed are your ears,” not because of the filth that we get to see and hear if we just even walk out on the street these days, but because this is the time that God Himself has chosen for us, that in the midst of all the unfortunate stuff we get to see and hear He has given us the knowledge to know Jesus Christ, to be able to be united with Him in the Eucharist, to hear His words spoken through the Scriptures, to know Him and to love Him in a world which neither knows nor loves Him. This is a great blessing, and it is a wonderful opportunity for each of us to be able to be saints, to know and to love and to serve God. That is what He has chosen us to do and all He is asking now is our fidelity and our love. It is precisely in doing this that the promises God has made will be fulfilled in us, maybe not the promises regarding the whole world, but the most important promise for each of us anyway – that we will be able to go to heaven, that we will inherit everything He has promised, and that we will see Him face-to-face for all eternity.

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANN

O glorious St. Ann, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care.

Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen.

Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . .

O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Ann, help me now and at the hour of my death.

Good St. Ann, intercede for me.

FIRST DAY

Dear St. Ann, though I am but a prodigal child, I appeal to you and place myself under your great motherly care. Please listen to my prayers and grant my requests. See my contrite heart, and show me your unfailing goodness.

Deign to be my advocate and recommend me to God’s infinite mercy. Obtain for me forgiveness of my sins and the strength to begin a new life that will last forever.

Blessed St. Ann, I also beg of you the grace to love, to serve, and to honor your daughter, the most holy Virgin Mary. Please recommend me to her and pray to her for me. She refuses none your requests but welcomes with loving kindness all those for whom you intercede.

Good Jesus, be merciful to the faithful servants of Your grandmother St. Ann.

SECOND DAY

From the depths of my heart, good St. Ann, I offer you my homage this day and ask you to shelter me under the mantle of your motherly care. You know, good mother, how much I love you, how gladly I serve you, how happy I am to praise you, how eager I am to call on you in time of distress.

Good St. Ann, be pleased to extend your helping hand in all my wants. Listen to my prayers, for I place my trust in your gracious bounty. Make all my thoughts and desires worthy and righteous.

Jesus, I thank You for all the graces which in Your infinite goodness You have lavished upon St. Ann; for having chosen her, among all women, to be Your grandmother on earth and exalted her in heaven with such great and miraculous powers. In the name of her merits, I humbly recommend myself to Your infinite mercy.

THIRD DAY

Hail, good St. Ann, who first responded to the needs of Mary, Mother of our Savior and Queen of Angels. Hail to you and to your husband St. Joachim, who watched over her infancy, presented her to the Lord in the temple and, according to your promise, consecrated her to the service of God.

Hail St. Ann, good mother! I rejoice in the marvels you continually perform, because they encourage all to seek your intercession.

Good St. Ann, by the great power that God has given you, show yourself my mother, my consoler, my advocate. Reconcile me to the God I have so deeply offended. Console me in my trials; strengthen me in my struggles. Deliver me from danger in my time of need. Help me at the hour of death and open to me the gates of paradise.

FOURTH DAY

Good St. Ann, you offered your pure and holy daughter Mary in the temple with faith, piety and love. By the happiness which then filled your heart, I beg you to present me to your Grandson Jesus. Offered by you, I will be agreeable in His sight.

Kind St. Ann, take me forever under your protection. Deliver me from the temptations which continually assail me. Above all, attend me in my last hour. As I lie on my deathbed, be present with your daughter to console and strengthen me.

Holy Mary and good St. Ann, show yourselves to be mothers indeed by obtaining for me the grace of a good death. When my soul goes forth, lead it to God’s tribunal so that, by your powerful help and intercession, it may obtain a favorable judgment.

FIFTH DAY

Hail, all-powerful Lady. By God’s special favor, grant consolation to those who invoke you. Procure for them the eternal riches of heaven, and like a good mother, success in their temporal affairs as well.

Good St. Ann, obtain my deliverance from the punishment which my sins deserve. Obtain for me success in my temporal affairs; especially see to the salvation of my soul.

St. Ann, by your influence with Mary’s son Jesus, you have won the gift of conversion for many sinners. Will you then abandon me, who have chosen you as my mother? No, St. Ann. Your name alone, which signifies grace, assures me of the help of your prayers, and these prayers will surely procure pardon and mercy from Jesus. You will pray for me now and at the hour of my death.

SIX DAY

Good St. Ann, do not allow my soul, a masterpiece of God’s creative power, to be lost forever. Free my heart of pride, vanity, self-love. May I know myself as I really am and learn meekness and simplicity of heart.

God’s great love for me leaves me cold and unresponsive. I must reflect this love through works of mercy and charity toward my neighbor.

In your boundless charity, good St. Ann, help me to merit the glorious crown which is given to those who have fought the good fight against the world, the devil and the flesh. Assist me to preserve purity of heart and body. With Mary and her divine Son, protect me always.

SEVENTH DAY

Once again, Good St. Ann, I choose you for my advocate before the throne of God. By the power and grace that God has placed in you, extend to me your helping hand. Renew my mind and my heart.

Dear St. Ann, I have unbounded confidence in your prayers. To your blessed hands I entrust my soul, my body and all my hopes for this world and the next. Direct my actions according to your goodness and wisdom. I place myself under your motherly care.

Receive me, good mother. Cover me with the mantle of your love. Look kindly on me. By your powerful intercession, may I obtain from God grace and mercy. Obtain for me remission for sin and release from the punishment my offenses have deserved. Pray that I may receive grace to lead a devout life on earth and that I may obtain the everlasting reward of heaven.

EIGHTH DAY

Hail, St. Ann! I rejoice at your exalted glory. You gave birth to Mary, whose divine Son brought salvation to our lost world by conquering death and restoring life and hope to sinners. Pray to Him who, for love of us, clothed Himself with human flesh in the chaste womb of your daughter.

Glorious St. Ann, with your blessed daughter, deliver me from everything that is displeasing in the sight of God. Pray to your gentle and powerful Grandson that He may cleanse my soul in His precious blood, that He may send His Holy Spirit to enlighten and direct me in all that I do, always obedient to His holy inspirations.

Good mother, keep a watchful eye on me. Help me bear all my crosses. Give me the fullness of you bounty and sustain me with courage.

NINTH DAY

Good St. Ann, I have reached the end of this novena in your honor. I have asked and ask again. Good mother, let not your kind ear grow weary of my prayers, though I repeat them so often.

Bounteous Lady, implore for me from divine Providence all the help I need through life. May your generous hand bestow on me the material means to satisfy my own needs and to alleviate the plight of the poor.

Good St. Ann, fortify me by the sacraments of the Church at the hour of my death. Admit me into the company of the blessed in the kingdom of heaven, where I may praise and thank the adorable Trinity, your grandson Christ Jesus, your glorious daughter Mary, and yourself, dear St. Ann, through endless ages.

Blessed Sacrament Fathers
ST. ANN’S SHRINE
Cleveland, Ohio

The Word Among Us

Monday, July 26, 2004

Meditation
Matthew 13:31-35

There are a lot of ways to look at Jesus’ parable about yeast. If we do some creative thinking, we can see the wheat as standing for the Eucharist, the living bread we receive at every Mass. After all, the Mass is what unites us to Christ and gives us a share in his kingdom. But if that is true, how should we see the yeast? The Eucharist is made from unleavened bread, like the ancient Passover bread. And Paul tells us that we are to get rid of the “old yeast” of sin and become “a new batch, without yeast,” purified by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Here, as in other parables, Jesus uses a symbol to turn our understanding upside down. The yeast Jesus is talking about is invisible: It is our faith, because only faith can bring the kingdom to life. It is the “leaven” of faith that lets Jesus, present in the Eucharist, rise up in us and do his work in the world.

Without faith, the transformation of the bread and wine, miraculous though it is, will have little effect on us. However, to be obedient, we don’t need a great amount of faith—just real faith. Simply to believe that Jesus is truly present for us in the Mass, and to trust that he will give us his love and mercy is enough to start with. But if we take him seriously, we can expect amazing things. Like the woman who used only a little yeast to leaven a whole batch of flour, our little, but sincere, faith can make a big difference.

Jesus wants his love to grow in us. If we give our hearts to him at Mass, we will be blessed, and in turn, we will bless those around us. We will see miracles in our lives, because the God of miracles will be with us. So let’s come to the Lord with expectant faith, for he is the most generous of fathers. Jesus told St. Faustina that those who “trust boundlessly” in him would receive all of his grace: “I rejoice that they ask for much, because it is my desire to give much, very much.”

“Lord, today I put my trust in your promises. Take my heart and transform it with your love. Use my gifts to build your kingdom.”

One Bread, One Body

All Issues > Volume 20, Number 4

<< Monday, July 26, 2004 >>

Sts. Joachim & Ann

Sirach 44:1, 10-15

Psalm 132

Matthew 13:16-17

View Readings

HOW COULD GOD BECOME MAN?

“Blest are your eyes because they see and blest are your ears because they hear.” —Matthew 13:16

The Church always presents to us Saints Joachim and Ann as the parents of Mary. Their part in God’s plan of salvation is about Mary and especially her immaculate conception. Mary’s part in God’s plan is all about Jesus and especially His Incarnation. The Church teaches: “What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ” (Catechism (CCC), 487).

The Lord became a human being while respecting Mary as a human being by respecting her freedom. Wouldn’t anyone, especially a teenage girl from a remote village, be totally blown away by an angel announcing she is to be the mother of God? Would Mary have any idea what was happening to her at the Incarnation? Wouldn’t God be merely using a bewildered teenage girl?

Mary’s participation in the Incarnation was an act of freedom and faith because she was prepared for this by her mother Ann’s immaculate conception of her and later by Ann’s presentation of Mary in the Temple. The Church teaches: “To become the mother of the Savior, Mary ‘was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role’...In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace” (CCC, 490). Jesus’ Incarnation was completely holy and untainted, primarily because the Lord gave Ann the privilege of conceiving Mary immaculately. Saints Joachim and Ann, pray for us.

Prayer: Father, may I be awed by the mystery of Your plan of salvation.

Promise: “Their name lives on and on. At gatherings their wisdom is retold, and the assembly proclaims their praise.” —Sir 44:14-15

Praise: Sts. Joachim and Ann, children of sinful Adam and Eve, had a sinless child and Grandchild.

American Cathlic's Saint of the Day

July 26, 2004

Sts. Joachim and Ann

In the Scriptures, Matthew and Luke furnish a legal family history of Jesus, tracing ancestry to show that Jesus is the culmination of great promises. Not only is his mother’s family neglected, we also know nothing factual about them except that they existed. Even the names Joachim and Ann come from a legendary source written more than a century after Jesus died.

The heroism and holiness of these people, however, is inferred from the whole family atmosphere around Mary in the Scriptures. Whether we rely on the legends about Mary’s childhood or make guesses from the information in the Bible, we see in her a fulfillment of many generations of prayerful persons, herself steeped in the religious traditions of her people.

The strong character of Mary in making decisions, her continuous practice of prayer, her devotion to the laws of her faith, her steadiness at moments of crisis, and her devotion to her relatives—all indicate a close-knit, loving family that looked forward to the next generation even while retaining the best of the past.

Joachim and Ann—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.

Comment:

This is the “feast of grandparents.” It reminds grandparents of their responsibility to establish a tone for generations to come: They must make the traditions live and offer them as a promise to little children. But the feast has a message for the younger generation as well. It reminds the young that older people’s greater perspective, depth of experience and appreciation of life’s profound rhythms are all part of a wisdom not to be taken lightly or ignored.

Quote:

“...[T]he family is the foundation of society. In it the various generations come together and help one another to grow wise and to harmonize personal rights with the other requirements of social life” (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 52).

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	Don’t End Up Empty-Handed!
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D
Date:	Monday, July 26, 2004

Jeremiah 13:1-11 / Matthew 13:31-35

We have a great fondness for words like "my" and "mine," and we take great pleasure in totting up lists of our assets and the other things we call "ours." But it’s all a fiction and a hallucination, because nothing is ever really ours. A mental stroll through the castles and palaces of Europe makes that abundantly clear. Here are the things that "belonged" to Henry VIII and Louis XIV, but where are Henry and Louis? They don’t live here any more. All they now possess is all they ever possessed: their loves and their deeds of love.

And so it is with us. We and all our things are as transient as that linen loincloth in the Old Testament reading from Jeremiah. In the end, entropy wins, everything falls apart, and all that remains in our hands is our loves. What a tragedy it would be to pass through an entire lifetime with all its stresses and strains and then to end up empty-handed. Don’t let that happen to you!

Salvation,Mass Bump.

Thanks, St. Anne is one of my favorite saints and I named one of my daughters (middle name) after her.

My middle name is Ann and confirmation name is Mary,my first name is Elizabeth so I covered all the bases.We did not cancel.A 1,000.00 check came in.Thank you all for your prayers.I have been too sick to be online,fatima