Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Pastor
~ Today, July 26, is the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, but if it were a weekday, this would be the feast of Saints Joachim & Anne. They are honored by the Church as the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the grandparents of Jesus. Although they are not mentioned in the Gospels, their story has been preserved in Christian tradition. Like many other biblical couples, they were advanced in age and longed to have a child before God answered their prayers with the miraculous conception of Mary. Joachim and Anne are the patrons of grandparents, and they remind us of the indispensable role that grandparents play in the family, especially in modeling and passing on the faith. I always like to say that “everything is more fun when grandparents are around!”, so today, if you are a grandparent, give thanks for your grandchildren, and if your grandparents are still alive, reach out to them today!
Aside from being grandparents, I’d like to highlight that Joachim and Anne are a saintly married couple. So many of the saints are priests and religious, but that is not the only vocation where holiness is found! Indeed, there are many married couples who are saints, and this month of July just happens to include a few feasts of married saints.
Besides Joachim and Anne, the feast of St. Henry is celebrated on July 13. Henry was a King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor in the 11th Century, known for his dedication to the reform of the Church. His wife, St. Cunegunde, was Henry’s advisor and mediator, and became a Benedictine nun after Henry’s death. St. Henry and St. Cunegunde were partners in marriage and in service: highly educated, dedicated to the Church, and earnest in their care for the poor.
The feast of Saints Louis and Zelie Martin is celebrated on July 12. They are best known as the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux, but their path to holiness began long before the birth of their saintly daughter. They had both considered religious life, and were wed in France on July 12, 1858, the day that would become their feast day. Louis was a jeweler and watchmaker, and Zelie was a highly skilled lacemaker. (Interestingly, Louis gave up his own career to support his wife’s booming business!) Like every married couple, they had great joys and terrible sorrows in their married life. Four of their nine children died in infancy or childhood, and others joined the religious life. Always, they remained steadfast in prayer, trusted in God’s providence, and made the practice of their Catholic faith the center of their family life. They became the first married couple canonized together when Pope Francis declared them saints in 2015.
To all of you living the vocation of Holy Matrimony, I hope that these married couples inspire you in your own quest for holiness. Amid the joys and struggles of married life, God is found in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. Thanks to the many holy husbands and wives at St. Margaret of Scotland Parish and St. Pius V Parish!
Saints Joachim and Anne, pray for us!
Saints Henry and Cunegunde, pray for us!
Saints Louis and Zelie Martin, pray for us!
