Memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne, parents of the Virgin Mary
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what’s your legacy?
But
we will praise these godly men, whose righteous deeds have never been
forgotten. Their reputations will be passed on to their descendants, and
this will be their inheritance. – Sirach 44:10-11
A
few years ago, I chanced upon a conversation with a local businessman
who had become a well-known success in the country. He had recently been
engaged in a bidding war with his competitors for a huge project. The
manager in charge of awarding the project had approached him to ask for a
small bribe. In exchange, the manager would turn the deal to his favor.
However, this businessman declined the proposal and his competitor won
the contract.
When
I asked him why he had refused to pay off the manager given that the
fee was a small sum compared to the value of the project, he answered me
with a smile. “I am trying to build my business as honestly as I can.
True, it will take me twice as long and 10 times the effort to become as
rich as my competitor, but I’m in no hurry and I want to be remembered
as a man who earned success by working hard, not by taking unethical
shortcuts. There is something more than wealth that I want to pass down
to my children and that is a legacy of an honorable name, integrity and
good values.” Eleanore Lee (elyo.lee@gmail.com)
REFLECTION:
What kind of person would you want others to remember you by?
Lord,
may I do justice as Your child, born of a Father who continues to
encourage love, selflessness and righteousness in this world.
Sts. Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us.
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1ST READING
The
parents of Mary must have been very proud of her when they eventually
understood the role she was playing in the work of salvation. I wonder
how they handled the news that she was pregnant (outside of marriage)
and the subsequent explanation Mary gave them? It would not have been
easy for any of them to accept and understand Mary’s plight. Hopefully
we will have compassion when we face similarly difficult situations in
our own lives.
Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13 (or Sirach 44:1, 10-15)
1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Go,
cry out this message for Jerusalem to hear! I remember the devotion of
your youth, how you loved me as a bride, following me in the desert, in a
land unsown. 3 Sacred
to the Lord was Israel, the first fruits of his harvest; should anyone
presume to partake of them, evil would befall him, says the Lord. 7 When
I brought you into the garden land to eat its goodly fruits, you
entered and defiled my land, you made my heritage loathsome. 8 The
priests asked not, “Where is the Lord?” Those who dealt with the law
knew me not: the shepherds rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied
by Baal, and went after useless idols. 12 Be amazed at this, O heavens, and shudder with sheer horror, says the Lord. 13 Two
evils have my people done they have forsaken me, the source of living
waters; they have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no
water.
P S A L M
Psalm 36:6-7, 8-9, 10-11 (or Psalm 132:11, 13-14, 17-18)
R: With you is the fountain of life, O Lord.
5 [6] O Lord, your mercy reaches to heaven; your faithfulness, to the clouds. 6 [7] Your justice is like the mountains of God; your judgments, like the mighty deep. (R) 7 [8] How precious is your mercy, O God! The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 [9] They have their fill of the prime gifts of your house; from your delightful stream you give them to drink. (R) 9 [10] For with you is the fountain of life, and in your light we see light. 10 [11] Keep up your mercy toward your friends, your just defense of the upright of heart. (R)
GOSPEL
We
do not always understand everything about the situations in our lives.
This is a fact that we have to learn to live with. It may not be easy,
but sometimes it might be easier not to know all the details before we
get into something for God. If we know them we might be too scared to
follow His will. Indeed, there are times when ignorance (in a good
sense) may well be bliss!
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
Matthew 13:10-17 (or Matthew 13:16-17)
10 The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?’ 11 He
said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the
Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been
granted. 12 To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because ‘they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.’ 14 Isaiah’s
prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: ‘You shall indeed hear but
not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. 15 Gross
is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with
their ears and understand with their heart and be converted, and I heal
them.’ 16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. 17 Amen,
I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you
see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
think: There are times when ignorance (in a good sense) may well be bliss!
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SILENT WITNESSES
When
Filipinos speak of family, chances are they won’t only talk about
mothers, fathers and siblings. Family is extended family, which includes
the aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents.
I
grew up with two loving grandmothers. My maternal grandma lived with us
while my father’s mother stayed in her humble abode across a narrow
river near our place. The latter seemed more protective of us
grandchildren. She saw to it that we ate on time and gave us extra
allowance when we went to school. She was most worried when one of us
was sick. She was most devastated at the death of my mother, her
daughter-in-law. She seemed to love my mother more than her own son.
It’s
always amazing to think that the mystery of God’s incarnation reveals
that the Father chose that His Son be a part of a family and an extended
family. Jesus can very well speak of a father and mother in Joseph and
Mary, an uncle and aunt in Zechariah and Elizabeth, a cousin in John,
and a grandfather and grandmother in Joachim and Anne. Now, that makes
God’s dwelling among us more meaningful. We feel that He belonged to us
and us to Him as we both embraced the realm of families.
While
Mary and Joseph gave Jesus the warmth of familial embrace, He had a
doting grandma in Anne and a loving grandpa in Joachim. Of course the
Scriptures do not present concrete scenes of such family bonding. We can
only imagine Jesus being close to His grandparents. On the other hand,
it was through these two quiet witnesses to the presence of the Messiah
that the Blessed Virgin Mary was born. After all, the Immaculate
Conception took place in the womb of Anne.
How
true is the Gospel phrase, “I assure you that many prophets and many of
God’s people wanted very much to see, but they could not and to hear
what you hear, but they did not.” Joachim and Anne saw before their very
eyes the unraveling of this august reality. To the simple, unassuming,
quiet and humble people, God reveals much. Fr. Erick Y. Santos, SFO
REFLECTION QUESTION: How do you practice simplicity and humility?
Lord, reveal in my humble self the mysteries of Your kingdom.
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