Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of Mary
Scripture:
Jeremiah 7:1-11
Matthew 13:18-23
Reflection:
I grew up in Nebraska, though I know almost nothing of farming or ranching. Our family would often enough drive through the countryside and see vast fields of corn or soybeans laid out in neat sections stretching to the horizon. Gigantic farm implements used to plant, cultivate, and harvest could be seen in the distance operated by a solitary farmer who knew the land and what it needed to bring in a robust harvest. It’s a very different industry today than the one described in the Parable of the Sower.
Today’s farmer is going to take as much of the mystery as possible out of how and when to plant the seed. Yet not every seed will take root and bear fruit. For all our efforts, some elements of mystery remain. The same can be said about parenting, since we are celebrating the Feast of Saints Anne and Joachim, the traditionally named parents of Mary, Mother of Jesus.
Like Mary’s parents, my parents tried their best, but they had to be okay with the mystery of raising nine children, of where our lives would take us and what decisions we would make. We certainly disappointed them at times. There were struggles and there were triumphs. There were joys and plenty of sorrow. But what we always knew was we were loved…even if at times they shook their heads in dismay at what poor decisions we made. They sowed the seed as best they could and, overall, it mostly took.
There is no perfect parent. There is no perfect planting of the seed. There is no perfect knowledge of what will unfold in life. We have to be okay with mystery. The adage, “perfect is the enemy of good,” opens for us the possibility of seeing the good that comes our way, the good that we may miss if waiting for the perfect. God is going to keep sowing the seeds of love, and we—to the best of our ability—can prepare a fertile place for that love to take root and grow.
Robert Hotz is a consultant with American City Bureau, Inc. and was the Director of The Passion of Christ: The Love That Compels Campaign for Holy Cross Province.