Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Virgin Mary
Scripture:
Reflection:
Don’t you admire the bold confidence of the people when Moses, freshly returned from Mount Sinai where he received the Word of the Lord and the Ten Commandments, shares with them all that the Lord had bestowed upon him? They all responded with a unified voice, “We will do everything that the Lord has commanded us. We will heed and obey all that the Lord has said.” So confident, so certain, yet utterly untrue!
This doesn’t mean that good intentions aren’t valuable. They are. However, there are always tempting distractions, competing desires, or personal limitations that can derail those good intentions. What’s remarkable, though, is that God never gives up on us. We need the assurance that, even though we may not be perfect, we are forgiven.
This feast day of Sts. Joachim and Anne offers us the opportunity to witness how parents can embody that same love of God. While we may not know much about the legendary parents of Mary, Mother of Jesus, we believe that her parents, whoever they may have been, provided both the structure and rules that parents are expected to impose, tempered by the forgiveness that follows our transgressions and lapses. This forgiveness liberates us to draw closer to God and receive His love. This is holiness. The notion that we must be perfect is a significant obstacle to becoming holy.
In today’s gospel passage from St. Matthew, Jesus encourages his disciples to be patient with the weeds that grow alongside the wheat. The parable of the sowing of the seed is not about a perfect harvest. There will be a time to separate the weeds from the wheat, but we can’t lose sight of the wheat because of the weeds. We can’t lose sight of God’s love because of our sin and imperfections.
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.