26 July 2017
Today we celebrate the memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the
parents of the Virgin Mary. And this
seems to be a case of “holiness by association.” We don’t really know that much about Joachim
and Anne—we’re not even entirely sure if those were their names. We only know for certain that they were the
mother and father of Saint Mary.
And so, we have to assume that if the child they raised
became the Mother of God, then they themselves must have been extraordinary in
holiness. The only “proof” of that is
the holiness of their child, our Blessed Mother. There’s the expression: “A tree is known by
its fruits.” And, in this case, “the
parents are known through their child.”
As we consider that we ourselves are children of God, how we
act, what we say, what we do all has a reflection on God. People can know God through us; sometimes
that’s the only way they encounter God—through our actions and words. That’s why there can’t be any “cranky
Christians,” or merciless Christians; because that would give others the wrong
idea of who God is.
The parent is known through the child; God is known to others
through his children. May we do God
proud in how we live our lives.
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