Collect taken from the feast of Sts. Joachim & Anne, parents of Mary.
Collect: O Lord, God of our Fathers, who bestowed on Saints Joachim and Anne this grace, that of them should be born the Mother of your incarnate Son, grant, through the prayers of both, that we may attain the salvation you have promised to your people. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son…
“O Lord, God of our Fathers, who bestowed on Saints Joachim and Anne this grace, that of them should be born the Mother of your incarnate Son,”
-The providence of God arranges all things to work toward His glory and for the good of those who love him, so we acknowledge and rejoice in the particular way that God incorporated these two saints into the plan of salvation. It is indeed a great grace to share blood relation to the Incarnate Son of God.
“grant, through the prayers of both, that we may attain the salvation you have promised to your people.”
-We do not stop at acknowledging what God has done, but we ask that he continue to work through the grandparents of our Lord so that we too can play our part in God’s provident plan.
Questions & Advice: What is your understanding of God’s providence? How seriously do you search for the ways that God has called you to serve his kingdom? Are the saints a thing of the past to you or do you appreciate their ongoing service to the Church?
Read about God’s plan for the family in the Catechism (2201+). Spend some of your daily prayer time specifically on your parents. Thank God for bringing you into the world through them and seek his blessing upon them.
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| Sancti Joachim et Anne, orate pro nobis! |