Daily word, 26 Jul 18

Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the BVM, Feast (in Canada) (26 Jul 2018)

Sir 44. 1, 8, 10-15; Ps 132; Mt 13. 10-17

Homily of Fr. Paul Panaretos, S.J. on 8-day Directed Retreat

Legacy of Faith

The character of their daughter shows us the kind of people Joachim and Anne were. Mary’s “strong character…in making decisions, her continuous practice of prayer, her devotion to the [life] of her faith, her steadiness at moments of crisis, and her devotion to her relatives—all indicate a close-knit, loving family.”¹ Similarly, Jesus grew to have a human character shaped in no small measure by Mary and Joseph.

Tradition long recognized that all creation is indebted to…Joachim and Anne: their daughter provided hu-man nature to God so God in Jesus could save it.² The disciples of Jesus were indebted to him, especially for imparting knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven. Their knowledge was key because the disciples were to continue Jesus’ mission; he told them how: Go…make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you.³

You and I continue to be taught by the Spirit⁴ of Jesus—the reason we see and hear in blessed ways that contrast with other teachers. Nothing and no time can limit the Spirit; often the gift of retreat is our felt-knowledge of Jesus’ self-gift. The fruit of being taught by the Spirit retreat makes clearer for us: we have the mind [the attitude] of Christ Jesus.⁵

All spirit-gifts are personal. To have the attitude of Christ is the gift that makes us like the disciples: Jesus’ gift of his spirit makes us apostolic. To have the gift of Jesus’ spirit betroths each of us to Jesus and empowers us to make new Christians in our turn. To have the attitude of Christ sets us on a public, royal mission: Jesus’ spirit makes us prophetic—we notice God more readily and desire to be more in sync with God. As we note the particular ways God graced us this retreat recall we freely received them to give a human face to God’s life, mercy, fidelity and justice. The same is the legacy of Joachim and Anne, Mary and Joseph, Jesus and all Christians who have helped us choose the legacy of faith and discover our ways to extend the victory of the cross.⁶

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1. Franciscan Media on Sts. Joachim and Anne.
2. On the Birth of Mary, Homily 6 by St. John Damascene; the name Jesus means God saves.
3. Matthew 28.19-20.
4. 1Corinthians 2.13.
5. 1Corinthians 2.16; [Philippians 2.5].
6. Liturgy of the Hours, Intercessions, Morning Prayer, 15^th Friday of the Year.

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Wiki-image by Shivsharan Trasi Sunlight breaking through trees CC BY-SA 4.0