Sts. Joachim and Anne – Perpetuation of the Faith Through Parental Education

In this year of the laity, we honor Sts. Joachim and Anne, chosen by God to be parents of the Mother of God.  We highlight their contribution to the holy education of our Blessed Mother.  We, as parents have a duty and obligation to cultivate virtues and transmit knowledge, especially our Faith, to our children so that the next generation will continue to honor God in their lives.  Needless to say, the ones who have this great responsibility must have gone through a proper formation and continue to learn, share and live the Faith throughout their lives.  We cannot afford to be lax and reckless in this great and worthy endeavor otherwise, we may live to see the next generation given to the world, thus putting all of us in great danger, worse, putting our souls in peril.

We therefore must strive hard to be vessels of grace like Sts. Joachim and Anne to their daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary.  By this, we please God when we take care of His gifts, who are our treasures, our very children.  As St. Paul says, “… that it is by the education of their children that parents are to be saved.” Or, take it from Crates, “A heathen who cried out: Citizens, what is it you think of? You employ all your time in heaping up riches to leave to your children; yet take no care to cultivate their souls with virtue, as if an estate was more precious than themselves.”(Butler, Lives of the Saints)

Finally, let us go to our Mother who was raised by holy parents that we may attain sanctification in our labor to nurture our sons and daughters to become saints.  This is our true achievement.

By Johnny Sulit