FEAST
OF SAINT ANN
Luke,
Chapter 1, verse 13:
13 But the angel said to him, “Do
not be AFRAID, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife
Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.
To a Pious Jew and especially a Levi priest the knowledge that God is so holy we dare not even say His name. Notice frequently in the bible the angels will use the term, “Do not be afraid”, and this is because at times we are knowing our sinfulness may not feel worthy. Feeling unworthy is a tool the evil one often uses to discourage us from doing good works.
I have felt this fear of being unworthy often. In the mid-seventies while still a youth in my 20’s I was chosen to be a lay Eucharistic minister while working at the South Pole in Antarctica by the priest that had come 900 miles to bring our Lord to us catholic boys working I didn’t feel worthy; come on this is Richard you know; but the Priest convinced me that it was the only way and I did want to bring “Our Lord” to my fellow brothers in Christ.
We must remember that the evil one will sow fear in our hearts trying to convince us we are unworthy and if we listen, we become like the man who out of fear buried his talent in the ground.
Feast of Saint Ann,
Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary[1]
ALL that we know of St. Ann is that she was married to St. Joachim of the tribe of David, and lived with him in all virtue and piety, but for a long time was childless. This she bore with all patience, till at last the Lord heard her supplications, and made her the mother of the most blessed Virgin. This distinction on the part of God is praise enough for her. On this account the faithful have always shown great veneration for her, and continually invoke her intercession. “Let us all rejoice in the Lord, keeping festival in honor of St. Ann, on whose solemnity the angels rejoice, and with one voice praise the Son of God. My heart hath uttered a good word; I speak my works to the King.”
Prayer.
O God, Who wast pleased
to confer upon St. Ann the grace whereby she became the mother of her who
brought forth Thine only-begotten Son, mercifully grant that we, who keep her
festival, may, through her intercession, find help with Thee.
Aspiration to St.
Ann.
Hail, O blessed
mother Ann! Blessed art thou, who, for our consolation, didst bear the Mother
of our Redeemer. With the greatest veneration, therefore, and full of
confidence, we approach thee, beseeching thee that thou wouldst supplicate our
divine Savior to bestow upon us the graces which we need to follow thy ardent
devotion, thy fear of God, and to render us worthy one day to behold in heaven
the blessed fruit of thy virgin daughter’s womb, Jesus, and to rejoice forever
in the contemplation of Him.
The
Mysterious Relics of Saint Anne[2]
On Easter AD 792,
Charlemagne discovered the relics of Saint Anne. Below is the account,
preserved in the correspondence of Pope Saint Leo III, concerning the
mysterious discovery of the relics of Saint Anne.
Fourteen years after Our
Lord’s death, Saint Mary Magdalen, Saint Martha, Saint Lazarus, and the others
of the little band of Christians who were piled into a boat without sails or
oars and pushed out to sea to perish — in the persecution of the Christians by
the Jews of Jerusalem — were careful to carry with them the tenderly loved body
of Our Lady’s mother. They feared lest it be profaned in the destruction, which
Jesus had told them was to come upon Jerusalem. When, by the power of God,
their boat survived and finally drifted to the shores of France, the little
company of saints buried Saint Anne’s body in a cave, in a place called Apt, in
the south of France. The church, which was later built over the spot, fell into
decay because of wars and religious persecutions, and as the centuries passed,
the place of Saint Anne’s tomb was forgotten. The long years of peace, which
Charlemagne’s wise rule gave to southern France, enabled the people to build a
magnificent new church on the site of the old chapel at Apt. Extraordinary and painstaking
labor went into the building of the great structure, and when the day of its
consecration arrived, the beloved Charlemagne, little suspecting what was in
store for him, declared himself happy indeed to have journeyed so many miles to
be present for the holy occasion. At the most solemn part of the ceremonies, a
boy of fourteen, blind, deaf and dumb from birth — and usually quiet and
impassive — to the amazement of those who knew him, completely distracted the
attention of the entire congregation by becoming suddenly tremendously excited.
He rose from his seat, walked up the aisle to the altar steps, and to the
consternation of the whole church, struck his stick resoundingly again and
again upon a single step. His embarrassed family tried to lead him out, but he
would not budge. He continued frantically to pound the step, straining with his
poor muted senses to impart a knowledge sealed hopelessly within him. The eyes
of the people turned upon the emperor, and he, apparently inspired by God, took
the matter into his own hands. He called for workmen to remove the steps. A
subterranean passage was revealed directly below the spot, which the boy’s
stick had indicated. Into this passage the blind lad jumped, to be followed by
the emperor, the priests, and the workmen. They made their way in the dim light
of candles, and when, farther along the passage, they came upon a wall that
blocked further advance, the boy signed that this also should be removed. When
the wall fell, there was brought to view still another long, dark corridor. At
the end of this, the searchers found a crypt, upon which, to their profound
wonderment, a vigil lamp, alight and burning in a little walled recess, cast a
heavenly radiance. As Charlemagne and his afflicted small guide, with their
companions, stood before the lamp, its light went out. And at the same moment,
the boy, blind and deaf and dumb from birth, felt sight and hearing and speech
flood into his young eyes, his ears, and his tongue. “It is she! It is she!” he
cried out. The great emperor, not knowing what he meant, nevertheless repeated
the words after him. The call was taken up by the crowds in the church above,
as the people sank to their knees, bowed in the realization of the presence of
something celestial and holy. The crypt at last was opened, and a casket was
found within it. In the casket was a winding sheet, and in the sheet were
relics, and upon the relics was an inscription that read, “Here lies the body
of Saint Anne, mother of the glorious Virgin Mary.” The winding sheet, it was
noted, was of eastern design and texture. Charlemagne, overwhelmed, venerated
with profound gratitude the relics of the mother of Heaven’s Queen.
Things to
Do[3]
·
See more about the Shrine
of Sainte Anne de Beaupré in Quebec, Canada. Several relics of St. Anne are also located in this shrine. Take a
video tour of the Shrine here accompanied by beautiful Gregorian chant.
·
Foods related to St. Ann and Joachim: It
seems shellfish, particularly lobster, is one traditional type of food served
in France for this feast day.
The
Modern Church Also Honors Saint Joachim on this day.[4]
St. Joachim, the father of the Blessed Virgin, was a native of Nazareth,
a little town in Galilee. His parents, though occupying a humble position in
the world, were descendants of the holy king David. It was not without
inspiration that, at his circumcision, the name of Joachim was given him; it
means “Preparation for the Lord,” or, as others translate it, a preparation for
the arrival of the Lord. It has been understood by many to signify that he
would have a daughter whom he would prepare, by a holy education, to be the
mother of Our Lord. Arriving at the years of manhood, he married Anna, a
virtuous and chaste maiden of Bethlehem, whom, without doubt, God gave special
graces, as she was chosen by Him to be the mother of the Queen of Heaven.
Joachim and Anna continued, after their union, to serve God with the greatest
fidelity. The most perfect charity and harmony reigned in their dwelling. They
had divided their possessions into three parts.
The first they devoted exclusively to the honor of God and to the
adornment of the Temple; the second, to the poor; and the third they kept for
themselves. One thing saddened the lives of Joachim and Anna. They had been
married many years without being blessed with a child, and their advancing age
made them despair of ever having one. Barrenness was considered a great
disgrace and Joachim lived under that cross for many years. He never ceased to
implore God with tears, prayers, and fasts to remove it from him; but it seemed
that he was not heard, which gave him great grief. He, however, never murmured
against the Almighty, but, submitting to His will, continued his prayer. It is
also believed that he and his spouse made a vow that, if they were blessed with
a child, they would consecrate it to His service. St. Epiphanius relates that,
one day, while St. Joachim was praying, an angel appeared to him and assured
him that God had heard his prayer, and that a daughter should be given him, who
would become the mother of the promised Messiah. The angel informed him also of
the name which God had destined for her. When he heard this, the joy of St.
Joachim was beyond all description. He went immediately to tell his spouse of
it, who, according to some authors, had received the same revelation. Both gave
fervent thanks to the Almighty and praised His mercy. The angel’s prophecy was
fulfilled, and St. Anna gave birth to a daughter, who was born free from the
stain of original sin, full of the Holy Spirit, blessed above all women, and
destined by heaven to be the mother of the only begotten Son of God. St.
Joachim, renewing his thanks to the Almighty, redoubled his zeal in His
service. As soon as the lawful time arrived, St. Joachim and his holy spouse
carried their new-born child into the temple and offered her with great
devotion to God, redeemed her again according to the custom, and returned with
her to their home. Three years they kept their daughter with them, after which
they brought the tender child, who was, however, gifted with the full use of
mind, into the Temple of Jerusalem, and having consecrated her, with the usual
ceremonies, to the service of the Almighty, gave her in charge of the priests
for education and instruction. In this manner, St. Joachim fulfilled his vow
and showed how truly he loved God. For although his love for his daughter, no
doubt, surpassed the love of most parents for their children, yet he deprived
himself of that which was most dear to him on earth and consecrated it to the
Most High. It cannot be doubted that God rewarded his self-sacrificing love
with great graces and favors. After having made this sacrifice to the Almighty,
Joachim and Anna lived for many years in great sanctity. It is believed that
St. Joachim expired in the eightieth year of his age.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY
SECTION TWO-THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH
CHAPTER
ONE-THE SACRAMENTS OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION
Article 1 THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM
IN BRIEF
1275 Christian initiation is accomplished by three sacraments
together: Baptism which is the beginning of new life; Confirmation which is its
strengthening; and the Eucharist which nourishes the disciple with Christ's
Body and Blood for his transformation in Christ.
1276 "Go therefore and 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 all that I have commanded you" (Mt 28:19-20).
1277 Baptism is birth into the new life in Christ. In
accordance with the Lord's will, it is necessary for salvation, as is the
Church herself, which we enter by Baptism.
1278 The essential rite of Baptism consists in immersing the
candidate in water or pouring water on his head, while pronouncing the invocation
of the Most Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
1279 The fruit of Baptism, or baptismal grace, is a rich
reality that includes forgiveness of original sin and all personal sins, birth
into the new life by which man becomes an adoptive son of the Father, a member
of Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit. By this very fact the person
baptized is incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ, and made a sharer
in the priesthood of Christ.
1280 Baptism imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual sign,
the character, which consecrates the baptized person for Christian worship.
Because of the character Baptism cannot be repeated (cf. DS 1609 and DS 1624).
1281 Those who die for the faith, those who are catechumens,
and all those who, without knowing of the Church but acting under the
inspiration of grace, seek God sincerely and strive to fulfill his will, are
saved even if they have not been baptized (cf. LG 16).
1282 Since the earliest times, Baptism has been administered to
children, for it is a grace and a gift of God that does not presuppose any
human merit; children are baptized in the faith of the Church. Entry into
Christian life gives access to true freedom.
1283 With respect to children who have died without Baptism,
the liturgy of the Church invites us to trust in God's mercy and to pray for
their salvation.
1284 In case of necessity, any person can baptize provided that
he have the intention of doing that which the Church does and provided that he
pours water on the candidate's head while saying: "I baptize you in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Growth
of Catholic Families and Households
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face-Tuesday
Devotion
·
Pray Day 2 of
the Novena for our Pope and Bishops
·
Tuesday:
Litany of St. Michael the Archangel
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Religion
in the Home for Preschool: July
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Let
Freedom Ring Day 20
·
Rosary
[1] Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896
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