From Father George's Desk

This weekend, the Universal Church observes World Day for Grandparents.  Pope Francis declared in 2021 that this observance would happen each year on the fourth Sunday of July, since it falls closest to the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is celebrated on July 26.  We have no real historically verifiable information about Joachim or Anne, except to know that they existed.  The information we do have comes from pious legend and from the apocryphal Gospel of James, which dates from the second century.  Mary’s parents (even the names Joachim and Anne are known only through the Gospel of James) are typically presented as an old and barren couple, who long to bring a child into the world. An angel (God’s messenger) delivers the news that, not only are they to have a child, but one who will be revered for all time.  But the holiness and heroism of this couple can be inferred from the whole family atmosphere around Mary in the Scriptures.  The bottom line is whether we rely on the pious    legends or extrapolate from information we can glean from the pages of the Bible, we see in Mary the      fulfillment of many generations of faithful and prayerful people.  Joachim and Anne—whether these are their real names or not—represent that entire quiet series of generations who faithfully perform their duties, practice their faith, and establish an atmosphere for the coming of the Messiah, but remain obscure [americancatholic.org]. 

This observance reminds grandparents of their responsibility to set the tone for the generations who follow: to pass on the traditions of faith handed down through the ages, to bring the customs of our families and our Church to life for their grandchildren, and to be the voice of wisdom in their families that can come only with a lifetime of experience.  This “feast of grandparents” is important for the younger generations as well.  We need to be mindful that our grandparents have lived more and seen more than us; there is much we can learn from them.  Many of our grandparents made sacrifices that we who have come after are not even aware of sometimes, or can comprehend.  Two of my own grandparents died when I was a little boy; I was very fortunate to have the other two with me into adulthood.  My own experience taught me to treasure those relationships; grandparents have a lot of love to give and wisdom to share. 

As we contemplate the various images of the Kingdom presented by Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel over these weeks, here is some food for thought from To Be a Steward: A Summary of the U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral Letter on Stewardship: “The Bible contains a profound message about the stewardship of material creation.  God   created the world, but entrusts it to human beings.  Caring for and cultivating the world involves the following: joyful appreciation for the God-given beauty and wonder of nature; protection and preservation of the environment, which would be the stewardship of ecological concern; respect for human life—shielding life from threat and assault, doing everything that can be done to enhance this gift and make it flourish; and development of this world through noble human effort—physical labor, the trades and professions, the arts and sciences.  We call such effort ‘work’.  Work is a fulfilling human vocation.  The Second   Vatican Council points out that, through work, we build up not only our world but the Kingdom of God, already present among us.  Work is a partnership with God—our share in a divine-human collaboration in creation.  It occupies a central place in our lives as Christian stewards.”

Quite often it is the little things in life that get overlooked, like always remembering to say “Thank you”.  So, allow me to say thank you to all of our bulletin sponsors, who make it possible for us to present parish information to you in this colorful, professionally-produced publication each and every week.  Please be sure to check out the ads on the back page of the bulletin and whenever possible, patronize our sponsors’ businesses.  And when you do, please be sure to let them know that you appreciate their support of our   parish.  If you are a business owner that is not currently advertising on our bulletin, please consider doing so.  Contact information for our publisher, LPi, is available on the back page each week as well.