It’s a Feria, 2nd Class, with the color of Green. In this episode: the meditation: “An Elastic Conscience”, today’s news from the Church: “Can We Speak of a “Conciliar Church”?: The Essential Principle of the Answer”, a preview of the Sermon: “Meekness, Tolerance, and Christian Charity: Part I”, and today’s thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
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Sources Used Today:
- “An Elastic Conscience” — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumption
- “Can We Speak of a “Conciliar Church”?: The Essential Principle of the Answer” (FSSPX.news)
- “Meekness, Tolerance, and Christian Charity: Part I” (SSPX Sermons)
- The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press)
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Saints Joachim and Anne occupy a unique place in the history of salvation. They never appear by name in the pages of Sacred Scripture, yet every time we celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary, we are reminded that she, too, had a family. Long before Bethlehem, long before Nazareth, there was a faithful husband and wife whom God chose to prepare the home in which the Mother of His Son would be raised.
Most of what we know about Joachim and Anne comes from ancient Christian tradition, especially the second-century Protoevangelium of James. While not part of Sacred Scripture, it preserves traditions that Christians have cherished for centuries. According to this account, Joachim and Anne were elderly, devout, and childless, a great sorrow in the Jewish world of their time.
Year after year, they prayed.
They trusted.
And they waited.
If you’ve ever prayed for something that seemed to go unanswered, their story feels very familiar.
According to the tradition, God finally answered their prayers through the birth of a daughter whom they named Mary. From her earliest years, Joachim and Anne understood that this child belonged to God in a special way. They raised her in the faith of Israel, teaching her the Scriptures, forming her in prayer, and helping prepare the woman who would one day say “yes” to the Angel Gabriel.
It’s a beautiful reminder that the greatest contribution most parents ever make to history is often invisible.
They simply raise a holy child.
The influence of Joachim and Anne can still be seen throughout the Christian world. Churches dedicated to Saint Anne appeared across Europe as early as the sixth century, and devotion to her became especially strong in France, Canada, Brittany, and the Holy Land. One of the most beloved pilgrimage sites is the Basilica of Saint Anne, built over the traditional site of Mary’s childhood home. Pilgrims have visited that peaceful church for centuries, reflecting on the hidden years before the Annunciation.
Saint Anne, in particular, became one of the most beloved saints of the Middle Ages. Artists frequently portrayed her teaching the young Virgin Mary to read the Scriptures, an image that beautifully captures the Church’s understanding of Christian parenthood: passing on the faith, one generation to the next.
Perhaps that is why Joachim and Anne continue to resonate with so many families today. They remind us that holiness often begins at the dinner table, in bedtime prayers, in patient instruction, and in the quiet faithfulness of parents and grandparents whose names may never be widely known.
Saints Joachim and Anne, faithful grandparents of Our Lord and teachers of the Mother of God, pray for us.
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The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition.
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The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood.
Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls.
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