July 26.   St Joachim and St Anne.   We know almost nothing about Mary’s parents, the grandparents of Jesus except what is in one of the apocryphal gospels.  Maybe they lived in the same village and Jesus could go and visit after his lessons.  Maybe they did grandparent things, played a game, told stories and watched as he grew up.  Maybe they were there to support Mary in the very difficult times that lay before her.  We can imagine such situations. Creating scripture imaginative meditations is a good thing as it helps us see with different eyes and understand things in a different way.

Scripture:   Let us praise the famous and our fathers in their generation.   These were men of mercy whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten; their prosperity will remain with their descendants and their inheritance with their children’s children. Sirach 44: 1, 10-15.  Pope Francis: One fruit that we are called to bring forth is protecting the world. “Our grandparents held us in their arms and carried us on their knees. Now is the time for us to carry on our own knees – with practical assistance or with prayer alone – not only our own grandchildren but also the many frightened grandchildren whom we have not yet met and who may be fleeing from war, or suffering its effects.   Let us hold in our hearts – like St Joseph, who was a loving and attentive father – the little ones of Ukraine, of Afghanistan, of South Sudan.  From Message for Grandparents and Elderly 2022.