A Family Prayer to Saints Anne and Joachim
Written by: Sister Mary Valerie Schneider
Dear Saint Anne and Saint Joachim who have the honor of being the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the grandparents of Jesus, our prayer to you is wrapped with thoughts and desires for our own family. As our heavenly Father placed His beloved Son in the arms of Mary and Joseph and in the prayers and affections of Saints Anne and Joachim, we reflect upon our own children and grandchildren and pray for them.
Just as Jesus inherited His virtues and outlook on life through His family line, aid us in living lives of integrity worthy of imitation. We imagine Jesus watching Joseph work with wood and his mother carrying out the tasks of a Nazareth household. From them, He gained the knowledge that would one day become part of his parables. We recall that Jesus heard at His baptism in the Jordan River, “This is my Son, the Beloved,” words that may have echoed words of His mother as she rocked Him. As Anne and Joachim passed down their fidelity to the Mosaic Law, the Sabbath, the sacrifices and the traditions, may we pass on to future generations the need for prayer and works of mercy in our day.
May the affection of Anne and Joachim and the care of Mary and Joseph be traced in our own lines of ancestors and descendants. May God’s love permeate the whole human family. Together, may our family and all families sharing Planet Earth desire the flourishing and the deepest well-being of all people, all the children of one Father in heaven. May everyone rightfully claim identity as a beloved child of God.
Through the help of Saints Anne and Joachim, Mary and Joseph may we discover our gifts and the meaning of what we are called to do. Give us Your grace to live our vocation as parents, grandparents, relatives or friends and as members of the Household of God. In Jesus’ name and in the power of his Holy Spirit, we pray, Amen.
