Saint Joachim, Détail d’un vitrail de
l’église Saint-Alexis à Griesheim-près-Molsheim.
Saints Anne et Joachim
Mère et père de la Vierge Marie (1er s.)
Marie est présentée dans les évangiles comme une jeune fille de Nazareth, fiancée de Joseph dont les ascendants sont longuement énumérés dans la généalogie du Seigneur.
Les quatre Évangiles, entièrement tournés vers la Bonne Nouvelle du Christ, sa vie, ses paroles et sa Résurrection, ne font nulle mention de la famille de Marie, sans doute fixée aussi à Nazareth.
La tradition, dès les premiers siècles, appellent les parents de la Vierge Marie, Joachim ("Dieu accorde") et Anne ("La Grâce - la gracieuse").
L'imagination des auteurs des Évangiles apocryphes en fait un couple discret, mais il était bien réel et il a su accueillir, éduquer Marie et l'éveiller dans la grâce toute spéciale qui était la sienne, et qu'ils ignoraient.
Le culte de sainte Anne apparaît dès le VIe siècle dans certaines liturgies orientales et, au VIIIe siècle dans les liturgies d'Occident. Son culte est généralisé avant la fin du XIVe siècle.
Sainte Anne est souvent représentée apprenant à lire à sa fille dans le livre de la Bible. Une icône russe, image gracieuse de l'amour conjugal, immortalise le baiser qu'ils se donnèrent lorsqu'ils apprirent la conception de Marie. C'est ainsi qu'ils ont participé au mystère de l'Incarnation.
"La mémoire des saints Joachim et Anne, parents de la Vierge et donc grands-parents de Jésus, que l'on célèbre aujourd'hui, m'offre un deuxième point de réflexion. Cette célébration fait penser au thème de l'éducation, qui a une place importante dans la pastorale de l’Église. Elle nous invite en particulier à prier pour les grands-parents, qui, dans la famille, sont les dépositaires et souvent les témoins des valeurs fondamentales de la vie. La tâche éducative des grands-parents est toujours très importante, et elle le devient encore davantage quand, pour diverses raisons, les parents ne sont pas en mesure d'assurer une présence adéquate auprès de leurs enfants, à l'âge de la croissance. Je confie à la protection de sainte Anne et saint Joachim tous les grands-parents du monde en leur adressant une bénédiction spéciale. Que la Vierge Marie, qui - selon une belle iconographie - apprit à lire les Saintes Écritures sur les genoux de sa mère Anne, les aide à toujours nourrir leur foi et leur espérance aux sources de la Parole de Dieu. (Benoît XVI - Angelus du 26 juillet 2009)
La Bretagne, après la découverte d'une statue miraculeuse, dans le champ du Bocéno, lui a construit une basilique à Sainte-Anne d'Auray, et en a fait sa "patronne". Les marins par le fait même l'ont choisie comme protectrice.
Sainte Anne est la patronne de la province de Québec. Tous les diocèses du Canada ont au moins une église dédiée à Sainte Anne.
Voir aussi:
- Les
saints du diocèse de Quimper et Léon.
- L'Église d’Apt est l’une des premières en Occident à
avoir, dès le XIIe siècle, mis à honneur le culte de Sainte Anne, aïeule du
Christ, dont la fête solennelle figure déjà, au 26 juillet, dans deux
manuscrits liturgiques locaux. (Sainte
Anne - diocèse d'Avignon)
Un internaute nous a suggéré de rajouter dans la liste
des Saint
Patrons Sainte Anne comme patronne des ébénistes. En effet, lorsque que les
menuisiers en meubles se sont séparés de la corporation des menuisiers, sous le
patronage de Saint Joseph, pour créer la corporation des Ébénistes, ils ont
choisi choisis comme Patronne Sainte Anne, mère de la Sainte Vierge et ...
belle mère de Saint Joseph... Un curé a donné l'explication de ce choix: en
concevant Marie, Sainte Anne a simplement conçu le premier Tabernacle...
Mémoire (au Québec: Fête) des saints Joachim et Anne, les parents de la Vierge Marie immaculée, Mère de Dieu, dont les noms ont été conservés par d’antiques traditions chrétiennes.
Martyrologe romain
Figur des Heiligen Joachim am Altar der Marienkapelle. Waidhofen an der Ybbs - Pfarrkirche hll Maria Magdalena und Lambert
SOURCE : http://magnificat.ca/cal/fr/saints/saint_joachim.html
Icona grega amb Joaquim, Anna i la Mare de Déu
Anne et Joachim, parents de la Vierge Marie
Le 26 juillet, l'Église célèbre sainte Anne et saint
Joachim, les parents de la Vierge Marie et les grands-parents de Jésus. Les
Évangiles ne disent rien sur eux. Leurs noms sont mentionnés pour la première
fois dans un écrit du 2e siècle, le Protévangile de Jacques, attribué
à saint Jacques le Mineur. C'est par ce couple béni que va naître Marie qui
mettra au monde Jésus le Christ. Selon la tradition, ce couple est stérile.
Anne promet de consacrer au Seigneur l'enfant qui naîtrait d'elle. Conformément
au voeu, Anne et Joachim amènent Marie au Temple. Elle est âgée de trois ans;
c'est là qu'elle recevra son éducation.
Le culte de sainte Anne est plus ancien que celui de
son époux. Ce culte a grandi dans le rayonnement de celui de la Vierge Marie.
Anne est honorée très tôt à Jérusalem. Le 26 juillet marque probablement
l'anniversaire de la dédicace d'une basilique dédiée à sainte Anne au 6ème
siècle à Constantinople.
Elle apparaît au laboureur Yvon Nicolazic le 25
juillet 1624 et lui dit en breton: "Ne craignez pas ! Je suis Anne, la
mère de Marie. Je désire que soit rebâtie au plus tôt la chapelle dédiée à mon
nom et que vous en preniez soin parce que Dieu veut que j'y sois honorée."
De fait, le champ du Bocenno qu'il cultivait avait déjà abritée une chapelle
dédiée à sainte Anne. Quelques mois plus tard, on trouve et déterre une vieille
statue. Les foules vont affluer. Ainsi est né le sanctuaire de Sainte-Anne d'Auray, premier
lieu de pèlerinage breton.
Je suis déjà allé en pèlerinage à ce sanctuaire, ce
qui n'est pas étonnant pour un Québécois, puisque sainte Anne est la patronne
de la province de Québec, comme elle l'est de la province de Bretagne. Le culte
de la grand-mère de Jésus était très populaire chez les marins bretons qui se
mettaient sous sa protection avant de prendre la mer. Il a été accueilli avec
ferveur au Canada, surtout en Acadie (Sainte-Anne du Bocage)
et au Québec, où elle est spécialement évoquée dans la majestueuse
basilique Sainte-Anne
de Beaupré.
Mais ne séparons pas ce que Dieu a uni. Que serait
Anne sans Joachim, et celui-ci sans son épouse? Je leur ai donc composé ce
chant de bénédiction.
Réjouis-toi, Anne la priante,
toi qui n’enfantais pas!
Jubile de joie en Dieu!
Le fruit que tu portes
est comblé de grâce
dès sa conception.
Danse, Joachim le juste!
Chante de tout ton cœur
le Dieu de tes pères
qui prendra ta fille
pour donner son Christ
à tout l’univers.
Heureux votre couple
par qui est venue la bénédiction
promise à tous les peuples.
Bienheureuse famille
de qui jaillira le Messie
qui vaincra la mort à jamais.
SOURCE : https://www.jacquesgauthier.com/blog/entry/anne-et-joachim-parents-de-la-vierge-marie.html
Giotto di Bondone (–1337). Cycle of the Life of Joachim: Expulsion of Joachim from the Temple, 1303-1305, fresco , 200 x 185, Scrovegni Chapel
Homélie pour la nativité de la Vierge
Marie
Puisque la Vierge Mère de Dieu devait naître de sainte
Anne, la nature n'a pas osé anticiper sur la grâce : la nature demeura
stérile jusqu'à ce que la grâce eût porté son fruit. Il fallait qu'elle naquît
la première, celle qui devait enfanter le premier-né antérieur à toute
créature, en qui tout subsiste.
Joachim et Anne, heureux votre couple ! Toute la
création est votre débitrice. C'est par vous, en effet, qu'elle a offert au
Créateur le don supérieur à tous les dons une mère toute sainte, seule digne de
celui qui l'a créée.
Réjouis-toi, Anne, la stérile, toi qui n'enfantais
pas ; éclate en cris de joie, toi qui n'as pas connu les douleurs.
Réjouis-toi, Joachim : par ta fille un enfant nous est né, un fils nous a
été donné. On proclame son nom : Messager du grand dessein de Dieu, qui
est le salut de tout l'univers, Dieu fort. Oui, cet enfant est Dieu.
Joachim et Anne, heureux votre couple, et parfaitement
pur ! On vous a reconnus grâce à votre fruit, selon cette parole du
Seigneur : Vous les reconnaîtrez à leurs fruits. Vous avez eu
une conduite agréable à Dieu et digne de celle que vous avez engendrée. A cause
de votre vie chaste et sainte, vous avez produit le joyau de la virginité,
celle qui devait être vierge avant l'enfantement, vierge en mettant au monde,
vierge après la naissance ; la seule toujours vierge d'esprit, d'âme et de
corps.
Joachim et Anne, couple très chaste ! En
observant la chasteté, cette loi de la nature, vous avez mérité ce qui dépasse
la nature : vous avez engendré pour le monde celle qui sera, sans
connaître d'époux, la Mère de Dieu. En menant une vie pieuse et sainte dans la
nature humaine, vous avez engendré une fille supérieure aux anges, qui est
maintenant la Souveraine des anges. Enfant très gracieuse et très douce !
Fille d'Adam et Mère de Dieu ! Heureux ton père et ta mère ! Heureux
les bras qui t'ont portée ! Heureuses les lèvres qui, seules, ont reçu tes
chastes baisers pour que tu demeures toujours parfaitement vierge. Acclamez
Dieu, terre entière, sonnez, dansez, jouez. Elevez la voix, élevez-la, ne
craignez pas.
Saint Jean Damascène
Giotto di Bondone (–1337). Cycle of the
Life of Joachim: Joachim among the Shepherds, 1303-1305, fresco ,
200 x 185, Scrovegni Chapel
Sainte Anne, au jour de votre fête, nous venons vers
vous pleins d'espoir et pleins de soucis pour nos enfants. Nous sommes, fils de
Marie, vos petits enfants et ils sont nos enfants ; pour eux nous vous
prions. Apprenez-nous à les éduquer dans la foi et à les aimer sans égoïsme. Ce
sont nos enfants et ils nous échappent ; sans démissionner, nous vous les
confions. Gardez l'unité de notre foyer ; elle sera notre force et leur
force. Nous les aimons, que notre amour les aide à découvrir l'amour que Dieu a
pour chacun d'eux. Nous avons peur qu'ils tournent mal, peur de leurs faux pas.
S'ils se détournent de leurs devoirs, s'ils se détournent de Dieu, alors, alors
surtout, rendez-nous capables de les aimer plus encore comme le Père aimait son
enfant prodigue. Sainte Anne, purifiez notre affection. Sainte Anne,
gardez-nous et gardez-les ; gardez les foyers qui nous entourent, que tous
soient respectueux du Saint-Esprit à l'½uvre en chacun d'eux. Amen.
Giotto di Bondone (–1337). Cycle of the
Life of Joachim: Annunciation to St Anne, 1303-1305, fresco ,
200 x 185, Scrovegni Chapel
Histoire du sanctuaire Sainte Anne d'Auray
Yves Nicolazic, du village de Ker-Anna, était apprécié
de tous. On le disait intelligent, judicieux et honnête. Sa moralité et sa
piété étaient données en exemple. Depuis son enfance, il avait une tendre
dévotion pour Sainte Anne, il l'appelait sa « bonne maîtresse ». L'une.
La tradition orale prétendait qu'il y avait eu jadis, sur une des terres de sa
ferme qui était appelée le Bocenno, une chapelle dédiée à sainte Anne. C'était
un champ donnant des récoltes abondantes qui ne demandait pas à être mis en
jachère ; il devait être travaillé à la bêche, les b½ufs refusant d'y
tirer la charrue. En contrebas, l'abreuvoir du village était alimenté en eau
par une fontaine antique.
Un soir du début août 1622, Nicolazic qui priait
« sa bonne maîtresse », vit un flambeau qui éclaira subitement sa
chambre. Le phénomène se renouvela six semaines plus tard. En août 1623, en
compagnie de son beau-frère Le Roux, il mena les b½ufs à l'abreuvoir ; ils
virent « une dame majestueuse rayonnant de lumière qui souriait, mais ne
dit pas mot. »
Le 25 juillet 1625 au soir (veille de la fête de
Sainte Anne), alors que Nicolazic rentrait d'Auray, la dame lui apparut à
nouveau la Dame qui le précédait en tenant un flarnbeau ; elle lui
dit : « Yvon Nicolazic, ne craint pas. Je suis Anne, mère de Marie.
Il y avait ici autrefois une chapelle qui m'était dédiée. C'était la première
de tout le pays. Il y a neuf cent vingt-quatre ans et six mois qu'elle est
ruinée. Je désire qu'elle soit rebâtie au plus tôt, et que vous en preniez
soin, parce que Dieu veut que je sois honorée ici. »
Si Nicolazic s'était endormi joyeux, dès le lendemain
il fut tenaillé par les doutes. Qu'allaient penser ses voisins, la famille et
surtout les prêtres ? Sainte Anne vint le rassurer. Puis ce furent les
doutes sur les moyens nécessaires à cette construction. Sainte Anne apparut
plusieurs fois pour le soutenir : « Ne vous mettez pas en peine mon
bon Nicolazic, je vous donnerai de quoi commencer l 'ouvrage... tous les
trésors du Ciel sont en mes mains. » Le Recteur qui refusa catégoriquement
d'accueillir sa demande de construction d'une chapelle et le menaça de lui
interdire les sacrements s'il persévérait. Quelle souffrance pour un homme
pieux, fidèle à son Eglise, de ne pas être cru, alors qu'il a eu suffisamment
de preuve qu'il n'est pas abusé pas : c'est bien Sainte Anne qu'il a vue et
avec laquelle il s'est entretenu.
Dans la nuit du 7 mars 1625, alors qu'il était en
prière dans sa chambre Sainte Anne apparut à nouveau, pour lui demander de
rassembler ses voisins et de suivre le flambeau qui avait précédé son
apparition. Arrivés au Bocenno les six hommes creusèrent le sol à l'endroit où
le flambeau s'était immobilisé ; ils retirent du sol une statue de bois,
abîmée par un long séjour en terre. Rapidement la nouvelle de la découverte de
la statue s'est répandue et des milliers de personnes accoururent au Bocenno
pour prier.
L'évêque de Vannes ordonna une enquête méticuleuse et
sévère qui reconnut la sincérité et la loyauté de Nicolazic ; Mgr de
Rosmadec autorisa la reconstruction de la chapelle dont la première pierre fut
solennellement posée le 26 juillet 1625. L'immense foule des pèlerins ayant
abîmé ses cultures, il répondit : « Je ne me soucie que d'une chose,
que Sainte Anne soit honorée. » Il a pris en main les travaux de la
construction.
La chapelle devenue trop petite a été démontée en 1865
pour construire à sa place la grande basilique de Sainte Anne d'Auray.La statue
en bois d'olivier découverte le 7 mars 1625 a été brisée et brûlée dans la
tourmente révolutionnaire, un reste calciné a été recueilli et placé dans la
châsse de la statue de Sainte Anne, en 1825.
SOURCE : http://missel.free.fr/Sanctoral/07/26.php
Giotto di Bondone (–1337). Cycle of the
Life of Joachim: Joachim's Sacrificial Offering, 1303-1305, fresco ,
200 x 185, Scrovegni Chapel
Also known as
Heli
Profile
Husband of Saint Anne, elderly father of
the Blessed Virgin
Mary. Grandfather of
Jesus Christ. Probably well off. Tradition says that while he was away from
home, he and Anne each
received a message from an angel that she
was pregnant.
Believed to have given Mary to the
service of the Temple when the girl was
three years old.
Joachim is mentioned in neither historical nor canonical writings.
The information we have on Joachim derives mainly from the apocryphal Protoevangelium
of James.
Born
Galilean
the traditional tomb of Saint Anne and Saint Joachim
was rediscovered in Jerusalem in 1889
—
in Brazil
in Puerto
Rico
man bringing a lamb to the
altar and being turned away by the priest
greeting and/or kissing Saint Anne at
the Golden Gate
elderly man
carrying a basket of doves and
a staff
elderly man
with the child Mary
Additional Information
Book
of Saints, by Father Lawrence
George Lovasik, S.V.D.
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Francis
Xavier Weninger
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other sites in english
sitios en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
sites en français
Abbé Christian-Philippe Chanut
images
video
fonti in italiano
Readings
Joachim and Anne, how
blessed a couple! All creation is indebted to you. For at your hands the
Creator was offered a gift excelling all other gifts: a chaste mother,
who alone was worthy of him. Joachim and Anne, how
blessed and spotless a couple! You will be known by the fruit you have borne,
as the Lord says: “By their fruits you will know them.” The conduct of your
life pleased God and was worthy of your daughter. For by the chaste and holy
life you led together, you have fashioned a jewel of virginity: she who
remained a virgin before, during, and after giving birth. She along for all
time would maintain her virginity in mind and soul as well as in body. Joachim
and Anne,
how chaste a couple! While leading a devout and holy life in your human nature,
you gave birth to a daughter nobler than the angels, whose queen
she now is. – from a sermon by Bishop Saint John
Damascene
MLA Citation
“Saint Joachim“. CatholicSaints.Info. 4 July
2021. Web. 26 July 2021. <https://catholicsaints.info/saint-joachim/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-joachim/
Giotto di Bondone (–1337). Cycle of the
Life of Joachim: Joachim's Dream, 1303-1305, fresco ,
200 x 185, Scrovegni Chapel / Civic Museums of Padua
St. Joachim
Joachim (whose name means Yahweh prepares), was the father of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
If we were to obey the warning of St. Peter Damian, we should consider it a blameable and needless curiosity to inquire about those things that the Evangelists did not deem it advisable to relate, and, in particular, about the parents of the Blessed Virgin (Serm. iii de Nativ. B.M.V.). Tradition nevertheless, grounded on very old testimonies, very early hailed Saints Joachim and Anne as the father and mother of the Mother of God. True, this tradition seems to rest ultimately on the so-called "Gospel of James", the "Gospel of the Nativity of the Blessed Mary", and the Pseudo-Matthew, or "Book of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the Childhood of the Saviour"; and this origin is likely to rouse well-founded suspicions. It should be borne in mind, however, that the apocryphal character of these writings, that is to say, their rejection from the canon, and their ungenuineness do not imply that no heed whatever should be taken of some of their assertions; side by side, indeed, with unwarranted and legendary facts, they contain some historical data borrowed from reliable traditions or documents; and difficult though it is to distinguish in them the wheat from the tares, it would be unwise and uncritical indiscriminately to reject the whole. Some commentators, who believe that the genealogy given by St. Luke is that of the Blessed Virgin, find the mention of Joachim in Heli (Luke 3:23; Eliachim, i.e. Jeho-achim), and explain that Joseph had, in the eyes of the law, become by his marriage the son of Joachim. That such is the purpose and the meaning of the Evangelist is very doubtful, and so is the identification proposed between the two names Heli and Joachim. Neither can it be asserted with certainty, in spite of the authority of the Bollandists, that Joachim was Heli's son and Joseph's brother; nor, as is sometimes affirmed, from sources of very doubtful value, that he had large possessions in herds and flocks. Much more interesting are the beautiful lines in which the "Gospel of James" describes how, in their old age, Joachim and Anne received the reward of their prayers to obtain issue. Tradition has it that the parents of the Blessed Virgin, who, apparently, first lived in Galilee, came later on to settle in Jerusalem; there the Blessed Virgin was born and reared; there also they died and were buried. A church, known at various epochs as St. Mary, St. Mary ubi nata est, St. Mary in Probatica, Holy Probatica, St. Anne, was built during the fourth century, possibly by St. Helena, on the site of the house of St. Joachim and St. Anne, and their tombs were there honoured until the close of the ninth century, when the church was converted into a Moslem school. The crypt which formerly contained the holy tombs was rediscovered on 18 March, 1889.
St. Joachim was honoured very
early by the Greeks, who celebrate his feast on
the day following the Blessed
Virgin's birthday; the Latins were slow to admit it to their calendar,
where it found place sometimes on 16 Sept. and sometimes on 9 Dec. Assigned
by Julius
II to 20 March, the solemnity was suppressed some fifty years later,
restored by Gregory
XV (1622), fixed by Clement
XII (1738) on the Sunday after the Assumption, and finally raised to
the rank of double of the second class by Leo
XIII (1 Aug., 1879).
Souvay, Charles. "St. Joachim." The
Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton
Company, 1910. 26 Jul.
2021 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08406b.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed for
New Advent by Paul T. Crowley. In Memoriam, Mr. Francis Crowley & Mr.
Francis McHugh.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. October
1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal
Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2020 by Kevin Knight.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08406b.htm
Giotto di Bondone (–1337). Cycle of the
Life of Joachim: meeting of Joachim and
Anne at the Golden Gate , 1303-1305, fresco ,
200 x 185, Scrovegni Chapel / Civic Museums of Padua
Saints Joachim and Anne, Grandparents of Jesus
All our information concerning the names and lives of
Sts. Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary and grandparents of Our Lord, is
derived from apocryphal literature, the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary, the
Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew and the Protoevangelium of James.
Though the earliest form of the latter, on which
directly or indirectly the other two seem to be based, goes back to about A.D.
150, we can hardly accept as beyond doubt its various statements on its sole
authority. In the East the Protoevangelium had great authority and portions of
it were read on the feasts of Mary by the Greeks, Syrians, Copts, and Arabians.
In the West, however, it was rejected by the Fathers of the Church until its
contents were incorporated by Jacobus de Voragine in his “Golden Legend” in the
thirteenth century. From that time on the story of St. Anne spread over the
West and was amply developed, until St. Anne became one of the most popular
saints also of the Latin Church.
The Protoevangelium gives the following account: In Nazareth
there lived a rich and pious couple, Joachim and Anne. They were childless.
When on a feast day Joachim presented himself to offer sacrifice in the temple,
he was repulsed by a certain Ruben, under the pretext that men without
offspring were unworthy to be admitted. Whereupon Joachim, bowed down with
grief, did not return home, but went into the mountains to make his plaint to
God in solitude.
Also Anne, having learned the reason of the prolonged absence of her husband, cried to the Lord to take away from her the curse of sterility, promising to dedicate her child to the service of God. Their prayers were heard; an angel came to Hannah and said: “Anne, the Lord has looked upon thy tears; thou shalt conceive and give birth and the fruit of thy womb shall be blessed by all the world”. The angel made the same promise to Joachim, who returned to his wife. Hannah gave birth to a daughter whom she called Miriam (Mary).
SOURCE : http://www.ucatholic.com/saints/joachim-and-anne/
Tjaarke Maas (1974–2004), Saints Joachim and Anne, 1997, egg tempera, gold leaf on wood, 32 x
24, http://www.tjaarkemaas-arts.net/Icons.html
Saints
of the Day – Joachim and Ann, Parents of Mary
Article
1st century; the feast is kept on September 9 in the
East. Tradition has assigned the names Joachim and Anne (meaning “gracious” in
Hebrew) to the parents of the Blessed Virgin, although there is some thought
that her father’s name may actually have been Heli (Luke 3:23), though it is
very uncertain. Joachim has been assigned other names as well in other
apocryphal writings: Cleopas, Eliacim, Jonachir, and Sadoc. The names Anne and
Joachim derive from an early apocryphal writing called the Protoevangelium of
James (2nd century), which professes to give an account of Mary’s birth and
early life. The story parallels that of the Biblical narrative (1 Samuel 1) of
the childless Hannah bearing Samuel. It is worth noting that in Hebrew Anne and
Hannah are the same name. Whatever their names, they were highly extolled by
Saints John Damascene, Epiphanius, and Gregory of Nyssa as the model for
Christian spouses and parents, who principal duty is the holy education of
their children. By this they glorify their Creator, perpetuate His honor on
earth, and sanctify their own souls. Saint Paul says that it is by the
education of their children that parents are to be saved. Nor does he admit
anyone to serve the altar, whose sons do not, by their holy conduct, give
proofs of a virtuous education. Nevertheless, many parents are more solicitous
about establishing their children in the world than by providing them with a
good example and teaching them Christian virtue.
Although nothing is known about either of them,
tradition fills up the story of their lives. Joachim is said to have been born
at Nazareth and married Anne when he was still a young man. He was a rich
farmer who possessed great herds. Because they had no children for many years,
Joachim was publicly mocked – to be childless was considered a punishment for
unworthiness. One day the Temple priest even refused Joachim’s offering of a
lamb. In a last prayer for a child, he withdrew to the desert and fasted for
forty days.
Anne’s father is said to have been a nomadic Jew named
Akar, who brought his wife to Nazareth for their daughter’s birth. Anne, too,
after her marriage to Joachim, was saddened that God had not blessed them with
children. She would weep and pray for God to answer her prayer. One day as she
was praying beneath a laurel tree feeling that even Joachim had abandoned her
(he was in the desert), an angel is said to have told her that God had heard
her prayers [image]. She would have a child who would be praised throughout the
world. Anne replied, “As my God lives, if I should conceive either a boy or a
girl, the child shall be a gift to my God, serving Him in holiness throughout
the whole of its life.”
Then the angel told her to run and meet her husband,
who in obedience to another angel, was returning with his herds. They met by
the Golden Gate and from that time Anne prepared for the blessed event. Saint
Anne gave birth to Mary when she was about 40. It is said that Anne kept her
promise and placed Mary in the service of God at the Temple when she was but
three years old. According to tradition, she and Joachim lived to see the birth
of Jesus and Joachim died just after seeing his divine grandchild presented in
the Temple at Jerusalem, and was buried in Jerusalem.
Emperor Justinian I built a church at Constantinople
in honor of Saint Anne, about the year 550. Codinus mentions another built by
Justinian II, in 705. Her body was brought from Palestine to Constantinople in
710, whence some portions of her relics have been dispersed in the West, where
they are claimed by Duren (Rheinland, Germany), Apt-en-Provence (France), and
Canterbury, Durham, and Reading (England).
The liturgical cultus of Saint Anne appears in the 6th
century in the East and the 8th in the West. In the 10th century, feast of the
Conception of Anne was celebrated in Naples, spread to Canterbury in about
1100, and was kept at Worcester soon after; however, it was not generally
observed until late in the 14th century spurred by the growing interest in the
Blessed Virgin. The cultus of Anne became an object of bitter attack by Martin
Luther, especially the images of her with Jesus and Mary – a favorite subject
of Renaissance painters. In response, the Holy See extended her feast to the
Universal Church in 1584.
Joachim has been honored in the East from time
immemorial; but only since the 16th century in the West. The cultus of Saint
Joachim began in the East with artistic representations as on the columns of
Saint Mark’s in Venice, Italy – which date to the 6th century. The hesitancy of
the Catholic Church in allowing an official cultus of Joachim can be seen in
the authorization of the feast by Julius II, its suppression by Saint Pius V,
and restoration by Gregory XV. Clement II placed it in August and Leo XIII
raised its rank. In the West, Joachim is in the Roman Martyrology on March 20,
but his feast was on August 16 until it was joined with that of Saint Anne.
The Bollandist Father Cuper has collected a great
number of miracles wrought through the intercession of Saint Anne (Attwater,
Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Farmer, Encyclopedia, Husenbeth, White).
In art, Saint Anne is often portrayed (1) with the
Virgin Mary holding the Infant Jesus in her lap; (2) being kissed by Saint
Joachim at the Golden Gate; (3) in pictures of the birth of her daughter; (4)
teaching the young Mary to read or embroider (e.g., in 13th-century manuscripts
at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, and wall-paintings at Croughton,
Northantshire); or (5) holding the Blessed Virgin in one arm and the Holy Child
in the other (Roeder). There are pictures of Anne at Santa Maria Antiqua dating
to the 8th century (Farmer).
Saint Joachim is generally shown as an old man leading
the Blessed Virgin as a child. He may also be depicted (1) bringing a lamb to
the altar and being turned away by the priest; (2) greeting Saint Anne at the
Golden Gate; or (3) carrying a basket of doves and a staff (Roeder). The most
famous cycle of paintings of the two together are those of Giotto in the Arena
Chapel at Padua, Italy, but the images were well known elsewhere.
MLA Citation
Katherine I Rabenstein. Saints
of the Day, 1998. CatholicSaints.Info.
21 July 2020. Web. 26 July 2021.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saints-of-the-day-joachim-and-ann-parents-of-mary/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saints-of-the-day-joachim-and-ann-parents-of-mary/
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528). Joachim
et l'Ange, ( Life of the Virgin : annunciation
of the birth of Mary to Joachim), circa 1504, woodcut
print, 29.8 x 21, Petit Palais
Goffine’s Devout Instructions –
Feast of Saint Joachim
Sunday after the
Feast of the Assumption
Joachim also called Heli, the happy father of Mary,
came of the royal line of David, and was from his youth brought up in piety and
the fear of God. His married life with the pious aud chaste Ann was childless
until they had reached a great age. His continual prayer and other good works
were theu rewarded by God with that blessed child whose birth was the beginning
of our salvation. He reared her in the fear of the Lord, offered her in her
tenderest years to God in the temple at Jerusalem, and soon after gave up his
spirit into the hands of his Creator. Oh, that all Christian parents might
learn from the parents of Mary to train up their children, not for the world,
but for God, from Whom they have received them, and Who will one day require
them again from their hands!
Prayer
O God, Who wast pleased that, before all Thy saints,
blessed Joachim should be the father of her who bore Thy Son, grant, we beseech
Thee, that we may ever experience his patronage whose festival we celebrate.
Through the same Jesus Christ, Amen.
Epistle: Ecclesiasticus 31:8-11
Blessed is the man that is found without blemish, and
that hath not gone after gold, nor put his trust in money nor in treasures. Who
is he and we will praise him, for he hath done wonderful things in his life. Who
hath been tried thereby, and made perfect, he shall have glory everlasting. He
that could have transgressed, and hath not transgressed, could do evil things,
and hath not done them; therefore are his goods established in the Lord.
Gospel: Matthew 1:1-16
Prayer
O blessed and happy pair, Joachim and Ann, to whom the
Almighty gave for a daughter the immaculate Virgin, the Mother of Our Lord
Jesus Christ, a grace which is a speaking evidence of your purity, and of your
lives being perfectly ordered according to the will of God – oh, obtain for me
grace, that I may serve God chastely. Procure also for an Christian parents the
help of the Almighty, that they may bring up their children in piety, and
thereby become worthy to partake of your happiness. Amen.
Goffine’s Devout Instructions
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/feast-of-saint-joachim/
Andreas Herrlein (1738–1817), Nativity of the
Theotokos, 1811, Polhov Gradec church, www.restavratorstvo-sentjost.si
Weninger’s Lives of the Saints –
Saint Joachim, Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Article
Saint Joachim, the father of the Blessed Virgin, was a
native of Nazareth, a little town in Galilee. His parents, though occupying an
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; and it has been understood by several
teachers to signify that he would have a daughter whom he would prepare, by a
holy education, to be the dwelling of the Redeemer of the world. Arriving at
the years of manhood, he married Anna, a virtuous and chaste maiden of
Bethlehem, whom, without doubt, God had gifted with especial 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, among
their people and at their time, considered a great disgrace and a curse from
Heaven, 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. Saint Epiphanius relates
that, one day, while Saint 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. The joy, which filled
Saint Joachim when he heard this message, is 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 Saint Anna gave
birth to a daughter, who was born free from the stain of original sin, full of
the Holy Ghost, blessed above all women, and destined by Heaven to be the
Mother of the only-begotten Son of God. Saint Joachim, renewing his thanks to
the Almighty, redoubled his zeal in His service. As soon as the time had come
which the law prescribed, Saint Joachim and his holy spouse carried their
newborn child into the temple and offered it with great devotion to God,
redeemed it again according to the custom, and returned with it 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 Saint 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 recompensed 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 Saint Joachim expired in the
eightieth year of his age; but proofs of this are wanting. His death, however,
whenever it may have pleased the Almighty to call him, must have been precious
in the sight of God, as so holy a life had preceded it. It is also certain that
the glory of Saint Joachim in Heaven and his intercession with God arc
proportioned to his merit and dignity in having been chosen to be the father of
the Mother of God, and therefore, the grandfather of Jesus Christ. They who, in
need and sorrow, invoke him with confidence, will surely find that he is ever
ready to carry the petitions of the faithful to the throne of the Most High.
Saint Anne teaching Mary; Joachim looks on behind. Engraving by G. Huybrechts after P.P. Rubens.
Practical Considerations
• Saint Joachim lived with his holy spouse, Saint Ann,
in continual love and harmony; they made use of their worldly possessions to
honor God, decorate the temple and support the poor; they practiced patience
together; they prayed together, and together consecrated their beloved daughter
to God in the temple. Oh! that all married persons would follow their example,
and, in love and harmony, encourage each other to practice all Christian
virtues. According to Holy Writ, God has, as I have observed elsewhere,
expressed His pleasure with married people who agree well together. (Exodus 25)
But He abhors those who quarrel with each other, abuse, insult, defame or curse
each other, who prevent each other from doing good and even incite each other
to wicked deeds. And what do they gain by their contentions? They deprive
themselves of the assistance and grace of God, which they so much need in a
life which is difficult at the best. The Almighty, who is a God of peace and
harmony, cannot dwell where contention, strife, hatred and discord reign. They
must live together until death separates them, as nothing else can break their
ties. Therefore, if they live inharmoniously, they shorten their happiness in
this world, and what have they to expect in the next? Those who do not love
their neighbor with their whole heart will surely not enter the kingdom of
heaven; and who is nearer to a wife than her husband? who nearer the husband
than his wife, as according to Holy Writ, “the two are one flesh?” Christian
couples should therefore daily pray to God for charity and unity; and should
there come clouds between them, let them instantly inquire into the cause and
remove it, that their dissension may not gain ground until it is impossible to
uproot it, and thus draw upon them temporal and eternal misery. If their
disturbances are already far advanced, they must, as in every other sin, make a
firm resolution to live peaceably, agree to reform their conduct, else they are
on the way to destruction.
• Saint Joachim took refuge in prayer in his grief and
sorrow, and though God did not appear to hear him for a long time, he continued
with confidence, submitting to Providence, and abstaining from all complaints
and murmurs against God. Follow his example in trials and trouble. Seek shelter
in God; pray without ceasing; even if your prayer is not granted, do not
despair. Never complain or murmur against the Almighty; for He has His own
reasons, though you cannot comprehend them, for not immediately complying with
your request. Reflect a little on your past life, and see how often God has
called you and exhorted you to correct your faults, to become more zealous in
His service; and you closed your ears to His admonitions. How can you expect
that He will heed you immediately? How dare you complain, if He does not hear
you? Perhaps, too, your prayer is such as is unworthy to be heard by the
Almighty. You say your prayers, perhaps, with a thousand voluntary
distractions, and do not hear yourself. How, then, can you be surprised that
God does not hear them? Saint Bernard says: “I greatly insult the Almighty, if
I desire that He will hear my prayer, when I do not hear it myself, and pay no
attention to God nor to myself.” “If you desire to be heard by God, take heed
that you are first heard by yourself,” says Saint Ephrem, and he means that you
should perform your devotions with attention and devotion. If even then you are
not heard, think of the words of Saint Gregory, who says: “If you are not heard
immediately, do not leave off praying, but continue your prayer and increase
your devotion. God wishes to be begged. He will be forced, so to speak, and
will be vanquished by importunity.”
MLA Citation
Father Francis Xavier Weninger, DD, SJ. “Saint
Joachim, Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary”. Lives
of the Saints, 1876. CatholicSaints.Info.
9 April 2018. Web. 26 July 2021.
<https://catholicsaints.info/weningers-lives-of-the-saints-saint-joachim-father-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/>
Speculum Humanae Salvationis, Westfalen oder Köln, um
1360. ULB Darmstadt, Hs 2505, fol.
6v, circa 1360
Saint Joachim, Confessor
August 16
Today is the feast day of Saint Joachim. Ora pro
nobis.
The details about the father of Our Lady were given to
us by an apocryphal book, The Gospel of James. His name, Joachim,
means preparation for the Lord, and Anne means grace. (5)
by Father Francis Xavier Weninger, 1876
St. Joachim, the father of the Blessed Virgin, was a
native of Nazareth, a little town in Galilee. His parents, though occupying an
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; and it has been understood by several
teachers to signify that he would have a daughter whom he would prepare, by a
holy education, to be the dwelling of the Redeemer of the world. Arriving at
the years of manhood, he married Anna, a virtuous and chaste maiden of
Bethlehem, whom, without doubt, God had gifted with especial 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, among their people and at their
time, considered a great disgrace and a curse from Heaven, 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. The joy, which filled St. Joachim when he heard this
message, is 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 Ghost, 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 time had come which the law prescribed,
St. Joachim and his holy spouse carried their newborn child into the temple and
offered her with great devotion to God, redeemed it again according to the
custom, and returned with it 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 recompensed 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; but proofs of this are wanting. His death, however,
whenever it may have pleased the Almighty to call him, must have been precious
in the sight of God, as so holy a life had preceded it. It is also certain that
the glory of St. Joachim in Heaven and his intercession with God are
proportioned to his merit and dignity in having been chosen to be the father of
the Mother of God, and therefore, the grandfather of Jesus Christ. They who, in
need and sorrow, invoke him with confidence, will surely find that he is ever
ready to carry the petitions of the faithful to the throne of the Most High.
(2)
Saint Joachim
Adapted from The Liturgical Year by Abbot
Gueranger
From time immemorial the Greeks have celebrated the
Feast of St. Joachim on the day following Our Lady’s Nativity. The Maronites
kept it on the day after the Presentation in November, and the Armenians on the
Tuesday after the Octave of the Assumption of the Mother of God. The Latin
Church at first did not keep his Feast. Later on it was admitted and celebrated
sometimes on the day after the Octave of Our Lady’s Nativity, September 16,
sometimes on the day following the Immaculate Conception, December 9. Thus both
East and West agreed in associating St. Joachim with his illustrious Daughter
when they wished to do him honor.
About the year 1510, Pope Julius II placed the Feast
of the Grandfather of the Messias upon the Roman Calendar with the rank of
double major; and remembering that family, in which the ties of nature and of
grace were in such perfect harmony, he fixed the solemnity on March 20, the day
after that of his Son-in-law, St. Joseph. The life of the glorious Patriarch
resembled those of the first fathers of the Hebrew people; and it seemed as
though he were destined to imitate their wanderings also, by continually
changing his place upon the liturgical cycle.
Hardly 50 years after the Pontificate of Julius II the
critical spirit of the day (the Protestant revolution) cast doubts
upon the history of St. Joachim, and his name was erased from the Roman
breviary. Pope Gregory XV, however, re-established his Feast in 1622 as a
double, and the Church has since continued to celebrate it. Devotion to Our
Lady’s Father continuing to increase very much, the Holy See was petitioned to
make his Feast a holyday of obligation, as it had already made that of his
Spouse, St. Anne. In order to satisfy the devotion of the people without
increasing the number of days of obligation, Pope Clement XII in 1738
transferred the Feast of St. Joachim to the Sunday after the Assumption of his
Daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and restored to it the rank of double major.
On August 1, 1879, the Sovereign Pontiff Leo XIII, who
received the name of Joachim in Baptism, raised both the Feast of his glorious
Patron and that of St. Anne to the rank of double of the second class.
The following is an extract from the decree Urbi
et Orbi, announcing this decision with regard to the said Feasts:
“Ecclesiasticus teaches us that we ought to praise our fathers in their
generation; what great honor and veneration ought we then to render to St.
Joachim and St. Anne, who begot the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and are on
that account more glorious than all others.”
“By your fruits are you known,” says St. John
Damascene; “you have given birth to a Daughter who is far greater than the
angels and Who has become their glorious Queen.” Now since, through the Divine
Mercy, in our unhappy times the honor and devotion paid to the Blessed Virgin
requires an increase in proportion to the increasing needs of the true Catholic
people, it is only right that the glory which surrounds their Blessed Daughter
should redound upon Her happy parents. May this increase of devotion towards
them cause the Church to experience still more their powerful protection.
It may be wondered why the Gospel for the Mass of this
Feast is that of St. Matthew’s genealogy of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in which no
mention is made of St. Joachim. The Gospel ends with the words: …and Jacob
begot Joseph, the spouse of Mary, of whom was born Jesus; Who is called Christ.
“Rejoice, O Joachim, for of thy Daughter a Son is born to us,” exclaims St.
John Damascene. It is in this spirit the Church reads to us today the list of
the royal ancestors of Our Savior. St. Joseph, the descendant of these
illustrious princes, inherited their rights and passed them on to Jesus, Who
was his Son according to the Jewish law, though according to nature He was of
the line of His Virgin Mother alone.
St. Luke, Mary’s Evangelist, has preserved the names
of the direct ancestors of the Mother of the Man-God, springing from David in
the person of Nathan, Solomon’s brother. St. Joseph, the son of Jacob,
according to St. Matthew, appears in St. Luke as son of Heli. The reason is,
that by espousing Mary, Who was the only Daughter of Heli or Heliachim, that is
Joachim, St. Joseph became legally St. Joachim’s son and heir.
This is the generally accepted explanation of the two genealogies of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not surprising that Rome, the royal city who has become the Bride of the Son of Man in the place of the repudiated Sion, prefers to use in Her liturgy the genealogy which by its long line of royal ancestors emphasizes the Kingship of the Spouse over Jerusalem. The name of Joachim, which signifies “the preparation of the Lord,” is thus rendered more majestic, without losing aught of its mystical meaning. He is himself crowned with wonderful glory. Jesus, his Grandson, gives him a share in His own authority over every creature. (1)
Research by REGINA
Staff
http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-157/Joachim.htm
http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/St.%20Joachim.html
http://www.catholictradition.org/Saints/saints8-9.htm
http://sanctoral.com/en/saints/saint_joachim.html
https://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j224sd_Joachimi_08_16.html
https://www.crusaders-for-christ.com/blog/-genealogy-of-st-joachim-and-st-anne
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Annunciation_to_Joachim_~1520,_basilica,_Dobre_Miasto.jpg
SOURCE : https://www.reginamag.com/saint-joachim-confessor/
.jpg)
Saint Joachim,
Église militaire de Jean Népomucène, Hradschin, Prague.
San Gioacchino Padre della Beata Vergine
Maria
Anna e Gioacchino sono i genitori della Vergine Maria.
Gioacchino è un pastore e abita a Gerusalemme, anziano sacerdote è sposato con
Anna. I due non avevano figli ed erano una coppia avanti con gli anni. Un
giorno mentre Gioacchino è al lavoro nei campi, gli appare un angelo, per
annunciargli la nascita di un figlio ed anche Anna ha la stessa visione.
Chiamano la loro bambina Maria, che vuol dire «amata da Dio». Gioacchino porta
di nuovo al tempio i suoi doni: insieme con la bimba dieci agnelli, dodici vitelli
e cento capretti senza macchia. Più tardi Maria è condotta al tempio per essere
educata secondo la legge di Mosè. Sant'Anna è invocata come protettrice delle
donne incinte, che a lei si rivolgono per ottenere da Dio tre grandi favori: un
parto felice, un figlio sano e latte sufficiente per poterlo allevare. È
patrona di molti mestieri legati alle sue funzioni di madre, tra cui i lavandai
e le ricamatrici.
Etimologia: Gioacchino = Dio rende forti,
dall'ebraico
Martirologio Romano: Memoria dei santi Gioacchino
e Anna, genitori dell’immacolata Vergine Maria Madre di Dio, i cui nomi sono
conservati da antica tradizione cristiana.
Il culto dei santi genitori della Vergine Maria fu
tardivo in Occidente, con inizio timido intorno al 900-1000, mentre nell’Oriente
cristiano già nel VI secolo si avevano manifestazioni liturgiche rilevanti,
specialmente in collegamento con le feste mariane quali la Concezione e la
Natività. Si trattava di occasioni importanti per esprimere, con preghiere,
commenti e veri inni, la venerazione dei genitori della Madonna, in termini
moderni si direbbe per festeggiare la genitorialità di Sant’Anna e San
Gioacchino.
A cavallo della decisione di papa Gregorio XII
di unificare nel 1584 la loro festa liturgica al 26 luglio, si andavano diffondendo
i vari patronati specialmente per Anna, che significa “grazia “ e anche
“misericordia”, molto meno, quasi niente, per Gioacchino, che etimologicamente
sta per “Dio solleva”. Il nucleo di intercessioni per le quali la madre della
Vergine è invocata ancora oggi è assai ampio, sicuramente non meno di una
ventina. La maggior parte riguarda l’ambito della famiglia, ma anche l’area
sanitaria come febbri e neuropsicopatie. Pure molte categorie di lavoratori
sono poste, non sempre in maniera particolarmente motivata, sotto la protezione
di Anna.
La vicenda terrena dei genitori straordinari di
Maria, la madre di Gesù, è insieme delicata e illuminante. Volendo ben
riflettere, essi sono i nonni del Messia, quasi il simbolo della vecchia
umanità che sa aprirsi alla fecondità della grazia, il simbolo di un vecchio
tronco sul quale Dio andava innestando i germogli della fede e della santità
cristiana. Quindi quella vicenda non può che intrecciarsi con tanto di
miracoloso.
Paradossalmente delle due figure così
importanti nella storia della salvezza non vi è alcuna traccia nei Vangeli
canonici. Di loro viene trattato ampiamente nel Protovangelo di S. Giacomo, un
vangelo apocrifo del II secolo. Le elaborazioni posteriori di tale documento
aggiunsero via via altri particolari, che soltanto la devozione andava
dettando.
Dunque Anna e Gioacchino erano una coppia
anziana senza figli. Lei era una israelita della tribù di Giuda, figlia del
sacerdote betlemita Mathan, con discendenza quindi dalla stirpe davidica. Lui
era invece un galileo, molto ricco, solito a offrire una parte del ricavato dei
suoi beni al popolo e un’altra parte in sacrificio al Signore. Proprio in
occasione della presentazione di un proprio sacrificio al tempio di
Gerusalemme, egli veniva accusato di indegnità per la mancanza di prole nella
sua unione con Anna. In Israele andava così allora nei riguardi della
sterilità, considerata una mancanza della benedizione e del favore divino.
Gioacchino fu sconvolto da quel fatto e la
moglie particolarmente rattristata. Così egli lasciò la casa per ritirarsi nel
deserto a piangere nonché a pregare ed a digiunare per ottenere misericordia da
Dio. Questa non si fece attendere: un angelo apparve prima a Gioacchino e poi
ad Anna per informarli che il grembo inaridito dalla vecchiaia avrebbe dato
miracolosamente alla luce la più dolce e santa delle creature. Anna attese il
ritorno del marito, che stava per diventare padre, sulla porta di casa e li si
strinsero baciandosi. Tale porta diventò nelle varie elaborazioni della vicenda
la porta aurea di Gerusalemme, simbolo della ianua coeli. La porta del cielo
cioè, che sarà riaperta al genere umano per mezzo della Immacolata Concezione
della Vergine. Essa diventerà un frequente attributo nell’iconografia dei due
genitori.
L’arte pittorica dal 1100 in avanti produsse
poi una serie di capolavori con varie altre figurazioni, oltre all’incontro con
bacio tra i due sulla porta, quali l’annuncio del-l’angelo, un nido di uccelli,
le carezze a Maria Bambina, gli insegnamenti dei genitori alla figlia, la
presentazione di Maria al tempio e altre ancora. Ritornando al documento
apocrifo citato, Anna e Gioacchino, per mantenere un voto di ringraziamento al
Signore, avrebbero lasciata al tempio la propria figliola, quando questa ebbe
compiuto i tre anni di età.
Dopo qualche tempo essi morirono serenamente, anche se, per aggiungere un altro particolare, alcuni pittori si spinsero a raffigurare la morte di Anna molto più tardi onde farla assistere, nel momento del passaggio, dal nipote Gesù Bambino. Per i dipinti di Anna è anche il caso di ricordare che il suo manto è stato quasi sempre presentato in verde, il colore della gemma a primavera: come sopra accennato, in lei è in effetti germogliata la speranza del mondo.
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/23650
Bartolo di Fredi (1330–1410), Annonciation à Joachim, vers 1383, tempera et or sur bois, 25 x 37, Pinacothèque vaticane
Joachim
Gedenktag anglikanisch: 26. Juli
Gedenktag äthiopisch-orthodox: 2. April
Gedenktag syrisch-orthodox: 2. April, 25. Juli,
8. September, 9. September, 8. Dezember
Name
bedeutet: Gott wird aufrichten (hebr.)
Domenico Ghirlandaio: Joachim wird aus dem Tempel
geworfen, Fresko, 1486/90, in der Cappella Tornabuoni von Santa Maria Novella
in Florenz
Joachim und Anna sind
die legendären Eltern der Maria und
somit die Großeltern Jesu.
Das um 150 entstandene apokryphe Jakobusevangelium schildert Joachim als
frommen, reichen und freigiebigen Greis, der mit seiner Frau in Jerusalem lebte
- nach Johannes
von Damaskus am Schaftor. Andere Überlieferung nennt den alten Mann
einen Priester aus dem Stamm Levi oder
einen Nachfahren Davids aus
dem Stamm Juda. Joachims Opfer im Tempel wurde vom Oberpriester zunächst
zurückgewiesen, da er keine Nachkommen hatte. Joachim zog sich in die Wüste
zurück; ihm erschien ein Engel, traf ihn auf
dem Feld bei seinen Herden und dann seine Frau Anna in ihrem Haus; er wies
beide an, sich zu begegnen. Sie begegneten sich an der Goldenen
Pforte, das verheißene Kind Maria wurde geboren.
Giotto di Bondone:
Das Treffen am Goldenen Tor, Fresko, 1304/06, in der Cappella degli Scrovegni
in Padua
Sophronius
von Jerusalem und Johannes
von Damaskus berichteten vom Geburtshaus der Maria in Jerusalem,
das auf der Grundlage des Jakobusevangeliums im 5./6. Jahrhundert
entstandene Evangelium von der Geburt Mariä nennt als ihren
Geburtsort Nazaret.
Nach Epiphanios
von Salamis starb Joachim kurz nach Mariä
Tempelgang im Alter von 80 Jahren.
Für die griechische Kirche bereitete schon Epiphanios
von Salamis die apokryphe Überlieferung auf. Im Abendland wurde diese
durch Augustinus und Hieronymus zunächst
abgelehnt, setzte sich schließlich aber doch durch. Wichtige Vertreter der
Beförderung dieser Überlieferungen waren Roswitha
von Gandersheim, Fulbert
von Chartres, == Vinzenz von Beauvais und die Legenda
aurea des Jacobus
de Voragine.
Hans Holbein der
Ältere (um 1465 - 1524): Joachims Opfer, im Dom in Augsburg Giotto di Bondone: Joachim bei
den Hirten, Fresko, 1305, in der Cappella degli Scrovegni in Padua
1854 verkündete Papst Pius IX. das
Dogma von der Unbefleckten Empfängnis nicht nur des
Gottessohnes Jesus durch Maria, sondern
auch der Maria durch Anna. Bei der
Empfängnis Christi ist nach katholischer Lehre das Entscheidende die Empfängnis
durch die Kraft des Heiligen Geistes und die unversehrte Jungfrauschaft der
Gottesmutter Maria - vor, während und nach der Geburt. Bei der Empfängnis der
Maria durch Anna steht die Mitwirkung von Joachim außer Frage, die Besonderheit
ist jedoch, dass Gott Maria vom ersten Augenblick ihres Daseins von der
Erbsünde bewahrte. Das neue päpstliche Dogma stieß damals wie heute sowohl in
den protestantischen Kirchen wie in den Orthodoxen
Kirchen auf Ablehnung.
Eine Schädelreliquie von
Joachim wird in Köln in der Kirche
St. Kunibert aufbewahrt.
Schädelreliquiar, 16. Jahrhundert, in der Kirche
St. Kunibert in Köln
Seit der Kalenderreform ist
Joachims Gedenktag in der katholischen Kirche zusammen mit dem von Anna am 26.
Juli, vorher war es der 16. August.
Die Erzählung aus
dem Protevangelium des Jakobus gibt es online.
SOURCE : http://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienJ/Joachim.html
PROTÉVANGILE DE JACQUES LE MINEUR. Traduction
française : Gustave Brumet. Oeuvre numérisée par Marc Szwajcer: http://remacle.org/bloodwolf/apocryphes/jacques.htm
Voir aussi : https://www.christianiconography.info/joachim.html
