Daily Bible Verse 101: The Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the Grandparents of Jesus Christ.

The Feast of St Joachim and Anne, the Grandparents of Jesus Christ.

"The children of Israel set out from Elim, and came into the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt.

"Here in the desert the whole assembly of the children of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

"The children of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!”

"Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will now rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion; thus will I test them, to see whether they follow my instructions or not. On the sixth day, however, when they prepare what they bring in, let it be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

"Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole congregation of the children of Israel: Present yourselves before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.” When Aaron announced this to the whole assembly of the children of Israel, they turned toward the desert, and lo, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud!

"The Lord spoke to Moses and said, “I have heard the grumbling of the children of Israel. Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread, so that you may know that I, the Lord, am your God.”

"In the evening quail came up and covered the camp. In the morning a dew lay all about the camp, and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground.

"On seeing it, the children of Israel asked one another, “What is this?” for they did not know what it was. But Moses told them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.”

(Exodus16:1-5, 9-15).

Wednesday 26th July 2023 in the 16th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the Grandparents of Jesus Christ.

This is what the Church says about Anne and Joachim:

"It was in the house of Joachim and Anne that the Virgin Mary received her training to be the Mother of God. Thus, devotion to Anne and Joachim is an extension of the affection Christians have always shown toward our Blessed Mother. We, too, owe a debt of gratitude to our parents for their help in our Christain formation." (Roman Missal).

"I came to you today as the little grandchild of Joachim and Anna. Tell Me that you are happy to have Me in this house, and invite Me to rule over your heart and in your life." (IN SINU JESU page 239).

Our first Reading continues the drama of the slow and painful trek of the Israelites to the Promised Land. Like our Journey to Heaven, expect trials, delays, obstacles.

The grumbling and impatience of the People angered God.

Moses became a mediator and intercessor. He became a type and figure of Jesus Christ, our Mediator.