Commemoration of the Glorious Saints Joachim and Anne
(9 September)
They are the ancestors of God according to the flesh and the parents of the Mother of God, the holy Virgin Mary.
Joachim and Anne were righteous before God, pure of heart and faithful to his commandments, and everyone knew them for their humility.
Joachim is a Hebrew name made of two parts: “Yahweh” and a verb meaning to establish, to make firm, to lay foundations.
Anne, his wife, also bears a Hebrew name, Hannah, which means grace, favour and tenderness.
According to tradition, Saint Joachim was from Nazareth, of the line of David, and Saint Anne was from Bethlehem, of the tribe of Judah. They were righteous, walking in the law of the Lord, united in one heart burning with love for God and neighbour, living in prayer and contemplation and waiting for the coming of the Saviour of the world. But they were sad, because they were growing old and had no child. They began to beg God to give them a child whom they would dedicate to his service, and he heard their prayer.
Anne gave birth to the Virgin Mary. When the Virgin was three years old, they presented her in the Temple, and they spent their lives in prayer and contemplation. Joachim reached the age of eighty and died in a good old age in the arms of Anne and his daughter Mary. Anne lived long enough to have the joy of seeing the Child Jesus, and then fell asleep in peace at the age of seventy-nine.
“By your holy Nativity, O most pure one, Joachim and Anne were freed from the reproach of barrenness, and Adam and Eve from the corruption of death. Your people, set free from the guilt of sin, celebrate it and cry to you: The barren woman gives birth to the Theotokos, the nourisher of our life.”
“As we celebrate the memory of your righteous ancestors, O Lord, through them we beseech you to save our souls.”
Kontakion, Tone 2: “Now Anne rejoices, freed from the bonds of her barrenness; she nourishes the all-pure one, calling all to praise him who from her womb has given mortals the only one who is both Mother and Virgin.”
