Becoming a grandparent brought tremendous joy into my life—a joy I did not foresee or take for granted, knowing that only my young adult children and their spouses could be agents of it. Today, we celebrate the memorial of Jesus’ maternal grandparents, named by tradition as Joachim and Anne, and venerated as saints.
I wonder about how it might have been for Anne to learn that she would become a grandparent, that her young daughter, engaged but not yet married, would have a child. What was her reaction after hearing the news? Was it shock, dismay, and trepidation about what was to come—the need to face the extended family, the village and town? Did she hug her child tightly, fighting back tears? Did she seek out her husband to talk things through and to formulate a plan of action? We do not know and can only imagine.
We do know that her child, Mary, was steeped in her family’s prayerful devotion to the God of Israel, who gathers the scattered, guards the flock, and promises to turn mourning to joy (Psalm 24). We do know that Mary’s purity of heart was not an accident of fate, but rather a reflection of her upbringing and God’s mysterious work within her.
While her parents might be the unsung—and unmentioned—heroes of Scriptures, they deserve a place among the cloud of witnesses who, like the Gospel acclamation states, kept the word with generous hearts and persevered.
Agnes M. Kovacs
Agnes M. Kovacs is a religious educator, workshop leader, and author who works at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology.
Agnes Kovacs, “Unsung Heroes,” from the July 2024 issue of Give Us This Day giveusthisday.org (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2024). Used with permission.