Relatives
Blessed they who dwell in your house!
continually they praise you.
Blessed they whose strength you are!
They go from strength to strength. (Ps 84:5,6a,8a)
Relatives are an important part of our lives.
I know some people who develop very elaborate family trees because, to them, it is important to know each and every relative and exactly how they fit into the family scheme.
Today is a “relative day” of sorts. We celebrate the memorial of Jesus’ grandparents: Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I am sure that they were as instrumental in Jesus’ being raised in the faith as were His parents, Joseph and Mary.
There are so many people who have been instrumental in our lives and there are so many people in whose lives we are instrumental as well.
Let us remember them with fondness today.
FAITH ACTION: Pray the Prayer for Grandparents by Pope Benedict XVI
Lord Jesus,
you were born of the Virgin Mary,
the daughter of Saints Joachim and Anne.
Look with love on grandparents the world over.
Protect them! They are a source of enrichment
for families, for the Church and for all of society.
Support them! As they grow older,
may they continue to be for their families
strong pillars of Gospel faith,
guardian of noble domestic ideals,
living treasuries of sound religious traditions.
Make them teachers of wisdom and courage,
that they may pass on to future generations the fruits
of their mature human and spiritual experience.Lord Jesus,
help families and society
to value the presence and roles of grandparents.
May they never be ignored or excluded,
but always encounter respect and love.
Help them to live serenely and to feel welcomed
in all the years of life which you give them.
Mary, Mother of all the living,
keep grandparents constantly in your care,
accompany them on their earthly pilgrimage,
and by your prayers, grant that all families
may one day be reunited in our heavenly homeland,
where you await all humanity for the great
embrace of life without end. Amen!