Commemoration DAY of
the Holy Parents of the Mother-of-God
StS. Joachim and Anne
and the OIL-Bearing Women
Sts. Joachim and Anne
The line of New Testament saints begins with these two righteous souls, husband and wife, whose faith and spirit closely resemble those of Abraham and Sarah, or Elkanah and Hannah, the parents of the Prophet Samuel. In all three cases, the husbands were righteous, upright, and God-fearing men. In all three, the wives were devout but childless. And in each case, God promised them a child.
Joachim and Anne are honored among the saints of the New Testament primarily because they were, according to tradition, the maternal grandparents of Christ. They are not mentioned by name in the New Testament.
Most of what we know about them comes from the Protoevangelium of James (also called the Book of James), an early Christian writing that, although not included in the biblical canon, was widely read and cherished by early Christians. It contains many charming stories about the childhood of Jesus. While many of these accounts are imaginative and embellished, suggesting legendary development, the work may also preserve authentic elements of early Christian tradition.
Tradition attributes the book to James, the Brother of the Lord, though scholars generally date it to around A.D. 150, written by a Jewish Christian. According to this text, Joachim, a descendant of King David, was a devout and wealthy man, while Anne, from a priestly family, was humble and God-fearing.
One day, as Joachim brought his offering to the Temple along with the other worshippers, the officiating priest told him that he must present his gift last because he had no children. Deeply hurt, Joachim left the Temple and went into the mountains with his shepherds. He resolved not to return home or eat or drink until God visited him. Prayer became his food, and tears his drink.
When Anne learned that her husband had departed, she clothed herself in mourning garments and devoted herself to repentance and prayer. One day, while praying in her garden, she looked up and saw birds feeding their young. Her heart broke, and weeping she cried out to God:
"Alas for me! I have become lower than the birds, for they have their young, while I have not even the blessing of one child."
She continued praying with tears until an angel of the Lord appeared and told her that her prayers had been heard. God would grant her a child whose name would become known throughout the world. Anne vowed that whether the child were a son or a daughter, she would dedicate the child to God.
The same vision and joyful message were also given to Joachim. Filled with thanksgiving, he selected the finest of his cattle and sheep as offerings for the Temple, made generous sacrifices for the poor, and returned home.
Anne conceived and gave birth to a blessed daughter, radiant as light—the one through whom "all nations would be blessed." They named her Mary, a name understood here to mean "the enlightened one."
When Mary was weaned, her parents presented her to the Temple, fulfilling Anne's vow.
According to tradition, Joachim did not live to see his grandson, Jesus. Anne, however, did behold Him, rejoiced greatly, and soon afterward departed this life in peace.
The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates Saints Joachim and Anne together with the Myrrh-Bearing Women on the Tuesday following the nine-day Feast of the Transfiguration.
Tradition identifies their house as still standing in Jerusalem, though it has since become a church. Others claim their home was in Bethlehem or Nazareth.
The Armenian Church has composed beautiful hymns in honor of Joachim and Anne, affirming that the blessing God bestowed upon these "God-blessed husband and wife" was perfectly fulfilled in them.
The hymns also recall that through Joachim and Anne the royal line and the priestly line of the Old Covenant were united, their sole and blessed fruit being the Holy Virgin.
One hymn concludes:
From the once-barren earth today has sprung for us
the fruitful and blessed plant,
the lily of the valleys, the flower of the fields;
Mary, the Ever-Virgin Mother,
the root of the Tree of Immortality.
Through their prayers, have mercy upon us.
The OIL-Bearing Women
Mary Magdalene, Mary the wife of Clopas,
Salome, Joanna, and others
During Christ's public ministry, not only the Apostles and disciples followed Him, but also a number of devoted women. Their principal service was to provide material support for Jesus and His followers. As the Gospel says, "they ministered to Him out of their means."
These women were generally respectable, generous, and grateful individuals, many of whom had been healed by Jesus of diseases or delivered from evil spirits.
Most of them accompanied Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem on His final journey. There they witnessed the events of Holy Week, especially His crucifixion and burial. They later became the first heralds of His glorious Resurrection.
The Church collectively calls them the Myrrh-Bearing Women because, early on Sunday morning, they hurried to Christ's tomb carrying fragrant oils and spices to anoint His body.
Mary Magdalene
The most prominent among them was Mary Magdalene, from the town of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee. Before meeting Christ, she had been possessed by seven demons, all of which Jesus cast out.
She is regarded as the leader and the most devoted member of the group. Her faithful love was rewarded, for she became the first person to see the risen Savior and the first to announce His Resurrection to the Apostles.
Mary, the Wife of Clopas
The second Mary is known as Mary the mother of James and Joses, or Mary the wife of Clopas.
James and Joses are identified as the young men called the "brothers of the Lord." Clopas was Mary's husband. This clearly indicates that these "brothers of the Lord," contrary to the view that they were biological sons of Mary and Joseph, had different parents.
The title "brothers of the Lord" therefore implies close family relationship rather than literal siblinghood. The Gospels do not explain the exact relationship.
The most widely accepted ancient tradition holds that Joseph and Clopas were brothers, making these "brothers of the Lord" Jesus' cousins. In the culture of the ancient Near East, the children of two brothers were commonly regarded as brothers because they belonged to the same extended family, often lived under one roof, and shared the same household identity.
Salome
The third well-known Myrrh-Bearer is Salome, the wife of Zebedee and the mother of the Apostles James and John.
In John's Gospel she is also referred to as "His mother's sister." This should not necessarily be understood as a literal biological relationship but rather as one of deep spiritual kinship.
Since Jesus entrusted His mother Mary to the care of John at the Crucifixion, Salome and the Virgin Mary lived together afterward. Thus they truly became like sisters in faith and were recognized as such by the Christian community.
Some traditions nevertheless suggest that there may also have been a family relationship between Salome and the Virgin Mary.
Joanna
Only Luke's Gospel also names Joanna among the Myrrh-Bearing Women.
She was the wife of Chuza, a steward in the service of Herod. Chuza is often identified with the royal official whose dying son Jesus healed (John 4:46–54), after which he and his entire household believed in Christ.
Out of gratitude, Joanna generously supported Jesus and His disciples with her own resources and accompanied them to Jerusalem.
The New Testament tells us nothing about the later lives or deaths of these women, and later traditions concerning them are neither numerous nor entirely reliable.
These noble women, who were perhaps more deeply wounded than anyone by the crucifixion and death of their beloved Teacher, also became the happiest of witnesses, for they were the first to behold their Divine Lord risen from the dead.
They were also present in the Upper Room before Pentecost, forming part of the gathering of 120 believers who became the nucleus of the Christian Church and together received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
The Armenian Church commemorates them collectively as the Myrrh-Bearing Women, together with Saints Joachim and Anne, on the tenth day after the Feast of the Transfiguration.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
~ Ezekiel 3:16-19 ~
At the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, I have made you a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, "You shall surely die," and you give them no warning, or speak to warn the wicked from their wicked way, in order to save their life, those wicked persons shall die for their iniquity; but their blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and they do not turn from their wickedness, or from their wicked way, they shall die for their iniquity; but you will have saved your life.
~ 2 Timothy 1:6-14 ~
For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
~ Holy Gospel of St. Luke 10:16-20 ~
"Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."