Enter the Mystery

On the feast of Ss Joachim and Anne (on our third Walsingham pilgrimage day) Fr Matthew Gibbon’s homily reflects on the love of the unconditional love of God which calls us also to give with no charge

Are you sitting comfortably?

There was a little boy who decided that he wanted to be paid for what he did around the house, so he left his mum a note on the kitchen table. She opened the envelope and she read:

For doing the dishes: £1
For cleaning my room: £1.50
For putting the rubbish out: £1
For helping to Vacuum: 50p
For putting my clothes by: £1
Total: £5

Obviously his mum was hurt by this, but put in the envelope the five pounds with another note, the little boy was quite excited thinking he was going to get more pocket money, but instead he read:

For giving you life: NO CHARGE
For feeding and clothing you:		NO CHARGE
For staying up through the night when
you are ill: NO CHARGE
For caring and supporting you	NO CHARGE
For loving you come what may: NO CHARGE

Total: NO CHARGE, given and done with all my love. Mum.

Wipe your eyes and I’ll continue!

I wonder how many of you who are parents and grandparent, can relate to that type of story?

I have a 13-year-old great niece, going on 30 mind you, she is at that age where everything is a chore, when I ask nicely to do something, the answer is generally NO! I’m busy or it’ll cost you!! Her cousin my great nephew is 6 and he’s already going down that route!

I love it when they come and visit, but like it even more when they leave and they go back to their parents or grandmother!

Parenting is great joy but also a great responsibility! 

Today on our Pilgrimage to this wonderful place we read of and celebrate two parents, those of the Blessed Virgin Mary, S Joacchim and Anne. And amoungst other things are the patron saints of parents and grandparents.

Neither are mentioned in the New Testament, but what we do know is that they were wealthy couple who lived in Nazareth, however they were childless, and this brought great shame to them. Joachim was shunned in the temple and left Nazareth to live in the wilderness and Anne was obviously upset by his disappearance disappearance and by her barrenness, solemnly promised God that, if given a child, she would dedicate it to the Lord’s service. Both received the vision of an angel, who announced that Anne would conceive and bear a most wondrous child. The couple rejoiced at the birth of their daughter, whom Anne named Mary. When the child was three years old, Joachim and Anne, in fulfillment of her divine promise, brought Mary to the Temple of Jerusalem, where they left her to be brought up.

The account of their lives startlingly parallels the Old Testament story of the barren Hannah and her conception of Samuel; she also dedicated her child to the service of God.

All they did was out of LOVE for Mary and the promise they had made to God. Our Lady when she too is visited by an angel, and gives her consent her yes out of love, not even worrying about the consequences. And she visits Elizabeth and we hear the wonderful words of the Magnificat, and what place to make that our song than here – where god gladdens our hearts with joy!

The joy of knowing and celebrating the Love of Jesu for each and everyone one of us.  A love he commands his disciples and you and I to share with each other just as he loves us! A love he shows us as his friends his brothers and sisters.

Grounded in this mutual love is the fact that Jesus and the disciples keep the commandments and abide in the Father’s love — as we also are commanded to do. Jesus has given us the highest example of love in his death, but reveals a hidden secret of such love for others. There is joy in loving others God’s way. How can we love others, especially those who are quite “other” to us — with different histories and contexts, habits and attitudes to us? By opening our eyes, ears and hearts to a love that enjoys others, that sees and listens to others as images of God, by sharing the love we know in our Father and the friendship of Jesus.

As we celebrate the feast of Ss Joachim and Anne we are given that example of love, in coming to Mary’s Shrine we are shown that love, in celebrating Jesus present with now in the Mass we are given that unconditional love of bread broken and wine outpoured.

And all we need do is say our yes to God, and leave this place and journey home to share that love and joy we have received here with others, and this we all do for ‘NO CHARGE’ but to show how God has gladdened our hearts with joy and has nourished our faith and our lives.