Today we remember the grandparents of Jesus, Mary's parents. A book written around 145 a.d. names them as Anne and Joachim. We can't be sure these were their names, but tradition has always referred to them as such. This depiction is from a mosaic by Marko Rupnik, S.J. and can be found in a chapel at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.
I invite you to spend some time just looking...What is the first thing you notice?
What do you notice about their hands...their eyes...What surprises you, perhaps confuses you?
I have to admit, I haven't spent a lot of time considering the grandparents of Jesus. We have so little information about his infancy and childhood. Given that he spent at least his first couple of years in Egypt, it might be unlikely that he was around them until later when they moved back to Nazareth. I like to imagine that they were loving grandparents giving as much support as they could. It is suggested that Mary was probably around 15 when Jesus was born (around our daughter's age!). That would make these saints in their late thirties, early forties when they became grandparents. It is not hard to imagine that they loved, watched over, ate and laughed with the child Jesus.
In Rupnik's depiction, I see a loving married couple. Their embrace reflects affection but also strength and protection. Their eyes are almost melted together to form one vision. I like the fact that their halos are intertwined and though they are two, their sanctity is formed by their being together.
Sometimes we all need a reminder of how our marriages affect the next generation and beyond. What are you doing today to be aware of the strength, vision, and yes, even holiness, of marriage? What examples of married love have you been blessed to witness?
Thanks to Fr. James Martin, who shared this image on his facebook page.
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