Encouragement

Blessed Is The Fruit Of Your Womb

by Maria Franco
07/28/24
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Parenting is a challenging responsibility and in the present aggravating times, a complete different scenario with different principles and traditions of upbringing in a culture dominated by the effects of media and communication.
Gone were the days that parents could easily accomplish the task of bringing up their children in an atmosphere and environment following an ancestral way of life in terms of religious, moral and social values. A hierarchy passed down through generations befitting a new generation to imbibe, copy and follow.

Today the media is so powerful ravaging the minds of the young and old alike. Parents face a gigantic task in getting the children and youth to prioritise moral values.  In the midst of this chaos, we remember the parenting of both Mary by her parents and Jesus by Mary and Joseph.
If we look at the birth of Mary, she was born to St. Joachim and St. Anne after they were childless for many years and advanced in age. They both prayed to God and was rewarded by a message from the Angel that Anne would conceive and bear a child.
They decided to consecrate this child to God and we have a special feast day on the presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 21st November. Mary lived a pious life brought up by parents rooted in their faith in God.  A young virgin to whom the Angel Gabriel announced the good news of the Incarnation.
St. Joachim and St. Anne are patron saints for parents and grandparents, since Jesus was their grandson. They are both honoured in the Church.

In the book of Revelation, Mary is the woman in labour who gives birth to a son who will rule with an iron rod. As the dragon in front of her tries to eat the child, the child is taken up to heaven and the woman flees into the desert.
She is also the sign in heaven of the queen crowned with stars and the moon under her feet.
She is the Star of the Sea as she guides travellers to their destination. Known by various titles, she is honoured as the Mother of God.
The Immaculate Conception is a Marian dogma both mysterious and fully understandable at the same time because this declaration and revelation was given to us by the Blessed Virgin Mary herself when she appeared to St. Bernadette at Lourdes where she called herself by this title. Though Mary was conceived by the union of her parents, she was born without the stain of original sin since God had chosen her to bear his only begotten Son.
Her early years under the care of her parents and life in the temple worshipping and praying to God prepared her for her greatest role in bearing the Saviour of the world, nurturing him and standing stoically at the foot of the Cross to become the Queen of Martyrs.

When Joseph took Mary as his wife, Jesus surely enjoyed the care of his grandparents during his childhood as we presume after the return of the Holy family from Egypt and life at Nazareth with his parents.
When Jesus was found in the temple sitting among the elders and asking them questions, all were amazed at his teaching at the young age of twelve. The Priests honoured Joseph as the boy's father presuming that he had taught Jesus so much though Jesus was already filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment of his Conception in Mary's womb.
The feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne is celebrated on 26th July and is a special day for all parents and grandparents.

Today let us honour our forefathers who handed down the Christian faith to us ensuring and securing our own salvation when the time comes and to leave behind this same fortune of faith for our generations who will follow us.
The greatest parenting is to teach the Word of God for if this knowledge is strong in the minds of the children, they can conquer any mountain in life.
Truly, blessed was the womb of St. Anne who bore Mary, the Immaculate Conception and blessed is the fruit of the womb of Mary, the fruit of life- Jesus.

Maria Franco