Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Feast of Saints Anne and Joachim
In the movie “Mary, Mother of Jesus”, it was shown that Anne and Joachim were childless for many years. They kept on praying to the Lord that they would be granted a child. And so, the angel Gabriel announced to them that they would have a child, but they would have to dedicate the child in the service of God. Thus, when Mary was a little child, she was consecrated in the temple. She was left there to be educated by the prophetess Anna. Mary was very precious to Anne and Joachim. She was a great treasure for her parents.
The parables of the treasures buried in the field and of the great pearl remind us about giving up earthly treasures for the sake of a higher value, which is the Kingdom of heaven. On the practical side, Jesus is trying to make us think more about what is important to us: gaining material things but losing important things like family, relationships, and community, or vice versa. Thus, the third parable connects to the first two.
As the fish caught in the net are being sorted out, the good ones are kept. The bad ones are thrown back into the sea. Some fishermen will keep all the fish that they caught because of their greed. But those who are righteous fishermen will only keep the fish that are good for consumption. It is the same in how we live our lives. We only have to possess what we need and can satisfy us. Just like Saints Anne and Joachim, they just needed Mary in their life to make their joy complete.
Happy Feast of Saints Anne and Joachim! God bless you all.
Fr. Leo Ayuyao, SSS
