Gospel in Art: St Joachim and St Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Joachim and Anna Giving Food to the Poor and Offerings to the Temple, by Andrea di Bartolo, 1405 © National Gallery of Art, Washington

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 26 July 2025
Matthew 13:24-30

At that time: Jesus put another parable before the crowd, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, "Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?" He said to them, "An enemy has done this." So the servants said to him, "Then do you want us to go and gather them?" But he said, "No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, 'Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.' "

Reflection on the painting

Joachim and Anne are traditionally recognised as the parents of Mary, the mother of Jesus, since the second century (as Scripture itself tells us nothing about Mary's parents; Anne is only mentioned in the apocryphal Protoevangilium of James). An early Church father addressed them with these words: "O blessed couple. All creation is indebted to you, for through you, the noblest gift is presented to the Creator, namely a spotless mother who alone was worthy of the Creator." It was through the faith of Joachim and Anne that Mary could make her profound response of faith to God's call delivered by the angel Gabriel.

As the grandparents of Jesus, Joachim and Anne fostered an environment of faith, allowing Jesus to grow in wisdom and love before God and others. Today's feast therefore invites us to reflect on the individuals who have supported us on our spiritual journeys. We are especially encouraged to remember today our grandparents and their faith, which helped ignite the flame of faith in our own lives. Within the church, there are these smaller communities of faith that help to nurture our relationship with God. Jesus' parents and grandparents were such a small community of faith in his life, and set him up for his life-giving ministry.

Narrative depictions of the Virgin Mary's life were highly popular in the 15th century, but this particular episode of is uncommon. Our painting depicts 'Joachim and Anna Giving Food to the Poor and Offerings to the Temple'. It showcases the charity of Mary's parents before her birth. In Tuscany, during our painter's, Andrea di Bartolo, time, legends spoke of Anna and Joachim's extraordinary generosity. Tradition said they retained only one-third of their wealth, giving one-third to charity and donating the rest to the temple. On the left of our painting, Joachim is seen distributing bread to the poor and infirm, some leaning on crutches, dressed in patched and ragged clothes. In the centre, Anna approaches the temple with boys carrying sacks of grain. Despite their generosity, the couple's childlessness-they were quite old when Mary was born-was seen as a sign of God's disfavour. Eventually, legend goes, Joachim's sacrifices were rejected by the priests, leading to his banishment from the temple. During his 40-day exile in the wilderness, angels appeared to both Joachim and Anne, announcing Mary's conception and revealing that their daughter would be extraordinary, "through whom will come the salvation of the world."

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-13-24-30-2025/

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