Readings for the Memorial of Sts. Joachim and Anne

Readings for the Memorial of
Sts. Joachim and Anne
Parents of Mary
July 26

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MASS

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
Laudemus Ioachim et Annam in generatione sua, quia benedictionem omnium gentium dedit illis Dominus.
Let us praise Joachim and Anne, to whom, in their generation,
the Lord gave him who was a blessing for all the nations.

COLLECT
Domine, Deus patrum nostrorum, qui beatis Ioachim et Annae hanc gratiam contulisti ut ex eis incarnati Filii tui Mater nasceretur, utriusque precibus concede, ut salutem tuo promissam populo consequamur.
O Lord, God of our Fathers,
who bestowed on Saints Joachim and Anne this grace,
that of them should be born the Mother of your incarnate Son,
grant, through the prayers of both,
that we may attain the salvation
you have promised to your people.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

FIRST READING          Ecclesiasticus 44:1, 10-15
Now will I praise those godly men,
  our ancestors, each in his own time:
These were godly men
  whose virtues have not been forgotten;
Their wealth remains in their families,
  their heritage with their descendants;
Through God's covenant with them their family endures,
  their posterity, for their sake.

And for all time their progeny will endure,
  their glory will never be blotted out;
Their bodies are peacefully laid away,
  but their name lives on and on.
At gatherings their wisdom is retold,
  and the assembly proclaims their praise.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM          Ps 132:11, 13-14, 17-18
Elegit Dominus Sion in habitationem sibi.

R.(13) The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
The LORD has chosen Zion;
he prefers her for his dwelling.
“Zion is my resting place forever;
in her will I dwell, for I prefer her.”
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
“In her will I make a horn to sprout forth for David;
I will place a lamp for my anointed.
His enemies I will clothe with shame,
but upon him my crown shall shine.”
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.

ALLELUIA      See Lk 2:25c
They yearned for the comforting of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit rested upon them.

GOSPEL           Matthew 13:16-17
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."

PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Suscipe, quaesumus, Domine, munera nostrae devotionis, et praesta, ut eiusdem benedictionis, quam Abrahae et eius semini promisisti, mereamur esse participes.
Receive, we pray, O Lord,
these offerings of our homage,
and grant that we may merit a share in the same blessing
which you promised to Abraham and his descendants.
Through Christ our Lord.

COMMUNION ANTIPHON          See Ps. 23:5
Acceperunt benedictionem a Domino, et misericordiam a Deo salutari suo.
They received blessings from the Lord
and mercy from God their Savior.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Deus, qui Unigenitum tuum ex hominibus nasci voluisti, ut homines ex te mirabili mysterio renascerentur, quaesumus, ut, quos filiorum pane satiasti, adoptionis spiritu benignitate tua sanctifices.
O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son
should be born from among humanity
so that by a wonderful mystery
humanity might be born again from you,
we pray that, in your kindness,
you may sanctify by the spirit of adoption
those you have fed with the Bread you give your children.
Through Christ our Lord.

The Liturgy of the Hours
Ann and Joachim

From the Common of Holy Men, except the following

Office of Readings

SECOND READING

From a sermon by Saint John Damascene, bishop
(Orat. 6 in Nativitatem B. Mariae V. 2,4,5,6: PG 96, 663,667,670)

By their fruits you will know them

Anne was to be the mother of the Virgin Mother of God, and hence nature did not dare to anticipate the flowering of grace. Thus nature remained sterile, until grace produced its fruit. For she who was to be born had to be a first born daughter, since she would be the mother of the first-born of all creation, in whom all things are held together.

Joachim and Anne, how blessed a couple! All creation is indebted to you. For at your hands the Creator was offered a gift excelling all other gifts: a chaste mother, who alone was worthy of him.

And so rejoice, Anne, that you were sterile and have not borne children; break forth into shouts, you who have not given birth. Rejoice, Joachim, because from your daughter a child is born for us, a son is given us, whose name is Messenger of great counsel and universal salvation, mighty God. For this child is God.

Joachim and Anne, how blessed and spotless a couple! You will be known by the fruit you have borne, as the Lord says: By their fruits you will know them. The conduct of your life pleased God and was worthy of your daughter. For by the chaste and holy life you led together, you have fashioned a jewel of virginity: she who remained a virgin before, during and after giving birth. She alone for all time would maintain her virginity in mind and soul as well as in body.

Joachim and Anne, how chaste a couple! While safeguarding the chastity prescribed by the law of nature, you achieved with God’s help something which transcends nature in giving the world the Virgin Mother of God as your daughter. While leading a devout and holy life in your human nature, you gave birth to a daughter nobler than the angels, whose queen she now is. Girl of utter beauty and delight, daughter of Adam and mother of God, blessed the loins and blessed the womb from which you come! Blessed the arms that carried you, and blessed your parents’ lips, which you were allowed to cover with chaste kisses, ever maintaining your virginity. Rejoice in God, all the earth. Sing, exult and sing hymns. Raise your voice, raise it and be not afraid.

RESPONSORY See Luke 2:37,38; 7:16
They worshipped God day and night
in fasting and in prayer.
- They looked forward to the deliverance of Israel.
They prayed that God would come to save his people
- They looked forward to the deliverance of Israel.

COLLECT
O Lord, God of our Fathers,
who bestowed on Saints Joachim and Anne this grace,
that of them should be born the Mother of your incarnate Son,
grant, through the prayers of both,
that we may attain the salvation
you have promised to your people.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

The English translation of Psalm Responses, Alleluia Verses, Gospel Verses from Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL); the English translation of Antiphons, Invitatories, Responsories, Intercessions, Psalm 95, the Canticle of the Lamb, Psalm Prayers, Non-Biblical Readings from The Liturgy of the Hours © 1973, 1974, 1975, ICEL; excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, ICEL. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

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