It is the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anna — the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And this is a Spanish Colonial painting (oil on tin) of this other holy family. Maybe they are going for a Sabbath Day's walk. It's very lovely, isn't it? We see serenading, petal strewing angels. We encounter the pair who had so hoped and longed for this child even into their senior years. The story of Mary's Conception and Birth gets us ready for the story of Jesus Christ — God, pulling out all the stops to love us, up and out of our savagery, our awful greed, our self-destruction and into light and wholeness.
I would venture most of the folks who tune in here, when asked on a questionnaire, "What is your religion?" would answer, Roman Catholic. But young people don't much answer that way anymore. These days they are more apt to print (or type), N-O-N-E on the form. There are so many of them they are even called, "NONES." They claim no religion. I'd also suggest that among them there are many who were baptized and even confirmed as Roman Catholics. When asked why they no longer identify as Catholic, they might well say, "The religion seems to be irrelevant to me." How did it come to that?
I think this lovely day is quite relevant — a celebration about parents, about grandparents, about children, and perhaps especially about little girls. The video below is wonderful. It is an episode from the TV show, Britain's Got Talent. Souparnika, a 10 year old Indian girl is auditioning, when suddenly things seem to go wrong. The situation is then just as quickly made right, and we are delighted. This little girl— with a flower in her hair, a pretty dress with a pink bow and matching slippers, a delicate left hand — sings for us. She is perfect for this feastday about a treasured little girl. Watch the video to the end where we see her after the performance rejoining her happy parents.
And might we hold in our awake hearts all the little girls around the world who are failed by adults — aborted (just because they're little girls), abandoned, runaway, sexualized, even sold, left un-treasured. On this feast of Mary's parents, may every little girl be nourished, encouraged, brought forward, applauded. May each one hear, "Go on, girl!"
