Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(Jeremiah 13:1-11; Matthew 13:31-35)
Although Saints Joachim and Anne are named in the missal as the parents of Mary, more and more Catholics regard them as the grandparents of Jesus. In fact, we increasingly think of today as the feast day of all grandparents.
One pleasant memory that many have of their grandparents is entering their home and smelling the aroma of fermenting yeast. Grandmothers used the yeast for making their own bread or tortillas. Store-bought varieties, which children were accustomed to consuming, could never compare to the fresh, chewy bread that children ate at their grandparents’.
Jesus uses the image of yeast in the gospel today to describe the working of God’s Kingdom. Just as a bit of yeast is enough leaven to make all the bread that a household requires, so his inaugurating the Kingdom two thousand years ago redeems all history. We need only to commit ourselves to the Kingdom’s justice and love to thrive in the redemption it conveys.
