St. Joachim And St. Anne

Today is the feast day of these two extraordinary Grandparents. Can you imagine what it must have been like for this couple? Tradition tells us they waited many years for the arrival of their daughter Mary. Feeling punished by God for their barreness, rejected by the society around them, because of the stigma childlessness carried with it and entering into old age without children to take care of them. For all their wealth life was tough. But God did what only God does, He sent an angel to this couple to assure them they would have a child. In time Mary was born.
Now what we know about this couple may not all be true, but the one thing for sure is that Mary had parents who were given an exceptional daughter. It is from them that she learnt her faith and the scriptures. It was through their influence that Mary was able to give her "fiat" when an angel of God appeared to her. Had she heard the stories from her parents of how an angel had delivered them the good news that they were going to have a child? and now was history repeating itself.

How Joachim and Anne must have struggled when Mary dropped the bombshell that she was with child. For so much of their lives they had been judged as unworthy by their neighbours because God had not blessed them with a child, and now here again their family was going to be judged by those around them who would look down upon their beloved daughter for her unplanned pregnancy. Could her story be true? It seemed incredible that God would choose them to be the grandparents of His son. So many thoughts must have gone through their heads, and then there was Mary's tale about an angel, it must have struck a chord, if God had done it once He could surely do it again!

The one thing for sure is we will never know this side of eternity. But that Jesus had grandparents is true and I am sure they delighted in His presence and did the things that grandparents do, they just happened to be the grandparents of the greatest man that ever lived, what an awesome privilege to be able to influence the son of God.

So on this day as we celebrate this wonderful couple let us remember and pray for our own Grandparents and thank them for the love they have passed down to us and to invoke the help of these two great saints as we continue their legacy in handing on the faith of their Grandson to our own children.

It's good to have Saints who can intercede for us, here is a prayer to ask St. Anne to intercede for us

(Glorious St. Anne, filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer, heavily laden with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present affair which I recommend to you under your special protection.

Vouchsafe to recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and lay it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue.

Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted.(Here ask for favour you wish to obtain.)

Above all, obtain for me the grace of one day beholding my God face to face, and with You and Mary and all the saints, praising and blessing Him through all eternity. Amen.

Good St. Anne, mother of her who is our life, our sweetness and our hope, pray to her for us and obtain our request. (Three times).

St. James

St. James, along with his younger brother John were given the names "Sons of Thunder" by Christ because of their zealous behaviour.  Believed to be cousins of Jesus, because  it is thought that their  Mother Salome was one of the Blessed Virgin Mary's sisters.

 St. James was a fisherman as was his brother John.They worked for their father Zebedee, alongside  St. Andrew and St. Peter. They all fished together on the Sea of Galilee. When Jesus passed by one day, he called  to them to come and be "fishers of men". Without hesitation they all left their day jobs and went after this itinerant preacher.
They lived with Jesus for three years. They shared in his daily life and were witnesses to his prayer life, his miracles, his attitude towards sinners and those who suffer.  They also witnessed his power and the miracles He performed.

When asked if he could follow the path of suffering Jesus was to take, James bravely said he could. His mother had hoped for glory and honour for her sons. But instead the Lord spoke of service and slavery, counting yourself as the least among the people.
James did not have to wait that long to prove his bravery, his martyrdom came only fourteen years after Jesus' crucifixion. When Herod Agrippa wanting to please the Jews beheaded James.

It is thought  that the relics of St James were brought to Spain some time after his martyrdom. His shrine at Compostela in Galicia grew in importance until it became the greatest pilgrimage centre in western Europe. 

Every country has churches dedicated to St James and many have well known, well-trodden pilgrim routes. In Paris, the Tour St Jacques marks the start of the route that finally ends at Compostela. In England, pilgrim routes lead from all parts of the country to the major ports that were used on the pilgrimage. This network of routes is a vital witness to the fact that the Middle Ages were not the static stay-at-home time that we often think them to be. 

I love to think that many people would have set out on this arduous journey. Setting forth to walk the miles and miles that would lead them on to Spain and the beautiful Cathedral of St. James. Did he ever imagine that his legacy of being a follower of Christ would continue to impact the people of the twenty first Century who today still make that journey. Their reasons may be many and varied but none can fail to be touched as they arrive at that majestic Cathedral. So many return home clasping their scallop-shell, the emblem of St James, which has now become the emblem of pilgrims who tread the path to Compostela.

Because St. James is represented by the scallop shell it would be fun to cook up a fishy supper using the shells. The most famous is of course, "Coquilles Saint Jaques"

• 
  
• Serves 4
• 
  
• 500 g scallops
• 500 g prawns
• 12 oz (375 g ) mushrooms, sliced¸
• 1 cup white wine or chicken stock
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp. parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• ¼ cup + 1 tbsp. butter
• 6 tbsp. Plain flour
• 1 cup of cream
• ⅓ cup gruyere cheese, grated
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 
• 
  
• 1. In a large pan, combine scallops, shrimps, mushrooms, wine, onion, parsley, lemon juice and a pinch of salt

  2.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes
  3.  Transfer to a strainer set over a pot to reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid
  4. In the pan, melt ¼ cup of butter and add flour, mix well.
  5. Pour in the reserved liquid and the cream in one shot and cook, whisking for about 3 minutes or until boiling and thick.
  6. Remove from the heat and add cheese, stirring until melted, add salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Add seafood mixture and mix well.
  8.  Transfer in 4 shells.
  9.Melt 1tbs. of butter and then add the breadcrumbs, mix well.
  10.Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top of the  shells.
  11.Place under a hot grill for about 2-3 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
  12. Serve with a lovely salad or fresh vegetables. 
  13. Enjoy!