Catholic Virtues
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St. Anne, Mother of the Glorious Virgin Mary - I
The Efficacy in Heaven of Good St. Anne
“It is certain that Mary’s soul was the most beautiful that God had ever created; nay more, after the work of the Incarnation of the Eternal Word, this was the greatest and most worthy of Himself that an omnipotent God ever did in the world.”
These are the words of the Redemptionist founder St. Alphonsus Liguori, famed for his strong devotion to Our Lady. He notes that Mary was in the mind of God for all eternity, and “the reason why God did not destroy the human race after the first sin was His singular love for this holy Virgin, who was eventually to be born of the race.”
Given Our Lady’s unique role in salvation history, it would have been understandable for God to create her directly, as He did our first parents. However, because He chose to become incarnate through the cooperation of His Mother, it was more fitting for Our Lady, who imitated her Son in everything, to also have a mother.
Who is this mother of the Mother of God? Even if nothing else were known about her, the fact that God entrusted her with Mary, the Ark of the Covenant, speaks volumes.
Her name, Anne, also reveals much about her character. St. John Damascene wrote that, “St. Anne is a generous mother, a compassionate mother, a gracious mother, because the word ‘Anne’ means ‘generous, merciful, gracious.’”
Except for Jesus Christ, it is difficult to imagine anyone more closely united to Our Lady than St. Anne. For this reason, we should not hesitate to turn to her. Indeed, we have good reason to hope that she will teach us about her Daughter and help to pave the way for the Reign of Mary. While still on Earth, she understood that her Daughter’s role was not to shine before the world. Now, she rejoices in Heaven, knowing that Our Lady’s splendor will soon be made known to mankind.
“To Jesus through Mary,” as St. Louis de Montfort preached in True Devotion to Mary. “It is by the Most Holy Virgin Mary that Jesus has come into the world, and it is also by her that He has to reign in the world.” These are first words of the Introduction of his landmark work. During the glorious era to come, men will come to Christ to give Him due glory through His Mother.
Referring to St. Anne, mother of the Mother of God, Pope Gregory XV affirmed: “The more love we show to the mother of Mary, the more we merit the intercession and aid of the Holy Virgin who brought forth the only-begotten Son of God.” It is impossible to imagine how efficacious her intercession in Heaven must be.
The goal of this series, therefore, is to inspire greater devotion to St. Anne.
A brief history
Tradition provides only a rough outline of St. Anne’s life. We know that she descended from a noble Jewish family and married St. Joachim while still a young woman. They led virtuous lives, and were known for their generosity. Despite this, they remained childless for many years, which was certainly a great trial. Many persons, including Temple priests, believed the holy couple was being punished by God for infidelity.
Undeterred, the humble Sts. Anne and Joachim both continued to pray for a child, promising to dedicate this child to His service. This moved Our Lord to reward their patience and generosity, granting their request in a more marvelous way than they could have imagined.
After the Mother of God was born, the couple lived with her in their home for three years before bringing her to the Temple of Jerusalem. St. Joachim died shortly afterward, and it is not known how St. Anne passed her final days. Some have suggested that she remarried and had other children, which seems improbable since she was aware of the great gift God had given her in her daughter Mary. Others have proposed she lived a solitary and penitential life for several years before commending her soul to God.
Volume I of The Mystical City of God provides additional insight into St. Anne. Ven. Mary of Agreda calls her and St. Joachim “two bright luminaries sent to announce the approaching dawn of the Sun of Justice, Christ our Salvation” (n. 166).
She writes that St. Anne was “a most chaste, humble, and beautiful maiden” who, from childhood, “led a most virtuous, holy and retired life.” She was blessed with a profound understanding of Scriptures, and always prayed for the coming of the Messiah (n. 167).
Just as he did for Our Lady, St. Gabriel appeared to St. Anne several times over the course of her life. First, this he came to inform her of her marriage to St. Joachim (n.168).
Twenty years later, he returned to St. Anne, this time to give her the good news that she would conceive Our Lady. He told her that this privileged child, who was to be given the name of Mary, would become the Mother of God.
This meant that St. Anne was the first person to learn this glorious truth, long before her spouse. The long wait of the Patriarchs and Prophets would shortly be over. The Messiah would arrive, for the Mother of God would soon be born, the fecund fruit of St. Anne’s long barren womb. This great secret St. Anne kept in her heart and told no one. But what joy and consolation must have been hers to know that her daughter would be the Mother of God.
After conceiving and bearing Our Lady, St. Anne grew in sanctity so that she could raise her Daughter properly. She loved Our Lady with both a natural and supernatural love, “embracing and caressing her in the same way as other mothers do with their daughters, but always with a proper reverence” (n. 325).
St. Anne died a holy death and had the privilege of being with her Daughter during her last moments. Our Lady prayed: “Dismiss, O Lord, in peace thy servant [my mother Anne], who has with invincible faith and confidence, desired to fulfill thy divine pleasure” (n. 718). Since these words come from the Queen of Heaven herself, they say much about St. Anne’s great holiness.
Our Lady loved St. Anne while she was on Earth and it is certain that now, in Heaven, she has a still greater love for her holy mother. Obedient to her mother on earth, the Virgin Mary responds likewise with haste to her mother’s requests in Heaven.
What better way to honor Our Lady than to honor St. Anne?
Continued
Miraculously St. Anne conceives & nurtures the Mother of God
Given Our Lady’s unique role in salvation history, it would have been understandable for God to create her directly, as He did our first parents. However, because He chose to become incarnate through the cooperation of His Mother, it was more fitting for Our Lady, who imitated her Son in everything, to also have a mother.
Who is this mother of the Mother of God? Even if nothing else were known about her, the fact that God entrusted her with Mary, the Ark of the Covenant, speaks volumes.
Her name, Anne, also reveals much about her character. St. John Damascene wrote that, “St. Anne is a generous mother, a compassionate mother, a gracious mother, because the word ‘Anne’ means ‘generous, merciful, gracious.’”
Except for Jesus Christ, it is difficult to imagine anyone more closely united to Our Lady than St. Anne. For this reason, we should not hesitate to turn to her. Indeed, we have good reason to hope that she will teach us about her Daughter and help to pave the way for the Reign of Mary. While still on Earth, she understood that her Daughter’s role was not to shine before the world. Now, she rejoices in Heaven, knowing that Our Lady’s splendor will soon be made known to mankind.
A charming Dutch statue of St. Anne,
the Virgin Mary & the Christ Child
Referring to St. Anne, mother of the Mother of God, Pope Gregory XV affirmed: “The more love we show to the mother of Mary, the more we merit the intercession and aid of the Holy Virgin who brought forth the only-begotten Son of God.” It is impossible to imagine how efficacious her intercession in Heaven must be.
The goal of this series, therefore, is to inspire greater devotion to St. Anne.
A brief history
Tradition provides only a rough outline of St. Anne’s life. We know that she descended from a noble Jewish family and married St. Joachim while still a young woman. They led virtuous lives, and were known for their generosity. Despite this, they remained childless for many years, which was certainly a great trial. Many persons, including Temple priests, believed the holy couple was being punished by God for infidelity.
St. Anne instructed her daughter until age 3, when she went to the temple
After the Mother of God was born, the couple lived with her in their home for three years before bringing her to the Temple of Jerusalem. St. Joachim died shortly afterward, and it is not known how St. Anne passed her final days. Some have suggested that she remarried and had other children, which seems improbable since she was aware of the great gift God had given her in her daughter Mary. Others have proposed she lived a solitary and penitential life for several years before commending her soul to God.
Volume I of The Mystical City of God provides additional insight into St. Anne. Ven. Mary of Agreda calls her and St. Joachim “two bright luminaries sent to announce the approaching dawn of the Sun of Justice, Christ our Salvation” (n. 166).
She writes that St. Anne was “a most chaste, humble, and beautiful maiden” who, from childhood, “led a most virtuous, holy and retired life.” She was blessed with a profound understanding of Scriptures, and always prayed for the coming of the Messiah (n. 167).
Just as he did for Our Lady, St. Gabriel appeared to St. Anne several times over the course of her life. First, this he came to inform her of her marriage to St. Joachim (n.168).
Twenty years later, he returned to St. Anne, this time to give her the good news that she would conceive Our Lady. He told her that this privileged child, who was to be given the name of Mary, would become the Mother of God.
This meant that St. Anne was the first person to learn this glorious truth, long before her spouse. The long wait of the Patriarchs and Prophets would shortly be over. The Messiah would arrive, for the Mother of God would soon be born, the fecund fruit of St. Anne’s long barren womb. This great secret St. Anne kept in her heart and told no one. But what joy and consolation must have been hers to know that her daughter would be the Mother of God.
After conceiving and bearing Our Lady, St. Anne grew in sanctity so that she could raise her Daughter properly. She loved Our Lady with both a natural and supernatural love, “embracing and caressing her in the same way as other mothers do with their daughters, but always with a proper reverence” (n. 325).
St. Anne died a holy death and had the privilege of being with her Daughter during her last moments. Our Lady prayed: “Dismiss, O Lord, in peace thy servant [my mother Anne], who has with invincible faith and confidence, desired to fulfill thy divine pleasure” (n. 718). Since these words come from the Queen of Heaven herself, they say much about St. Anne’s great holiness.
Our Lady loved St. Anne while she was on Earth and it is certain that now, in Heaven, she has a still greater love for her holy mother. Obedient to her mother on earth, the Virgin Mary responds likewise with haste to her mother’s requests in Heaven.
What better way to honor Our Lady than to honor St. Anne?
- Sources:
- Booklet, Good St. Anne (TAN Books)
- St. Alphonsus de Liguori, The Glories of Mary
- Mystical City of God, Volume 1 (Conception)
Posted July 10, 2024
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