Saint Joachim, the father of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God and the Mediatrix of All Graces, knew the contempt that would be visited upon His Divine Grandson, Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, sent himself into voluntary exile after he was denounced by a priest of the Old Dispensation for not producing a child after twenty years of marriage to his wife, our good Saint Anne.
It was during his exile that Saint Joachim was visited by an angel, who reminded him of the fact that Abraham's wife, Sarah, did not conceive a child until she was ninety years old, telling him that his wife, Saint Anne, would conceive a daughter named Mary, who would be the Mother of God. Saint Joachim and Saint Anne brought their daughter to the Temple when she was three years old, giving their long-awaited child back to the good God Who had given them to her so that she could be the Mother of their own Saviour, Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This should teach us to do everything possible to foster vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated religious life among our children, so that we can give them back to God so as to yield a spiritual bounty of souls in His service, especially in this time of apostasy and betrayal.
The revised and much enlarged text of this article also includes a reflection and description of the life of Saint Roch, whose feast is celebrated today in those churches named in his honor, as found in Dom Prosper Gueranger’s The Liturgical Year.
Also, I would like to call the attention of this site's readers to an article written by Dr. Paul Byrne, who has certainly taught me much in the past twenty-three years since I first met him in Toledo, Ohio: Was The Death of Charlie Gard Hastened?. Please do take the time to read this article.
Finally, although I had hoped to have my commentary on the terrible events that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday, August 12, 2017, the Feast of Saint Clare of Assisi, it was not possible for me to complete my work yesterday, August 15, 2017, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This entire day will be spent completing the commentary.
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us.
Saints Joachim and Anne, pray for us!
Saint Roch, pray for us.