In the spirit of the Feast of St. Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary (II Classis)
Scripture Readings:
✥ Proverbs 31:10–31 – “Who shall find a valiant woman? Far and from the uttermost coasts is the price of her.”
✥ Matthew 13:44–52 – “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field… like unto a merchant seeking good pearls…”
✶ The Valiant Woman and the Hidden Treasure: A Meditation in Honor of St. Anne ✶
Today’s liturgical observance gently brings us to the feet of a most venerable matron—Saint Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandmother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Though Scripture says little of her by name, the wisdom of the Church and the piety of tradition elevate her as a radiant model of holy womanhood. The readings from Proverbs 31 and Matthew 13 provide a tapestry upon which we may contemplate her quiet sanctity.
❖ The Valiant Woman: Image of Saint Anne and the Hidden Foundations of Grace
The passage from Proverbs 31:10–31, often called the “Eulogy of the Valiant Woman,” sings the praises of a wife and mother whose virtue builds a house more surely than stone. The Church Fathers frequently interpreted this figure mystically: as the personification of Holy Wisdom, of the Church, or even of Our Lady. Yet on this day, in the light of St. Anne’s feast, we may see these words as richly fulfilled in her.
“She shall be praised in the gates by her own works” (Prov 31:31).
– This, writes St. John Damascene, is most apt for St. Anne: “In her, the root of Jesse bloomed. From her womb came the holy soil, untouched and virgin, from which the Tree of Life, Christ, would spring.” (Homilia in Nativitatem B. Mariae Virginis)
St. Anne does not speak in the Gospel, nor do her deeds echo loudly in history. Yet the fruit of her womb—Mary—gave birth to the Eternal Word. Hers was a hidden labor, a treasure buried in the soil of time, discovered only by those who dig with faith.
❖ The Kingdom, the Pearl, and the Net: Three Parables of Hidden Splendor
Our Lord’s words in Matthew 13:44–52 unfold in three parables: the treasure in the field, the pearl of great price, and the net cast into the sea. Each speaks of hiddenness, of discernment, and of joyful renunciation. These themes echo the quiet sanctity of Saint Anne, who lived in obscurity but bore fruit for eternity.
- The treasure hidden in a field can be seen as an image of Mary herself, hidden within the womb of Anne.
- The pearl of great price calls to mind the immaculate soul of the Blessed Virgin, formed under the maternal gaze of Anne.
- The net that gathers all kinds of fish is the Church, born of the Gospel, of which Anne—through Mary—is a foundational stone.
Origen, in his homilies on Matthew, comments:
“The field is the world; the treasure is Christ in the soul; but he who sells all is the soul itself, longing for union with God.”
Saint Anne, unknown to the world, gave all for the sake of God’s promise. She sold the “field” of earthly recognition and received the “pearl” of eternal motherhood—Mary, the Immaculate, through whom Christ came into the world.
❖ The Generations of the Just
Saint Matthew begins his Gospel with a genealogy—an unfolding of names that seem ordinary, yet each held a place in the divine economy. Saint Anne’s name does not appear there, but through Mary, she is spiritually united to that lineage. Her sanctity is not in words or works recorded, but in the formation of the one who bore the Word. This quiet work is not overlooked by God.
“A good tree bringeth forth good fruit,” says Our Lord (Matt 7:17).
And St. Augustine writes: “The fruit is known by the root; and if Mary is the flower of holiness, Anne is its root in hidden virtue.”
❖ A Model for the Hidden Life
In an age intoxicated by spectacle and worldly recognition, Saint Anne offers the quiet majesty of a soul hidden in God. Her virtues—modesty, fortitude, piety, charity—remain the foundation stones of Christian motherhood and spiritual fecundity.
Let us imitate her in building the Kingdom not through noise or acclaim, but through fidelity in small things, hidden labors, and prayerful formation of souls.
✧ Prayer ✧
O glorious Saint Anne, mother of the Mother of God,
guide us to the treasure of Christ hidden in our daily duties.
Help us to sell all that we may gain Him,
and raise our children and our souls in the quiet strength of holy virtue.
Through thee, may we learn the path of humility,
and find in the field of obedience the pearl of paradise. Amen.