In Honor of St. Joachim, Confessor and Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary
On this day Holy Mother Church bids us to turn our hearts toward the figure of St. Joachim, the righteous father of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who in his quiet fidelity prepared the way for the coming of Christ. The liturgy presents to us two passages of Sacred Scripture: from the Book of Sirach (31:8-11) and from the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew (1:1-16). Together they form a luminous commentary on the hidden greatness of this saintly patriarch.
“Blessed is the rich man that is found without blemish…” (Sir 31:8)
The sapiential text extols a man of wealth who has not placed his trust in riches, but who, tested by God, has remained unshaken. The Fathers see here not merely a commendation of temporal moderation, but the figure of that just man who lives in obedience to the divine will, uncorrupted by earthly allurements.
St. Ambrose remarks that “true wealth is not in the abundance of possessions, but in the purity of conscience and the fear of God” (De Officiis, I.30). St. Gregory the Great echoes this: “To abound in goods and not to be lifted up by them is to use the world as though not using it” (Moralia in Iob, XXVI, 15). Thus does Joachim appear before us: a man of means, but “without blemish,” for he did not place his treasure in barns, but in the Lord’s promises.
The sacred writer continues: “Who is he, and we will praise him? For he hath done wonderful things in his life” (v. 9). The Fathers interpret this verse as a prefiguration of those saints whose hidden fidelity brings forth marvelous fruits in God’s plan. In Joachim, the “wonderful thing” is that, through his perseverance and prayer, he was chosen to be the father of her who would become the Mother of God.
The Genealogy of the Just (Matt 1:1-16)
In the Gospel, we hear the long roll of names leading from Abraham to Joseph, the spouse of Mary. St. Jerome observes that “the order of generations is recounted, not because of their temporal greatness, but because from them would be born the Savior of the world” (Commentarium in Matthaeum, I).
This list, which to the inattentive ear may sound dry, is in fact a hymn of continuity: God’s fidelity to His promises, working through human weakness and human history. St. John Chrysostom notes that Matthew “traces Christ’s lineage through those who were both just and sinners, that we may learn that He came for the salvation of all” (Homiliae in Matthaeum, 2).
And within this line, Joachim stands, though unmentioned explicitly, as the living bridge between the generations. He is the father of Mary, and in her the divine promises find their flowering. The genealogy culminates in Joseph, but it is Mary who provides the flesh of the Incarnate Word—and Joachim, together with St. Anne, is the root from which that flower blossomed.
The Hidden Glory of St. Joachim
The Fathers often remark that God delights to accomplish His greatest works in hiddenness. St. Augustine reminds us: “That which is greatest in God was wrought in humility, lest pride should destroy the weak” (Sermo 23 de Tempore). St. Joachim embodies this truth. His sanctity lay not in public deeds, but in patience, prayer, and steadfast trust.
Tradition tells us of his sorrow at being childless and his persevering supplication before God. In this he becomes a type of Abraham, who likewise received the promise of blessing in his old age. His fruitfulness, like Abraham’s, was to extend far beyond earthly posterity—it was to give to the world the Immaculate Virgin, and through her, the Redeemer.
Conclusion
The liturgy today sets before us the image of the just man tested and found faithful (Sir 31), and the genealogy of Christ (Matt 1), into which Joachim silently but indispensably enters. His hidden fidelity made him a chosen vessel of grace, a patriarch of the New Covenant.
May we, like him, be found without blemish in our stewardship of earthly goods and in the trials of life. And may St. Joachim, father of Our Lady and grandfather of the Lord, obtain for us a share in that humble righteousness which prepares the way for Christ to dwell in our hearts.
Sancte Ioachim, ora pro nobis.