Spring in Wisconsin seems doubly welcome after the drab days of February and March. We celebrate renewal on many levels. We have Mother’s and Father’s Day to bond with our families. We also have occasions to applaud a star performance or cheer awards being presented to grandchildren. We renew our faith in the celebration of the Resurrection, the Ascension and Pentecost. Often we wrap Bibles and rosaries to give to those receiving the sacraments of Eucharist, penance and confirmation.

Many of us have learned our caring, involved grandparent role from our parents and grandparents. We listen to stories of role models from the Old and New Testament.

The Gospels are silent on the grandparents of Jesus. What we know of them is through “tradition” dating to early Christian times. Ss. Joachim and Anne, who was probably called Hannah in that time, became the parents of Mary when they were older. What a joy it must have been to them when their grandchild Jesus was born. I sometimes wonder what Jewish lullabies Anne sang to baby Jesus as she cared for him while Mary went to the well for their daily supply of water. Did she tell her friends how wonderful this blessed babe was and the pictures he could draw in the sand with one of the many stones that cover the Mideastern landscape?  

What kind of work did Joachim do when they lived in Nazareth and later moved to Jerusalem? Perhaps he and Jesus took walks in the nearby countryside or visited the busy marketplace.

Tradition says that Joachim and Anne lived near the temple. I’m sure they knew the Scriptures well and spoke of them to the young boy, but did they know that he was the subject of many of the Scripture passages? Maybe they all walked together to the temple.
It had to be a happy household with no reprimands or reminders necessary – no “pick up your toys, Jesus. Eat your peas, please.”

Joachim and Anne could tell stories of long ago of the tribes of Judah and when David was king and of their own childhoods in Nazareth. Kind words and hugs abounded. There were no iPods, Facebook and phones to distract from conversations.

Did Anne always have fresh biscuits with honey ready for the young boy when he awoke from a nap? Maybe Joachim served as referee at the games the teen boys played. We don’t know if Jesus played a musical instrument as many of our grandchildren enjoy and provide enjoyment for us today.

Did Jesus share stories and shed tears at their funerals as he did at the death of Lazarus?

We often hear, “What would Jesus do?” Jesus must have had loving grandparents. As grandparents, we could ask “What did Anne and Joachim do?” Even though we don’t know much about them, we can imagine that Anne and Joachim were always there for him – as he was for them.

There is a Welsh proverb that says, “Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild.” He is the Perfect Love we can see in all of our grandchildren and, hopefully, reflect to them.

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