Assumption of the righteous Anna, mother of the Virgin Mary (07/08)

Righteous Anne, mother of the Virgin, was the daughter of the priest Matthan and his wife Mary, of the tribe of Levin, the family of Aaron. The holy righteous Joachim, the son of Barpaphir, was a descendant of King David, to whom God promised that the Savior of the world would be born from the seed of his descendants.

The couple, Joachim and Anna, lived in Nazareth of Galilee. They had no children until old age and mourned it all their lives. They had to endure contempt and ridicule, since at that time misfortune was considered a disgrace. But they never grumbled and only fervently prayed to God, humbly trusting in His Will.

One day, during a great festival, the gifts that the righteous Joachim took to Jerusalem to offer to God were not accepted by the priest Reuben, who believed that a childless husband could not sacrifice to God.



Saint Joachim died a few years later after his Blessed Daughter was introduced into the temple, at the age of 80. Saint Anne died at the age of 70, two years after him, after spending her last years at the temple, next to her Daughter.

Emperor Justinian II renewed the temple in honor of Anna, because the righteous Anna appeared to his pregnant wife, and at the same time her body and veil (maphorium) were moved to Constantinople.

The Catholic Church celebrates St. Anne's Day on July 26.

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