The feast day of the father of Our Lady and the husband of St. Anne, has been placed by the Church after the Feast of the Assumption only in very recent times. For a while it was celebrated directly after the birthday of Mary, September eighth. Devotion to him has been constant over the ages, although historically nothing is known about the details of his life. The proto-evangelium (the first gospel) of St. James is the basis for most of the tradition about him. This writing, however, is not regarded by the Church as an inspired piece of literature and, while it serves a purpose in indicating that his memory was early held in veneration, it does not aid us in our reflections on his personality. Yet this very obscurity teaches us a truly great lesson, namely, that God finds us useful for His purpose, and therefore, He and not we must be remembered if the work done through our agency is of importance. That is why the name of St. Joachim has been venerated in the Eastern Churches from very early days, and his tomb in Jerusalem given special honor as a shrine from the fourth to the ninth centuries. Actually, it is a dogma of the Church that Our Lady was privileged with an Immaculate Conception, free from the effect of Adam's sin from the very moment she began to be through the fatherhood of St. Joachim. It is not unreasonable to suppose that unique graces of holiness were given by God to him who was to be in contact with this singular privilege of Mary. Again, living with her who is full of grace even in her very earliest years would have been a source of abundant blessings for this man of God. In any event, the abiding tradition of devotion to St. Joachim and the rank of the feast as a double of the second class indicate the attitude of the Church towards the human father of the Blessed Mother of God.

Reflection — Fathers have a hidden but most important part to play in the lives of their children. They can lead their children into paths of holiness and by so doing their own children may be for them a source of numerous spiritual blessings.

Taken from Father Alban Butler's "Lives of the Saints for Every Day in the Year — With Reflections" Copyright 1955.