Righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna 9/22/2013
Righteous Joachim was the son of Barpanther, of Juda's lineage and descendant of King David. Anna was the daughter of the priest Mattha, of Levi's lineage, as the High priest Aaron. Mattha had three daughters: Mary, Sovia and Anna. Mary married in Bethlehem and gave birth to Salome; Sovia also married in Bethlehem and gave birth to Elizabeth, the mother of Saint John the Forerunner; and Anna married Joachim from Nazareth and in her old age gave birth to the most Holy Mother of God. Joachim and Anna had lived in marriage for fifty years and were childless. They led a devoted and peaceful life and out of their all incomes only a third kept for themselves, the other third distributed to the poor, and the last third gave for the temple. And they were wealthy enough. Once, in their old age, when they had gone to present their offering to the Lord in the temple, the High priest Issachar reproached Joachim: "Your gifts must not be accepted because you do not have children, and hence, do not have the blessing of God." Thus, the others that had children pushed Joachim away from them as unworthy. This cut them to the heart and they returned home in great sorrow. Then both of them fell down to their knees fervently imploring God to work a miracle as once to Abraham and Sarah and to grant them a child for consolation in their old age. God sent them His angel who announced them the birth of their most-blessed daughter Who would be the praise of all people on the earth and through Whom the salvation of the world would come. And Anna conceived and in the ninth month she gave birth to the most Holy Virgin Mary. The righteous Joachim had lived for eighty, and Anna for seventy-nine years before they presented themselves to God.
