The Only Path Where Mercy Overcomes Shame

Today is the Feast of St. Joachim, father to the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Joachim was a devout and faithful man of God all of his life, yet he had to endure shame; the shame of barrenness at a time where the culture of the day believed such a condition to be a result of sin. He and his wife St. Anna pleaded with God all their adult life, even to an old age, for God to show mercy and relieve them of their shame by granting them a child. Today, we look at the life of St. Joachim to discover the path where the mercy of God overcomes the shame in our lives. That path is to let the shame that is in our lives press us urgently directly to the Lord Who is mercy.