The parents of the Virgin Mary

The author of the Protoevangelium of James (apocryphal gospel) portrays the parents of Mary, Anne and Joachim, as living in the neighborhood of the Temple of Jerusalem, and belonging to a priestly tribe. They were greatly tested because of their infertility, at times even despised and contradicted. Rather wealthy, they were generous and compassionate, often giving to the poor. Full of faith in God, they had all the qualities needed for God’s visit.

In an apparently quite different account, according to the Syriac Fathers, Mary is the "Daughter of the poor," a "humble daughter of poor people," "one who was among people of humble condition," and, in continuity with such origins, she became "the one who kept the humility that makes one poor in spirit."

In a spiritual perspective, the two traditions actually match each other: the parents of the Virgin Mary paved the way for the "Beatitude of the poor."

A. Gila

In Il pensiero dei Padri della Chiesa su s. Maria and the Beatitudine dei poveri in Santa Maria "Regina Martyrum", a quarterly magazine of Spirituality of the Order of the Servants of Mary, Provinces of Piedmont and Romagna, Year IV, issue # 2, 2001, p.21-27