Humanae Vitae and the Holy Grandparents of Jesus

There are two special occasions today:  it is the anniversary of Pope Paul VI's encyclical letter about the transmission of Human Life, and it is the feast day of Sts. Joachim and Anne (the parents of the Virgin Mary).  I love both and wished I had time to write a longer blog about each of them.  First, while our marriage has always included Natural Family Planning, I don't mean that having an openness to life isn't frustrating at times.  Yet, we can look back and see how that has deepened our love and respect for each other.  Being fruitful also protected us from many pitfalls of the modern world.  And when I think about it, our philosophy has been the basis for our closest friendships with other families who see babies as a blessing.  The courage of His Holiness back in 1968 is nothing short of inspirational even today--especially in light of society's disappointing changes, which he predicted.  So today I am praying with heartfelt thanksgiving for the guidance of Truth in married love.  And the best example I can point to is St. Joachim and St. Anne.  Many homeschool mothers have a special devotion to St. Anne for her teaching and raising of the future Mother of God.  I like to see them as a model for married couples because they were united in their times of fertility as well as their infertility.  May their holy example continue to brighten the way for the Church.