Anne, Did You Know?

Today, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, I find myself wondering about the whole cast of characters who, while very important in the life of Mary herself, don't get much of a spotlight in the gospels.

People like her mother, and my baptismal patron, St. Anne. Anne is not even mentioned in the canonical Gospels, yet she was tasked with carrying and raising the first person ever to be conceived without sin. Her daughter would grow up to be the most influential woman in the world.

I complain a lot about the song "Mary Did You Know" every Advent. Because duh guys, duh she knew.

Meme version. You're welcome.

But did Anne know? St. Anne did not have the help of an angelic annunciation, or a pre-redemption from sin, yet she was carrying a first ever kind of person in her womb.

Anne had to form Mary to be ready to say yes when that angel appeared, and she had to do it as a regular human mother - failings, struggles, and all.

It's a struggle every mother faces: how do we form and prepare our children for a world that does not yet exist and problems we cannot even imagine?

I don't have the answer to that one (or I would be writing about it, trust me), but today my prayer is: if the impossible were to happen in my life, that I would have an outcome as good as St. Anne.

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On that note: today is a solemnity. As in, celebrating is mandatory. Catholic Culture as a bunch of ideas for food and fun today.

It's also a Holy Day of Obligation!