Armenian Church commemorates Sts. Joachim and Anna and oil-bearing women 

Today, on August 27, the Armenian Church commemorates Saints Joachim and Anna, parents of Mary, the mother of Christ.

According to the tradition, wealthy Joachim was a descendant of King David, and Anna was the daughter of a priest. One day, when performing a service in the cathedral, the priest tells Joachim to stand in the end, as he had no son. Becoming upset, Joachim comes out of the cathedral and immediately climbs up the mountains, vowing not to descend the mountain until the visit of God. Following his example, Anna, staying at home, devotes herself to prayer and repentance. And once, when Anna sees in the garden the birds playing with their nestlings, becomes sad and cries, as she wasn’t granted the grace of being a mother. Just at that moment the Angel of God visits Anna, telling her that God will be granting her a son who will be the mother of the Savior of the world. Joachim also has the same vision and becoming very happy, gives alms to the poor. The parents decide to devote the baby to the Church. The baby is named Mary, which means “Illuminated”.

The oil-bearing women are the witnesses of Christ’s torments. They are the first to give the good tidings of the Resurrection of our Lord. The oil-bearing women followed Christ during all the time of realizing His earthly mission. The church calls them “oil-bearing women” as on Sunday, in the morning, they hurried to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus by the aromatic oils prepared by themselves.

Thanks to their devoutness, they were the first to see the Rosen God and told about it to the Apostles. They were upstairs during Pentecost and together with the Apostles received the graces of the Holy Spirit.

The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates the memory of St. Joachim and Anna together with the oil-bearing women.