Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne

Jer. 3:14-17, Mt. 13:18-22. In today’s first reading, Jeremiah calls for strong family bond to unite people in sincerity with a hopeful spirit. In agreement with Micah, Jeremiah we must “do justice and love goodness, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Isaiah projects this central message of the prophet in a more concise way: “Cease to do evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim; redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow” (Ish 1:16).

The prophet hopes for a new, more sincere, religious leadership for his people. In hope he foresees a reunion of Israel and Judah, also reaching out to include other nations. In today’s Gospel parables, Jesus challenges us to work hard to over come obstacles that can hinder us from hearing the word of God in a way that bears fruit in our lives. The first obstacle mentioned is lack of understanding of who Jesus is. The second obstacle is the lack of roots, as sometimes we do not allow of the word we hear to enter into us deeply enough. We have a superficial acquaintance with the word, but we do not ponder it sufficiently for it to take real root in us. What is not rooted in us can easily be abandoned when it begins to cost us something. In today’s to see third obstacle is worldly care and the lure of riches. We cannot serve God and Mammon; if we try to serve Mammon, the Lord’s word gets choked. The Gospel suggests that hearing the Lord’s word in a way that bears fruit in our lives would nothing happen automatically. There is a struggle involved; there are obstacles to be overcome. That is why Jesus taught us to pray: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” However, the Lord is stronger than any obstacle we might face, and if we open our hearts to his Spirit, to his grace, we will conquer the obstacles and our lives will be fruitful in the way that God desires for us.

May the Lord grant us His steadfast love and protect us from all evil! Amen!! Good morning and have a glorious day!!!