The first reading, from the Book of Genesis, portrays Abraham, standing before God, pleading on behalf of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.
            The second reading is from the Letter to the Colossians and in it, St. Paul reminds that God loves us, forgives us and can fulfil our hopes.
            The stress in the Gospel is on the need for prayer.  Prayer that is short, persistent and from the heart.

Memorial of St Joachim and St. Anne.

Details about Joachim and Anne are sketchy and found only in apocryphal literature.  In one of these it is claimed that Mary's birth was miraculous because Joachim and Anne were sterile There were originally two feasts but they were combined in 1969.The feast is celebrated on the day that the basilica in honour of St. Anne was dedicated in Constantinople in the year 550.

Jeremiah is still uncomfortable with the public life he is leading as a prophet.  However, he had made a promise to God and today we hear a powerful prayer from Jeremiah asking God to come and rescue his people.
            Jesus explains in more detail the parable of the sower and the seed and the weeds.  The time will come when good will be separated from evil.

Jeremiah is anxious about the level of plotting against him and the opposition he is receiving from those around him. The people do not like his message of repentance and turning from their sinful ways.  Jeremiah also feels that in some sense God has deserted him as well but is comforted and consoled by God promising him that this is not the case and that he will give him strength and courage to carry on so that the people will be saved.   
            Jesus gives us two more parables which remind us that our faith is like a pearl of great price and we should value it just as much.

Martha was the sister of Mary and Lazarus.  She is the patroness of innkeepers and hostels. It was to their home that Jesus was frequent visitor.  She was generous, hardworking who tended to get irritated when things didn't work out quite so well.  She was a woman of deep faith and unbounded trust in the power of Jesus.

Jeremiah faces a difficult challenge.  The official prophets did not like what he was saying.  They courted popularity and did not want any upset.  The throw him out of the city in an attempt to silence him.
            Jesus is also meeting difficulties and challenges.  He is back on home territory but the people won’t accept him.  They don’t understand where his knowledge is coming from. They are closed to him in their minds and in their hearts.