THURSDAY, SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Jer 18: 1-6 Ps 146: 1-6 Mt 13: 47-53
CLAY IN HIS HANDS, FISH IN HIS NET
In today’s reading, God spoke to His people in the kingdom of Judah, to whom Jeremiah had been sent as a minister and guide. Prophet Jeremiah faced many difficulties, challenges and hardships throughout his years of ministry, as he had to contend with the stubborn attitude of those who refused to believe in God and His truth. Yet the Lord continued to support and strengthen Jeremiah in his ministry.
Jeremiah looks at the work of a potter. If the potter finds his work unsatisfactory, he destroys it and tries again. God’s people are clay in God’s hands. If they are not faithful, God will break them, but when they are converted, he tries again, and they become precious in his eyes. The clay in the hands of a potter is fully open to the potter’s touch and work, knowing the potter is best at it and will do the best with it. Just as the potter determines the vessel, God shapes our lives. Trust that God is still working on you. If a project or a personal change goes awry, trust that the Potter can shape you again.
The Gospel of Matthew warns us of the final judgment, in which the good fish — those who live in God’s love — are gathered, and the bad are separated. This is not a message of fear but an urgent call to ensure our time and actions bear the fruits of righteousness. We, the Church, are asked to be fishers of people. Our task is to welcome people without reservations or judgment. Matthew described this with the image of a great net that gathered all kinds of fish, big and small, and the Angels of God sorted the good from the bad. These reminders show that the Kingdom of God is open to everyone, to all of God’s children, because God truly loves each and every one of us without exception. Just as the bad and flawed fish are rejected, we must remember that God calls us all to follow Him on the path of righteousness and virtue.
Response: Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
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