First reading Jeremiah 18:1-6
When the clay goes wrong, the potter starts afresh
The word that was addressed to Jeremiah by the Lord, ‘Get up and make your way down to the potter’s house; there I shall let you hear what I have to say.’ So I went down to the potter’s house; and there he was, working at the wheel. And whenever the vessel he was making came out wrong, as happens with the clay handled by potters, he would start afresh and work it into another vessel, as potters do. Then this word of the Lord was addressed to me, ‘House of Israel, can not I do to you what this potter does? – it is the Lord who speaks. Yes, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so you are in mine, House of Israel.’
Responsorial Psalm 145(146):2-6
He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God.
My soul, give praise to the Lord.
I will praise the Lord all my days,
make music to my God while I live.
Put no trust in princes,
In mortal men in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay
and their plans that day come to nothing.
He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who alone made heaven and earth,
the seas and all they contain.
Gospel Matthew 13:47-53
The fishermen collect the good fish and throw away those that are no use
Jesus said to the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use. This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
‘Have you understood all this?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Well then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom things both new and old.’
When Jesus had finished these parables he left the district.
______________________________________________
In the Potter’s hands
In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah watches a potter at work. Whenever the clay in the potter’s hands is spoiled, he patiently reshapes it into another vessel. God then says to Jeremiah, “as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so you are in mine.” This message continues to resonate for us today. Our lives, with all our plans and setbacks, are like clay in God’s hands. He is our potter, lovingly shaping us from what is flawed into something beautiful. We need to let ourselves be softened by trusting in Him, rather than letting pride and fear harden our hearts.
In the Gospel, Jesus describes a net that gathers all kinds of fish, both good and bad. There will be sorting at the end, but until then, both types of fish will be in the same net. The message is that God understands our strengths and weaknesses, recognising both the good and the bad in us. He never gives up on us but patiently works in us. Today, let us be like clay in the Potter’s hands, staying open to be moulded according to His purpose.
Reflective question:
In what area of my life is God inviting me to let Him reshape today?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD
