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.
or
Alleluia!
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.’
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In God’s love
When a net is cast into the sea, it catches every fish of all kinds. The kingdom of God is like a net cast into the sea of humanity. God welcomes everyone: the good and the bad, the sinner and the saints. He wants all to have a personal, loving relationship with Him. Jesus used another image to express the same idea: “For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). Though God calls all to be with Him, He gives us the freedom to respond to Him. Whether we respond positively or negatively, He continues to love us and never gives up on us.
Today, let us also reflect on the first reading from the prophet Jeremiah who portrayed God as the potter patiently at work with the clay. We are clay in the Potter’s hands. God is constantly shaping and reshaping us, tirelessly working for our good.
Question for reflection:
What is God’s message to me in this time of prayer?
What is God’s message to me in this time of prayer?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
