Daily Readings - Thu Jul 30 2020
Jeremiah
1The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying2"Rise up and descend into the house of the potter, and there you will hear my words.3And I descended into the house of the potter, and behold, he was making a work on the wheel4And the vessel, which he was making with his hands out of clay, broke. And turning away, he made another vessel, for it had been pleasing in his eyes to make it5Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying6"Am I not able to do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done, says the Lord? Behold, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel
Matthew
47Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net cast into the sea, which gathers together all kinds of fish48When it has been filled, drawing it out and sitting beside the shore, they selected the good into vessels, but the bad they threw away49So shall it be at the consummation of the age. The Angels shall go forth and separate the bad from the midst of the just50And they shall cast them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth51Have you understood all these things?" They say to him, "Yes.52He said to them, "Therefore, every scribe well-taught about the kingdom of heaven, is like a man, the father of a family, who offers from his storehouse both the new and the old.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on God’s transformative power and the ultimate purpose of our lives. In the first reading, Jeremiah is taken to the potter’s house, where he witnesses the potter shaping clay into vessels. This image is a powerful metaphor for God’s relationship with humanity. Just as the potter molds and reshapes the clay according to his will, God shapes and reshapes us, His people, according to His divine plan. The reading reminds us of God’s sovereignty and mercy, as He can create something new even when the first attempt does not meet His expectations. This is a message of hope and trust in God’s providence, even when life seems uncertain or broken.
In the Gospel, Jesus uses another metaphor—the net cast into the sea—to describe the kingdom of heaven. The net gathers all kinds of fish, but at the end of the age, the good are separated from the bad. This parable challenges us to consider the ultimate judgment and the call to live a life of virtue and love. The kingdom of heaven is not just a future reality but is already present in the way we live our lives today. The parable also reminds us that every scribe who is well-taught in the kingdom brings out both the old and the new, suggesting that our faith must be rooted in tradition while also being open to the fresh ways God speaks to us.
Together, these readings call us to trust in God’s transformative power and to live with purpose. Like the clay in the potter’s hands, we are called to surrender to God’s will, allowing Him to shape us into vessels of love and mercy. At the same time, the parable of the net reminds us that our choices and actions have consequences. As we navigate the complexities of daily life, we are invited to reflect on how we are living out our faith. Are we striving to be “good fish,” living in a way that reflects God’s love and justice? Let us ask for the grace to trust in God’s plan and to live each day with integrity, knowing that we are called to be instruments of His kingdom.