Daily Catholic Mass Readings for July 30, 2020
First Reading: Jeremiah 18.1-6
1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:2"Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message."3So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel.4But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.5Then the word of the LORD came to me:6"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
Psalm 146
1Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.2I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.3Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.4When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.5Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,6the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them- the LORD, who remains faithful forever.7He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free,8the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous.9The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.10The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD.
Gospel: Matthew 13.47-52
47"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.48When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.49This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous50and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.51"Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked. "Yes," they replied.52He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as 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.