Thursday, August 3, 2006
17th Week in Ordinary Time


OLD AND NEW IN THE KINGDOM

Jer 18:1-6; Ps 146:1-2,3-4,5-6; Matthew 13:47-53


Daily Gospel

Opening Prayer

Faithful God of tenderness and mercy,
you want us to be your people
on the march with Jesus your Son
toward the new future of justice and love
of your kingdom.
Do not allow us to suffocate in being contented
with old habits and sluggish ways.
Help us to accept the pain
of leaving the familiar behind us
and open us to today's challenge of the gospel
to become more like your Son
who guides our faltering steps,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Liturgy of the Word

Introduction to the First Reading

Jeremiah looks at the work of a potter. If the potter sees his work is misshapen, he destroys it and tries anew. 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 with them and they become precious.

First Reading: Jer 18:1-6

This word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: Rise up, be off to
the potter’s house; there I will give you my message. I went
down to the potter’s house and there he was, working at the
wheel. Whenever the object of clay which he was making
turned out badly in his hand, he tried again, making of the clay
another object of whatever sort he pleased. Then the word of
the LORD came to me: Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as
this potter has done? says the LORD. Indeed, like clay in the
hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 146:1-2,3-4,5-6

R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.

Praise the LORD, O my soul;
I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.

Put not your trust in princes,
in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation.
When his spirit departs he returns to his earth;
on that day his plans perish.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.

Blessed he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD, his God.
Who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.

Introduction to Gospel Reading

The parable about the net full of fish, good and bad, is very close to the parable heard a few days ago about the wheat and the weeds. It ends with the statement that the scribe in the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old. Jesus came "not to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to complete them." Therefore the disciple, when he welcomes what is new, does not reject what is old. He treasures both.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 13:47-53

       Jesus said to the crowds, "The kingdom of heaven is like a big fishing net let down into the sea, in which every kind of fish has been caught. When the net is full, it is dragged ashore. Then they sit down and gather the good fish in buckets, but throw the worthless ones away. That is how it will be at the end of time; the angels will go out to separate the wicked from the just and throw them into the blazing furnace, where they will weep and gnash their teeth."

       Jesus asked, "Have you understood all these things?" "Yes," they answered. So he said to them, "You will see that every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple of the Kingdom is like a householder who can produce from his store things both new and old."

       When Jesus had finished these parables, he left the place.

Commentary

Jeremiah is sent to a potter to watch him throw a pot on the wheel. Often it turns out badly and he takes it from the wheel and begins again. This is God with his people; we are clay in his hand and God is trying to make us into something pleasing. Jesus tells stories of people, now caught in a dragnet, with all sorts of other debris as well. Time for sorting and judging, keeping and throwing away. And a good disciple is one who can go into a storeroom and take what is good and leave the rest. We are to learn how to sort, discard, and take up what is essential. Justice, forgiveness, mercy, truthfulness, faithfulness.

 

General Intercessions

- For the Church, that it may be a voice and a force promoting justice and love among people and among nations, we pray:

- For the politicians and economists of our day, that they may reform national and international structures to give equitable access to all to the material and spiritual treasures of our world, we pray:

- For all of us, that we may live in the hands of God and let him mold us, even through trials, into better Christians, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
with bread and wine we celebrate
the covenant you renew with us
in the blood of Jesus Christ.
Make us indeed your new, faithful people
bound to you in an everlasting union of love.
Renew our hearts,
make us your new wine of joy and hope,
that we may rebuild this earth today
and march with your Son
toward your new heaven,
where you will be our God for ever.

Prayer after Communion

God of hope,
you have given us Jesus your Son
as our companion on the road
for understanding the old, familiar things
with a new and young heart
and for renewing ourselves and the world.
Let him prod us on
when we try to compromise
by merely patching up the old here and there;
let him curb our impatience
when we try to rush people
beyond their capacity for growth.
Lead us forward through our trusted guide,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing

We must make the Lord visible today in a way our times understand and make our world more and more God's world and kingdom. May you do so with the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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