(Optional Memorial for Saint Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop) or
(Optional Memorial for Saint Peter Julian Eymard, Priest)
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| “Sorting the Catch” by Bernardus Johannes Blommers, c. 1900 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Jeremiah 18:1-6
Commentary on Jer 18:1-6
The author of the book of Jeremiah has been dwelling on the source of life in God, and the importance of repentance. In the story of the visit to the potter, God symbolically demonstrates his absolute power to reshape civilization (to destroy and remake). This image recalls the creation of mankind from the clay of the ground in Genesis 2:7, and is used in other prophetic works of the Old Testament (Isaiah 45:9) and New Testament (Romans 9:20-23), in which it appears St. Paul may be reflecting on this very passage.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 146:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab
R. (5a) Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Psalm 146 is from the wisdom tradition. Here we are given a vision of God’s salvation. His saving power (envisioned in the oracle of Isaiah and fulfilled in Jesus the Christ) lifts up the poor and downtrodden and heals those afflicted with every sort of malady.
CCC: Ps 146:3-4 150
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Gospel: Matthew 13:47-53
Commentary on Mt 13:47-53
Jesus concludes his discourse about the Kingdom of Heaven with a final parable about the fisherman’s net. He then makes reference to the disciples’ (and their successors') role as “Christian scribes” or teachers of the Kingdom of God. In his description, he refers to the “new and the old” being brought out. This reference is to the new teaching from Jesus and the old from the Law of Moses and the prophets.
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Homily:
We are given a perfect example to examine the deeper meaning of the parable of the fisherman's net today. In the reading from the book of the Prophet Jeremiah, we see in the analogy of the potter, God’s ability to reshape mankind (he speaks specifically of Israel, but the important idea to understand is he is talking about destroying and remaking a society, not destroying mankind at an individual biological level). If we read the next six verses (Jeremiah 18:7-12), we see that God does not take this step on a whim, but rather considers the reflection, repentance, and conversion of the people. The message is clear: God has the power to tear down and build up until, like the potter, he reaches a form pleasing to himself.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is speaking to his disciples about the Kingdom of God. In this passage he refers to their role as scribes or teachers. Indeed, this is what they became, spreading the Lord’s words of salvation and his promise of the Kingdom throughout the world. These words reshaped the world’s understanding of God. They tore down the old perceptions of God. They changed the perception of God into the idea of a loving Father, rather than a God of justice and vengeance and, through the story of Christ, God’s Son, showed the face of our Father’s inestimable love. He continues even now to use his word to reshape the world.
The most ancient and authentic words those “Christian Scribes” left us are contained in Holy Scripture, which we study fervently. The precepts contained in those pages are most authentically captured by the Teaching Magisterium of the Church. It is the legacy of Christ himself, who appointed Peter, the first pontiff, as keeper of the keys to the Kingdom. It has been faithfully passed down to us, like a tool in the potter’s hand; a tool that has been molding clay, reshaping the world for two thousand years.
The shaping tool changes over time. Like those who have gone before us, we are given the guidance of the “scribes,” teaching us from the books of the Law of Moses and prophets in the Old Testament (the old we bring out), and those who chronicled the story of Christ in the New Testament (the new vision of God’s Kingdom). We thank God today for His guidance and pray for the strength to be his tool working to bring the world to a shape pleasing to him.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Sorting the Catch” by Bernardus Johannes Blommers, c. 1900.
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