July 30, 2026
Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 404
Reading 1
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
R. (5a) Blessed is he whose help is the God of
Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our heart, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Jesus said to the disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
“Do you understand all these things?”
They answered, “Yes.”
And he replied,
“Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom
both the new and the old.”
When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/073026.cfm
Commentary on
Jeremiah 18:1-6
Today, Jeremiah visits a potter. Three chapters, of which
today’s reading is the beginning, consist of lessons that God taught Jeremiah
at a potter’s workshop. The date is believed to be before 605 BC. The message
is clear: as the potter has total control over his clay and makes of it what he
wills, so is the Lord master of his people. They are like clay in his hands.
Once again we see how the prophet uses a symbol from daily
life to give a message about God’s relationship with his people. (Remember on
Monday of this Week 17, we had the image of the loincloth.)
The Jerusalem Bible makes the following
comment:
The time of this enacted parable is before 598 BC, since the
great disaster (the exile into Babylon) has not yet taken place. Symbolic
gesture had accompanied the preaching of the earliest prophets, of Samuel for
example, or Ahijah of Shiloh, and of the false prophet Zedekiah. This procedure
was not simply a dramatisation of the spoken prophecy: it was a pre-enactment
of the event threatened or promised, in such a way that the event itself became
as inevitable as the gesture was irrevocable. (edited)
The same phenomenon recurs among the ‘writing’ prophets.
Hosea’s whole mission is inextricable from a symbolic action which in turn is
his private predicament, namely, his difficult marriage. With Isaiah, the
symbolic gesture is found less frequently (see Isiah chapter 20 and the
symbolic names he gives to his children).
Jeremiah performs, or interprets, many symbolic actions: the
almond tree and the pot, the hidden loincloth (though this seems only to have
been enacted in vision), the potter, the jug, the figs, the yoke and the buying
of the field. To this list we may add that his life itself is a symbol and that
his sufferings (though he gives this no emphasis) identify him in advance with
the nation itself about to suffer, and make him foreshadow the suffering
servant of Yahweh.
Later, Ezekiel was to perform more symbolic actions (see
Ezekiel chapter 4): the brick ‘besieged’, the rationed food, the hair, the mime
of the exile, the pot and the two sticks. He too, like Hosea, interprets his
personal experience symbolically: his illness, his wife’s death, his dumbness
and recovery.
Symbolism of this kind is also found in the New Testament
for example, the fig tree cursed by Jesus and the prophecy of Agabus in Acts
(21:11) in which, by a symbolic gesture, he prophesies the future arrest of
Paul.
In today’s reading Jeremiah is told to go down to the
potter’s house. It was probably situated on the slopes of the Valley of Ben
Hinnom, near what was known as the Potsherd Gate (perhaps because broken and
discarded pottery was piled there).
The prophet sees the potter working at his wheel. The wheel
consisted of two horizontal stone disks. Both were attached to an upright
shaft, one end of which was sunk permanently into the ground. The potter would
spin the lower wheel with his foot and work the clay on the upper wheel which
was also turning.
Jeremiah noticed that if the vessel being made turned out
wrong, which happened often, the potter would start all over again to get
exactly the shape he wanted. It is worth noting that the Hebrew word for ‘going
wrong’ (i.e. “spoiled”) here is the same as that describing the ruined
loincloth in Monday’s reading.
The message is then given. Can God not do with his people just
as the potter does?
Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my
hand, O house of Israel.
It is an image found elsewhere in Scripture. And the Hebrew
word for ‘potter’ is translated elsewhere as ‘Maker’ with reference to God.
The lesson tells us a number of things. First, that man
proposes, but God disposes. We can make as many plans as we like in our lives,
but in the end, we are always the subject of forces totally beyond our control.
This applies to all, rich and poor, powerful and weak.
Second, this does not mean that we are to go through life
passively and fatalistically and just let things happen to us. We cannot just
write off things as “fate” or say that “I am an unlucky person”.
Finally, what it does mean is that we are to actively seek
what God wants from us in life, and to actively accept what clearly is his will
for us. Life and freedom and peace consist in making God’s will and our will to
be in perfect harmony. I want what he wants. As Paul puts it, writing to the
Romans:
Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the
same lump one object for special use and another for ordinary use? (Rom
9:21)
God may be a potter, but he is a good one and wants to
produce the very best product possible. For that, though, he needs my cooperation.
I cannot make life in the way that I want it, but by allowing myself to be
moulded by him, I can be all that I can be.
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Commentary on
Matthew 13:47-53
We come to the seventh and last of the Parables of the
Kingdom in this discourse. Of course, we need to remind ourselves that Jesus
did not speak them one after the other as they are presented here. They are the
work of the author’s editing, putting matters with a common theme into one
place.
Today’s Kingdom parable points to the end of time. There
will come a time for the end of the Kingdom on earth, and then those who belong
and those who do not will be clearly distinguished and separated from each
other. That is something which cannot and should not be done now as the parable
of the weeds indicated.
When will that end be? Of course, we do not
know—fortunately! But one thing we do know is that our own end will come in a
relatively short time, even if we live to be 100. And when that happens, it
will be clear to God, if not to others, whether we are leaving this world
‘inside’ the Kingdom or ‘outside’ it, that is, whether we are with God or
against him.
How can we make sure we are in the right place? By making
sure that I get confession and the ‘last sacraments’ before I die? Don’t bet on
it! The best guarantee is to enroll in the Kingdom today and every day, to
live, with Christ’s help, in the way he has shown us. If we do that on a
day-to-day basis, the future will take care of itself and there is no need to
worry.
The whole discourse is then brought to an end by Jesus
asking his disciples if they understand what he has been saying, and they say
they do. Jesus then gives a description of the truly learned disciple. He is a
“scribe”, an interpreter of God’s Word, who can bring from his storeroom “what
is new and what is old”, someone who has both the wealth of the Old Testament,
as well as the vision of the New.
The Jerusalem Bible comments:
“This picture of a ‘scribe who has become a disciple’ sums
up the whole ideal of the evangelist and may well be a self-portrait.”
The author of this Gospel is clearly a Jew who has become a
Christian.
As Jesus said earlier, he had not come to destroy the
traditions of the ‘old’ Hebrew covenant, but to fulfil it with a new covenant.
He would equally reject those who abandoned the Hebrew tradition, as well as
those who rejected the new insights which he brought. This is a process which
goes on today in the Christian faith. There is a continuing and creative
tension between what has been handed down in the past, and the new
understandings which arise with changing circumstances. We all have to be both
conservative and progressive at the same time!
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/o2175g/
Thursday, July 30,
2026
Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
God our Father and protector, without you
nothing is holy, nothing has value. Guide us to everlasting life by helping us
to use wisely the blessings you have given to the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus
Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading - Matthew 13: 47-53
Jesus said to the people: 'Again, the kingdom of
Heaven is like a dragnet that is cast in the sea and brings in a haul of all
kinds of fish. When it is full, the fishermen bring it ashore; then, sitting
down, they collect the good ones in baskets 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 upright, to throw them into the blazing furnace,
where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. 'Have you understood all
these?' 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 new things as well as old.' When Jesus had finished
these parables he left the district.
Reflection
The Gospel today presents the last parable of
the Discourse of the Parables, the story of the dragnet thrown into the sea.
This parable is found only in the Gospel of Matthew without any parallel in the
other three Gospels.
•
Matthew 13: 47-48: The parable of the dragnet
cast into the sea. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet that is cast into
the sea and brings in a whole haul of all kinds of fish. When it is full, the
fishermen haul it ashore; then sitting down; they collect the good ones in
baskets and throw away those that are no use.” This story is well known by the
people of Galilee who live around the lake. This is their work. The story shows
clearly the end of a day of work. The fishermen go fishing with only one
purpose: to cast the net and to catch a great number of fish, to haul the net
ashore and to choose the good fish to take home and to throw away those that
are no good. Describe the satisfaction of the fishermen, at the end of the day
of a day, being very tired having worked hard. This story must have brought a
smile of satisfaction on the face of the fishermen who listened to Jesus. The
worse thing is to arrive to the shore at the end of the day without having
caught anything (Jn 21: 3).
•
Matthew 13: 49-50: The application of the
parable. Jesus applies the parable, or better still gives a suggestion in order
that persons can discuss and apply the parable to their life: “This is how it will
be at the end of time, the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the
upright, to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and
grinding of teeth.” How are we to understand this blazing furnace? These are
very strong images to describe the destiny of those who separate themselves
from God or who do not want to know anything about God. In every city there is
a place where to throw the garbage every day. There is a permanent furnace
nourished every day by the garbage of every day. The garbage place in Jerusalem
was located in a valley called geena,
where, at the time of the kings, there was a furnace even to sacrifice to the
false gods of Molok. For this reason, the furnace of geena becomes the symbol of exclusion and of condemnation. God is
not the one who excludes. God does not want the exclusion and the condemnation
of anyone; he wants that all may have
life and life in abundance. Each one of us excludes himself/herself.
•
Matthew 13: 51-53: The end of the discourse of
the Parables. At the end of the discourse of the Parables, Jesus concludes with
the following question: "Have you understood these things?” They answered:
“Yes.” And Jesus finishes the explanation with another comparison which
describes the result which he wants to obtain through the parables: “Well,
then, every Scribe who becomes a disciple of the Kingdom of Heaven is like a
householder who brings out from his storeroom new things as well as old.”
•
Two points to clarify:
•
Jesus compares the doctor of the law to the
father in the family. What does the father of the family do? “He brings out
from his treasure new things and old things.” Education at home takes place
through the transmission to the sons and daughters of what the parents have
received and learnt along the time. It is the treasure of the family wisdom
where the richness of faith is enclosed, the customs of life and many other
things that the children learn with time. Now Jesus wants that in the community
the persons who are responsible for the transmission of faith be as the father
in the family. Just like the parents are responsible for the life of the
family, in the same way, these persons who are responsible for the teaching
should understand the things of the Kingdom and transmit it to the brothers and
sisters in the community.
•
Here there is the question of a doctor of the
law who becomes a disciple of the Kingdom. Therefore, there were doctors of the
law who accepted Jesus, and saw in him the one who revealed the Kingdom. Is
this what happened to a doctor when he discovers the Messiah in Jesus, the Son
of God? Everything which he has studied to be able to be a doctor of the law
continues to be valid, but it receives a deeper dimension and a broader
purpose. A comparison can clarify what has just been said. In a group of
friends one shows a photo, where one sees a man with a severe face, with his
finger up, almost attacking the public. Everybody thinks that it is a question
of an inflexible person, demanding, who does not allow for any intimacy. At
that moment a young boy arrives, he sees the photo and exclaims: “He is my
father!” The others look at him and comment: “A severe Father, true?” He
answers: “No, and no! He is very affectionate. My father is a lawyer. That
photo was taken in the tribunal, while he was denouncing the crime of a great
landowner who wanted a poor family to abandon their home where they had lived
for many years! My father won the cause. And the poor family remained in the
house!” All looked at him again and said: “What a pleasant person!” Almost like
a miracle the photo enlightened from within and assumed a different aspect.
That very severe face acquired the features of great tenderness! The words of
the son, the result of his experience of being the son, changed everything, without
changing anything! The words and the gestures of Jesus, result of his
experience as a Son, without changing a letter or a comma, enlightened from
within the wisdom accumulated by the doctor of the law. And thus, God who
seemed to be so far away and so severe acquired the features of a good Father
and of enormous tenderness!
Personal Question
•
Has the experience of Son entered in you and
changed your look, making you discover the things of God in a different way?
•
What has the Discourse of the Parables revealed
to you about the Kingdom?
Concluding Prayer
Praise Yahweh, my soul!
I will praise Yahweh all my life, I will make music to my
God as long as I live. (Ps 146: 1-2)
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