20220728 REMOULDING, RESHAPING, RENEWING
28 July, 2022, Thursday, 17th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Jeremiah 18:1-6 © |
When the clay goes wrong, the potter starts afresh
The word that was addressed to Jeremiah by the Lord, ‘Get up and make your way down to the potter’s house; there I shall let you hear what I have to say.’ So I went down to the potter’s house; and there he was, working at the wheel. And whenever the vessel he was making came out wrong, as happens with the clay handled by potters, he would start afresh and work it into another vessel, as potters do. Then this word of the Lord was addressed to me, ‘House of Israel, can not I do to you what this potter does? – it is the Lord who speaks. Yes, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so you are in mine, House of Israel.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 145(146):2-6 © |
He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God.
or
Alleluia!
My soul, give praise to the Lord.
I will praise the Lord all my days,
make music to my God while I live.
He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God.
or
Alleluia!
Put no trust in princes,
In mortal men in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay
and their plans that day come to nothing.
He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God.
or
Alleluia!
He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who alone made heaven and earth,
the seas and all they contain.
He is happy who is helped by Jacob’s God.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Jn15:15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.Ac16:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 13:47-53 © |
The fishermen collect the good fish and throw away those that are no use
Jesus said to the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket 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 just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
‘Have you understood all this?’ 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 things both new and old.’
REMOULDING, RESHAPING, RENEWING
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 18:1-6; MT 13:47-53]
In the gospel, Jesus described the Kingdom of heaven as “like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use.” This is true not just with respect to collective groups of people but also to individuals as well. The truth is that in each of us, there is so much good as well as evil. We are always fighting this inner warfare within us, as St Paul describes in his letter to the Romans. (Rom 7) This is also true in the parable of the householder. Jesus said, “Well then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his storeroom things both new and old.” Again, on the level of the individual, there is this ongoing tension of reconciling our past with the present, the old mindset, and the new way of looking at life. This is then reflected in society. Before we see the division in society, we must know that this division begins in the heart and mind of each individual. Society is divided because man is divided.
Yet, God the merciful and compassionate One allows us to be moulded, formed, and purified through all these challenges. Life is not as clear-cut as we want it to be. Life cannot be compartmentalized into neat categories. Life is dynamic, changing, developing for better or retrogressing. We must never give up on ourselves. Precisely, the scripture readings want us to know that we are always a work in progress. God has not done with us yet. God is patient. He allows time and history to form us gradually. As St Paul wrote in Romans, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28) He also wrote, “we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Rom 5:3-5)
There are two ways to look at this reality in life. Just like the dragnet that does not discriminate or differentiate when it draws all kinds of fishes and even things when it is dragged through the water. The contents collected are a mixture of good and bad. So too the Church must be seen in this manner. In the Church, we have all kinds of people, those who are strong in faith and in their spiritual life; those who are nominal Catholics; and those who are lapsed Catholics. Some have very good heart, are humble and respectful. Others are arrogant and self-righteous. So as Church, do we sift out the net at this point of time, or should we be patient and wait for everyone to grow in holiness? This is why we must be careful that we do not make the Church exclusive, one that is reserved for the saints and the holy people. We are a Church of sinners, and therefore we must also accommodate those who are struggling to live out the gospel, those who are unable to be faithful to all that the Church asks of them. We must be inclusive, journey with them without being judgmental but seek to help them to grow in life and be more committed to Christ and the gospel.
Of course, judgment, in the end, is inevitable. This is what the parable of the Dragnet wants to remind us. “This is how it will be at the end of time; the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” Until then we have the opportunity to change, repent, reform, and grow to become the person that God meant us to be. The first reading reminds us that God is the potter. He allows us to have many chances in life. This is the image that Jeremiah provided us. “Yes, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so you are in mine, House of Israel.” Like the potter behind the wheel, God gives us many opportunities to repent. “Whenever the vessel he was making came out wrong, as happens with the clay handled by potters, he would start afresh and work it into another vessel, as potters do.” That was how God dealt with Israel when she betrayed the Covenant, rebelled against Him and chose their own way.
The question is, how open are we to the transforming power of God’s spirit? What kind of clay are we in the hands of God our potter? Are we soft clay that God could easily mould to be the person that we are called to be? Or are we already the hardened clay that can no longer be moulded? This is the question we are called to reflect on for ourselves this morning. Will we be like Israel who hardened their hearts by not responding to God’s grace to change and be converted? God gave them many signs, including the destruction of the Northern Kingdom by Assyria, and the Southern Kingdom by Babylon. But they failed to take the warnings of God seriously. They were not ready to be moulded. They did not seek repentance and change. Hence, we must also take stock of ourselves. When we reflect on our lives, we have made many foolish mistakes. We have been selfish and self-centred. We have hurt as many people as they have hurt us. We have allowed evil to triumph over goodness. But have we learnt from these mistakes? Are we contrite and ready to change? Or do we take the grace of God for granted and continue to abuse His grace in our lives?
This is where we must find courage and creativity. The parable of the householder is a clear encouragement to us to find new ways of looking at our life. Some of us are so stuck to the old way of life. We see life through the windows of the past, our pains and our traumas. We live in fear, suspicion, and distrust. We have been betrayed. We have been deceived. So we tend to have a fixed mindset about life and about people. In other words, our eyes are blinded and our hearts are hardened by the past and by our upbringing. For some, it could also be the way we were brought up in our faith, just like the scribes in their interpretation of the scriptures. So our mindset is fixed on the way we see God and see our faith. This will inhibit us in the way we look at ourselves as sinners, and also the way we judge others who fail to live up to the gospel life. Sometimes, it is because of a narrow understanding of God and faith that makes us give up on our faith.
Today, the Lord is inviting us to bring in new experiences as well. We are called to look at our pains and struggles and failures in a new way. Instead of seeing them as obstacles, we are called to look at such failures as stepping stones for growth. Instead of dwelling on the negative dimension of what we have gone through, we are called to look at such events as purifying and redeeming. This is what the Lord is asking of us when He said to bring in the old and new together. Looking at the old from a new outlook will help us to recognize with gratitude and appreciation all that had happened in our lives. We will be filled with thanksgiving. This is what Jeremiah is asking of us, to be broken, remoulded, and renewed.
Once we come out of a difficult and painful situation, it does not mean that all our past experiences or what we have learned become redundant. Jesus never intends us to abandon our past traditions, experiences, and knowledge we have acquired. Just like the scribe who spent his whole life studying the law and the commandments. We who have been living the life the Lord assigned us should continue with that life. But we must see it from a new perspective. God wants us to continue to use the gifts He has blessed us with in a new way, finding new motivation and use for them. We should never despise our traditions but let us use them for the greater good in our ministry and work.
We must also be receptive to what is new. It does not mean that anything that is new compromises our values and our traditions. We need to move with the times whilst being faithful to the eternal values of humanity. These will never change because truth does not change. But the way we apply them to our concrete situation will change. However, all changes must be founded on the Word of God. We must not forget that the foundation of being renewed always goes back to the scriptures, the Word of God. We must rely on the Word of God, which is ever old and yet ever new. The Word of God should not be read in a fossilized manner. The principles of interpretation remain but new contexts, new situations, and new challenges demand us to re-read the scriptures from a different perspective. We must turn to the Holy Spirit to inspire us on how to read the signs of the times. This is why we must spend time in prayerful reflection on the Word of God, listening to His call to change and be remoulded. We must be courageous and creative in the way we listen to God.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment