The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to seek the transformation offered by the Divine Potter to integrate our life experience of loss and love as the foundation of living our fullest existence.
The reading from the Prophet Jeremiah presents the lesson of the Potter and the Clay.
* [18:1–12] The lesson of the potter is that God has the power to destroy or restore, changing his plans accordingly as these nations disobey him or fulfill his will. Cf. Jon 3:10. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 146 offers Praise for God’s Help.
* [Psalm 146] A hymn of someone who has learned there is no other source of strength except the merciful God. Only God, not mortal human beings (Ps 146:3–4), can help vulnerable and oppressed people (Ps 146:5–9). The first of the five hymns that conclude the Psalter. (Psalms, PSALM 146 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches about Treasures New and Old.
* [13:44–50] The concluding parable of the fishnet resembles the explanation of the parable of the weeds with its stress upon the final exclusion of evil persons from the kingdom.
* [13:44] In the unsettled conditions of Palestine in Jesus’ time, it was not unusual to guard valuables by burying them in the ground.
* [13:51] Matthew typically speaks of the understanding of the disciples.
* [13:52] Since Matthew tends to identify the disciples and the Twelve (see note on Mt 10:1), this saying about the Christian scribe cannot be taken as applicable to all who accept the message of Jesus. While the Twelve are in many ways representative of all who believe in him, they are also distinguished from them in certain respects. The church of Matthew has leaders among whom are a group designated as “scribes” (Mt 23:34). Like the scribes of Israel, they are teachers. It is the Twelve and these their later counterparts to whom this verse applies. The scribe…instructed in the kingdom of heaven knows both the teaching of Jesus (the new) and the law and prophets (the old) and provides in his own teaching both the new and the old as interpreted and fulfilled by the new. On the translation head of a household (for the same Greek word translated householder in Mt 13:27), see note on Mt 24:45–51. (Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)
Suzanne Braddock considers the words of Robert Ellsberg, who writes the “Blessed Among Us” feature in the Give Us This Day series, St. Alphonsus Liguori maintained that " the moral life was not a matter of tortured or legalistic compliance with the law. It was essentially the life of love.”
I wonder how many times God has tried again and again to mold me into something pleasing to him? Like the householder with his storeroom who brings out both the old and the new, I wonder what I have in my storeroom of memories and past deeds. What is old? What do I hang onto and have trouble releasing, bringing out? What can I bring out that is new? What do I look forward to on my path toward growth in love for others and union with God? Do I see the setbacks and troubles of my life as God’s opportunities to lead me to a life of love? (Braddock, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “A scribe who is trained for the kingdom of heaven,” by Cyril of Alexandria (375-444 AD).
"A scribe is one who, through continual reading of the Old and New Testaments, has laid up for himself a storehouse of knowledge. Thus Christ blesses those who have gathered in themselves the education both of the law and of the gospel, so as to 'bring forth from their treasure things both new and old.' And Christ compares such people with a scribe, just as in another place he says, 'I will send you wise men and scribes' (Matthew 23:34) (excerpt from Fragment 172) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Jeremiah 18:1-6 comments that just as the potter kept working with his clay, so God would not give up on Jerusalem. Even after all their sin, he would continue molding them. He would keep loving them, consoling them, teaching them, and even rebuking them when they needed it.
What an encouraging vision! What extraordinarily good news! God loves you too much to give up on you. He loves you so much that he didn’t even spare his only Son to save you. All he asks is that you become like clay in his hands: softhearted, willing to be molded, submitting to him as much as you can. So accept him as the potter and give him permission to shape your life as he sees fit. Try your best to obey him so that you can become a beautiful vessel in his hands.
“Here I am, Lord! Mold me and shape me according to your perfect will!” (Meditation on Jeremiah 18:1-6, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments that the symbolic action at the Potter’s House indicates that God addresses what does not work by reforming people and nations when they diverge from His Ways. The Gospel of Matthew underlines there will be an accounting that separates the bad and the good. Friar Jude reminds us of the tension in our times that tries to separate the traditional Church and the Church of today in opposition to the mission of the wise scribe to use both old and new.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, emphasizes how community is at the heart of the reign of God. God’s reign is about union and communion, which means that it’s also about mercy, forgiveness, nonviolence, letting go, solidarity, service, and lives of love, patience, and simplicity. Who can doubt that this is the sum and substance of Jesus’ teaching? In the reign of God, the very motives for rivalry, greed, and violence have been destroyed. We know we’re all part of God’s beloved community. [1] Palestinian Anglican priest Naim Ateek emphasizes Jesus’ call to community and peacemaking:
Jesus called into community a small group of people. They were his disciples and friends. He taught them the essence of faith—the love of God and the love of neighbor—and he became a role model to them. When they asked him to teach them to pray, he taught them to pray for the coming of God’s kingdom: “Your kingdom come, your will be done.” If you want to be children of God, he said, you need to be engaged in peacemaking; if you want to imitate God and be God’s children, you have to love your enemies and to pray for those that persecute you. If you want to resist evil, do not use evil methods. You have to practice forgiveness and reconciliation. You must be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)
We are aware of tension in our society and politics that often places old and new, conservative and progressive, in fierce opposition. We invoke the Spirit of Wisdom to guide our transformation to being scribes of Christ, grateful to the Father for blessings old and new.
References
Braddock, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved August 1, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/080124.html
Jeremiah, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 1, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/18?
Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved August 1, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13?
Meditation on Jeremiah 18:1-6. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved August 1, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/08/01/1037017/
Psalms, PSALM 146 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 1, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/146?
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. An Attractive Alternative. Retrieved August 1, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/an-attractive-alternative/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 1, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=aug1
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