Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Old And New In The Kingdom
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. 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.
Gospel. 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.
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.
First Reading
In the Potter’s Workshop
This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah:
“Go to the potter’s house, and there you will hear what I have to say.”
So I visited the potter’s house and saw him working at the wheel.
But the pot he was working on was spoiled in his hands, so he reworked it all over again into another pot that suited his desire.
Meanwhile, the Lord sent me his word:
“People of Israel, can’t I do with you what this potter does? As clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hands.
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 Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our heart, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Parable of the Net
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large fishing net lowered into the sea, catching all kinds of fish.
When the net is full, they pull it ashore. Then they sit down and separate the good fish into buckets, tossing away the bad ones.
That is how it will be at the end of time; the angels will go out to separate the wicked from the just
and cast the wicked into the blazing furnace, where they will weep and gnash their teeth.
The New and the Old
Jesus asked:
“Have you understood all these things?”
“Yes,” they replied.
So he said to them:
“Therefore, every teacher of the law who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who can produce from his store things both new and old.”
In the Synagogue at Nazareth
When Jesus finished these parables, he left that place.
Prayers of the Faithful
– 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 mould 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 forever.
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.
REFLECTIONS
Matthew 13:47-53
The first disciples of Jesus were fishermen who fished in the Sea of Galilee. However, people in Jesus’ time also believed that the sea was the abode of evil forces, which caused tempests and turbulence. If you are trapped in the turbulence of the sea, you are certain to perish. When Jesus called his disciples to the mission to "fish for people," it meant rescuing those people trapped in the depths of the sea from the clutches of evil. The Word of God is the net that rescues people out of darkness and guides them towards salvation.
The Gospel assures us today that everyone is welcome into God’s embracing net and to the boat of the Christian community, regardless of their background or past actions. God, in his mercy, welcomes and accepts both good and bad people and does not reject anyone. The Gospel reveals the merciful face of God's patience and urges everyone to the conversion of hearts.
However, Matthew uses the dramatic language of his time's preachers, the rabbis, to speak of God's judgment. This is not to threaten eternal punishment for sinners, but to underscore the importance of making the right choices for our salvation.
Despite the instances of sinful behaviour, God allows everyone to be in his net of merciful love. In the end, all the negativity within us will be annihilated by the fire of God’s love, and the good will be accepted into heaven.