Thursday of the 17th week in the ordinary time
Theme: He is the potter
In the 1st reading of today from the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord reminds us of the fact that he is the potter and we are the clay. He has the power to mould us into whatever he will, that will help us to become better people and also align with his plans for us. The challenge is that just like the Israelites many of us are not conscious of this fact and we are doing all within our power to do our own thing. Our consciousness of the fact that it is God who is the potter and you and I are the clay will go a long way in helping us to accept and align with the will of God for us. As a result of his love for us, he is very patient with us and he gives us ample opportunity to retrace our steps and embrace what is good and best for us; according to his plan, given our situation.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, one thing that should make us calm down and follow the plans of God for us, is the fact that he will never lead us astray. His will for us at all times is that everything works well unto good in our favour. So, is there anything you are doing in your life to frustrate the plans of God for you? Today’s liturgy is admonishing us to desist from all such actions and practices and give God a chance to mould us into what he wants us to be. As long as we give God a chance in our life and align with his plans for us, he will always guide and direct our ways. This does not mean that we will no longer encounter challenges and difficulties in our life, it simply means that there will always be light at the end of the tunnel; and we will never be overwhelmed by any situation we find ourselves. Sometimes the challenge some of us have is that we want things done our own way, and God should follow us behind; instead of God leading us. Just know that when God leads and we follow, he will lead us definitely to greener pasture. It is not the same thing when we lead and want God to follow us behind; this is when we make a lot of mistakes.
In the gospel reading Jesus continues to conscientize us with another parable. Just like yesterday gospel when he likened the kingdom of heaven to a man who saw treasure in a land and sold everything to buy it, he also talked about another man who sold everything to buy a fine pearl, and today he talks about a net thrown into the sea and it gathered fish of every kind, both good and bad; at the end of which they were sorted out the good and the bad. The question dearly beloved in Christ is, are you working hard by allowing God to lead you and be the potter while you are the clay, or you prefer to lead and God follows behind? May almighty God bless his words in our hearts in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.