Jesus did not come to abolish the Old Covenant but to fulfill it.

The Old Testament prepares for the New and the New Testament fulfils the Old – the two shed light on each other.

Augustine had said that “The New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old is unveiled in the New”.

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊   

Jeremiah 18:1-6

 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Jere­miah:

  “Go down to the potter’s house and there you will hear what I have to say.”

 So I went to the potter’s house and found 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 suits his desire.

 Meanwhile Yahweh sent me his word,   “People of Israel, can I not do with you what this potter does? As clay in the potter’s hand so are you in my hands.

 

Ps 146:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊    

Matthew 13:47-53

 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a big fishing net let down into the sea, in which every kind of fish has been caught.   When the net is full, it is dragged ashore. Then they sit down and gather the good fish in buckets, but throw the worthless ones away.  That is how it will be at the end of time; the angels will go out to separate the wicked from the just   and throw them into the blazing fur­nace, where they will weep and gnash their teeth.”

 Jesus asked, “Have you un­der­stood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered.   So he said to them, “You will see that every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple of the Kingdom is like a householder who can produce from his store things both new and old.”

 When Jesus had finished these parables, he left the place.

 

  Gospel Reflection：

Easing into God’s Hands

How does it feel to be clay in the hands of a potter? If the clay were to be conscious, would it feel a shudder through its spine, fear, a sense of helplessness and low of control of its life? Or would it have a sense of peacefulness, a delightful sense of self-surrender? Hopefully, it is the latter.

For, nothing is more precious for a potter than the clay in his hands. Being a professional, he knows what to do with the clay; he already has a design, image, and purpose for the final product. He is committed to working on the clay until his purpose is served.

The role of the clay, if it were conscious, is to ease into the hands of the potter, totally surrendering itself to be shaped the way the latter wants it. How tranquil and delightful would our lives be, if we could keep surrendering to God’s will on a daily basis!