Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 404
Reading 1
Jeremiah 18:1-6
This word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
Rise up, be off to the potter’s house;
there I will give you my message.
I went down to the potter’s house and there he was,
working at the wheel.
Whenever the object of clay which he was making
turned out badly in his hand,
he tried again,
making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased.
Then the word of the LORD came to me:
Can I not do to you, house of Israel,
as this potter has done? says the LORD.
Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter,
so are you in my hand, house of Israel.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 146:1B-2, 3-4, 5-6AB
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
Acts 16:14
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our heart, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew 13:47-53
Jesus said to the disciples:
“The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
“Do you understand all these things?”
They answered, “Yes.”
And he replied,
“Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom
both the new and the old.”
When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Understanding the Voice of God
“Do you understand all these things?” They answered, “Yes.” And he replied, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” Matthew 13:51–52
At times, Jesus’ words are difficult to understand. How well do you understand what He teaches you? He often teaches in figures of speech, as well as with parables. The passage quoted above concludes a section in which He speaks three subsequent parables. The third of these parables, the parable about the fishnet, is contained in the beginning of today’s Gospel passage. But just prior to that parable are the parables about the pearl of great price and the treasure buried in a field. Upon the conclusion of these three parables, Jesus asked His disciples, “Do you understand all these things?” After they affirmed that they did understand, Jesus gave an overview of the mission to which they had been entrusted. These soon-to-be bishops would become the new scribes who were instructed in the Kingdom of Heaven. Their mission would be to bring forth both the “new and the old.”
Many Church Fathers identify the “new and the old” as a reference to the Old Testament and the New Testament. Thus, the Twelve are being entrusted with the mission of being the scribes of the full revelation contained in what will become the full Bible as we have it today. Other commentators suggest that the “old” refers to the old life of sin and the “new” refers to the new life of grace. It will be the mission of the Twelve to instruct people in the full Gospel message, so as to draw them from their old life of sin to the new life of grace.
Though Jesus’ words can be difficult to understand from the perspective of a biblical scholar, the first of His words quoted above are very straightforward. “Do you understand all these things?” As we ponder that question in particular, try to hear our Lord asking that question of you. Though many scholars and saints of old have offered much clarity on what Jesus’ teachings actually mean, the question that Jesus posed to the Twelve must be answered in a more personal way for each of us. As you hear Jesus ask you if you understand these things, the answer you give is not primarily based upon whether or not you have sufficiently studied the text of His teaching and can rationally explain it as a scholar. Instead, the answer He is seeking is whether or not you can respond from faith. He wants you to say, “Yes, I hear You speaking to me, Lord. Yes, my heart is convicted by the words You have spoken. Yes, I understand what I must do. Yes, Lord, I believe.” The Word of God is alive and can only be “understood” properly when we allow our Living Lord to speak to us, personally, as we listen to His holy Word.
Reflect, today, upon this question that Jesus posed to the Twelve. As you do, hear Him asking you this question. How fully do you understand what God is saying to you, right now at this moment in your life? As you read the Scriptures, do you sense God revealing Himself to you? Do you understand what He wants of you? If hearing the voice of God is a challenge at times, then spend more time prayerfully pondering His holy Word so that His Living Voice will more clearly resonate within your soul.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
POUNDING THE CLAY
“Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand.” —Jeremiah 18:6
God the Father is the Potter and we are the clay. Many people consider this a beautiful, even consoling, image. This may be true, but this perception may indicate an incomplete understanding of this Biblical image. When Isaiah brings up the image of God the Potter, he adds: “Be not so very angry, Lord, keep not our guilt forever in mind” (see Is 64:8). When Jeremiah uses the same image, he adds the following words of God: “Sometimes I threaten to uproot and tear down and destroy a nation or a kingdom” (Jer 18:7). God, the Father-Potter, appears to be a very forceful and even violent Potter, pounding the clay.
God doesn’t pound, press, compress, pull, and cut the clay because He is rough, but because we are rough. Because of our sins, we need a lot of work. Also, God pounds the clay because His pottery-making is a matter of eternal life and eternal death. For example, it is an act of love to violently push someone out of the way of an oncoming car. So too it is a great act of love for the Potter to make extreme modifications to the clay, if necessary for salvation. It is a fearful and wonderful thing to fall into the hands of the Father-Potter (see Heb 10:31).
Prayer: Father-Potter, do with me what You must in order to do through me what You will.
Promise: “They hauled it ashore and sat down to put what was worthwhile into containers. What was useless they threw away. That is how it will be at the end of the world.” —Mt 13:48-49
Praise: St. Alphonsus was the founder of the Redemptorist Order of Priests. He stressed simplicity and kindness in our lives.
Reflection 3
Shared from God's Word
Jesus’ parable discourse in the Gospel of Matthew ends with today’s Gospel Reading. The characteristic of the Kingdom of God that is embedded in the parable of the net is that anyone who is not worthy will be thrown away. Thus, entry into the Kingdom of God requires our participation and involvement. In the First Reading through the prophecy at the potter’s house, the Lord conveys to the people of Israel through Jeremiah that the Lord will do whatever He wills, and that Israel has to surrender to the Lord.
Prayers
My revealing Lord, You speak to me day and night, continuously revealing Your love and mercy to me. May I learn to become more attentive to Your voice speaking within the depths of my soul. As I hear You speak, please give me the gift of understanding to know Your will and to embrace it with all my heart. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, may your word take deep root in my heart and transform my way of thinking, discerning, and acting. May your Spirit open my ears to hear and understand the word of God in the Scriptures that I may revere and treasure both the Old and the New Testaments which God has prepared for all who desire to enter his kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. Help me to be a diligent student and faithful disciple of your word.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 213: The Spiritual Gift of Understanding
Do you understand the mysteries of God? Imagine that you were a theologian who studied the faith of our Church for many years. Would knowledge of all the theological disciplines of our Church necessarily produce in you an authentic understanding of these mysteries that were studied? No, it wouldn’t necessarily produce understanding. In fact, it is entirely possible that while knowing all about God and all that has been revealed through the ages, you still might lack an authentic understanding of God and the profound mysteries of our faith. Understanding ultimately comes as a gift from God. It’s an infused gift which illumines and enlightens and is obtainable only by a direct and personal revelation from God. Yes, study of the faith and attentiveness to clear articulation of this same faith disposes one to understand, but the inspired gift of Understanding is still required to penetrate and grasp all mysteries of our faith. Understanding is a true gift of God’s Mercy (See Diary #1107).
Reflect upon your own understanding of the infinite Mercy of God. How fully do you comprehend this Mercy? Reflect upon all that God has revealed to us throughout history. He has spoken definitively through Scripture and has also spoken definitively through His Church in numerous ways. Reflect upon how fully you grasp all the articles of our faith that have been revealed through the ages. God has spoken in a clear and public way. Now He desires to speak those same truths to you in the depths of your soul. If you are willing to listen, your understanding will open the floodgates of the Mercy of God.
Lord, there are so many truths that I do not fully grasp. Your life and Your workings are glorious and mysterious all at once. Give me the grace of Understanding so that I may penetrate the depths of Your Truth and Your Mercy. I open myself to You, dear Lord. Jesus, I trust in You.
