Word to the Wise
Thursday, July 31, 2008 - St. Ignatius of Loyola
[Jeremiah 18:1-6 and Matthew 13:47-53]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!
One of the characteristics of Old Testament prophecy is vivid action/imagery! A couple of days ago, Jeremiah used a loincloth to symbolize the intimate relationship of God to Israel! Hosea's marriage to a prostitute was another example! In Ezekiel, the prophet has to pack his bags and leave the city as a symbol of God departing from them. Pottery offers an ideal tool for this, since it was (and still is) a common necessary item in everyday life! I'm sure most of us have seen in person or on TV a potter shaping a pot on a wheel! The Lord uses this image to speak of His power. We mortals borrow from the image when we say, "Like putty in my hands!" To our ego-centric, individualist culture, the image that makes us like wet clay in God's hands can be disturbing. It can make us feel rather insignificant. We forget the original image from Genesis in which the human person is created by God from the clay of the earth! We prefer to be the creators and not the ones being created! We want to be in charge of the process and not a subject of it! I doubt matters would be helped by another pottery image in which a pot is smashed on the ground to demonstrate what will happen to Israel if they don't repent! The fact is that we are not omnipotent. Only God is. We need to remember this. AMEN
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