Word to the Wise
Thursday, July 31, 2014 - Thursday in the 17th Week in Ordinary Time
[Jer 18:1-6 and Matt 13:47-53]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. [Jeremiah]
JULY 31, 2014 ST, IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA [S.J.] priest and founder of the Society of Jesus [Jesuits]
Occasionally I find myself at one of those arts and crafts fairs where one may observe all kinds of creative activities. A potter working at a wheel always draws a crowd. Jeremiah describes the process perfectly. However, Jeremiah is at the potter's house because God has told him to go there and receive a message. The particular part of the process that is relevant here is the moment when a piece on the wheel doesn't form properly. So the potter can stop the wheel, pull the lump of clay off and just start all over again with the same lump of clay. God intends Israel to understand that God can make or unmake them!!! That can be a very uncomfortable message to deliver for both prophet and audience!
When I preach a parish mission, the second night is usually dedicated to the subject of forgiveness and reconciliation. My primary "prop" is a set of two clay pots: one of them whole and the other broken. They are meant to symbolize the difference between forgiveness and unforgiveness, between division and reconciliation. We can put ourselves in God's hands if we choose to do so and have a new beginning. We may not be comfortable with the idea of being compared to "putty" or modeling clay, which may be the closest that many of us come to making pottery, but it is a noble art and God can do great things with us if we are willing! AMEN