A Homily for the 17th Thursday in Ordinary Time
Thursday, July 30, 2026
Prince of Peace Catholic Church – 8:00 Mass
Jeremiah 18:1-6; Psalm 146:1B-2, 3-4, 5-6ab; Matthew 13:47-53
Audio Recording
After telling this remarkable series of parables about the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus asks His disciples a simple question: “Do you understand all these things?” They answer confidently, “Yes.” I sometimes wonder if Jesus smiled at that answer. Understanding the Kingdom isn’t something we accomplish all at once. It’s something we spend a lifetime growing into. Today’s readings remind us that growing into the Kingdom requires both God’s patient work in us and our patient trust in Him.
Jeremiah gives us a beautiful image of what that lifelong growth looks like. The prophet watches a potter at work. The clay collapses in the potter’s hands, but instead of throwing it away, the potter patiently reshapes it into something beautiful. Then the Lord says, “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.” In the Gospel, Jesus gives us another familiar image: a fishing net that gathers fish of every kind, with the sorting taking place only after the net is brought ashore.
The thread that ties both images together is God’s patience. He sees not only who we are today but also who, by His grace, we can become.
The potter doesn’t discard the clay because it isn’t perfect. He patiently works with it until it becomes what he created it to be. Likewise, the fishermen do not sort the fish while the net is still in the water. They wait until the catch is complete.
We, however, are often impatient. We become discouraged by our own weaknesses. We expect ourselves to be finished products, and when we fail, we wonder whether God has given up on us. At the same time, we can be quick to judge others, deciding too soon who is beyond God’s mercy and who is not.
But God is neither impatient with us nor hasty in judging us.
The Lord is still shaping each of us. Every experience—even our mistakes, disappointments, and sufferings—can become part of His work if we place ourselves back into His hands. A lump of clay has no future if it hardens outside the potter’s grasp. But soft clay, willing to be molded, can become something beautiful.
Then Jesus reminds us that the final judgment belongs to God alone. The net gathers “fish of every kind.” That means the Church is filled with imperfect people. In fact, if it weren’t, none of us would qualify to be here. God’s desire is not to condemn people but to give them every opportunity to become saints. The sorting comes at the end, not before. Until then, our calling is not to decide who is worthy of God’s mercy but to extend that mercy ourselves. We are to love, pray for, and serve even those who are difficult, leaving judgment to the Lord.
Then Jesus returns to the disciples’ confident “yes.” Every scribe instructed in the Kingdom is like the head of a household who brings forth both the old and the new. In other words, saying “yes” to Jesus isn’t simply about understanding His teaching; it’s about becoming a faithful steward of it. We treasure the faith handed on to us through the Church while allowing Christ to continue doing something new in our own hearts each day. We are not simply saved for ourselves; we are entrusted with the care of others. The people God has entrusted to us are part of that stewardship.
So what does this mean for us today? First, don’t lose heart over your imperfections. God is still shaping you. Second, resist the temptation to judge or write someone off. Instead, pray for the people God has entrusted to your life—your family, your friends, your neighbors, even those who test your patience. They are all still in the Potter’s hands.
And finally, remain pliable through prayer, the sacraments, and daily conversion so that Christ can continue forming you into His likeness.
As we come forward to receive the Lord today in Holy Communion, we come not as finished masterpieces but as clay still being shaped. We come grateful that Christ has drawn us into His great net, knowing that He has not given up on us. That is good news, because the One who has begun His work in us is faithful. If we keep placing ourselves in His hands, He will continue forming us into the people He created us to be.