Daily reflections

Rev. Fr. Christopher Ugwuta.
Thurs. 28th July 2016
Were the sorting to take place now. . . . In the first reading, Jeremiah compares the relationship between the potter and the clay to that between God and the people of Israel. But unlike the clay that has no say on what the potter does with it, the people of Israel have a say: they either turn away from their evil ways or remain in them. But the story is that God wants them to amend their ways. (Cf Jer. 18, 7-8). But as the will to decide on which way to follow lies with the people of Israel so is the power to judge rests on God. The time for God's judgment is the day of sorting out the bad from the good. This day of sorting out is brought out clearly in today's gospel of the parable of a net full of good and bad fishes. The world, or rather the Church, is that net full of good and bad people. Like the clay in the hands of the potter, all humans are in the hands of God. But they are the ones who are ready to allow God mould them into better instruments who will be judged as good on the day of sorting out. The question is, if the sorting out is to be now, which group am I to belong; the good or the bad? The scripture warns that because the sentence of the evil – doer is not carried out on the instant, people's hearts are full of desire to do evil (Ecclesiastes 8, 11). One thing is sure, the Day of Judgment, or sorting out, will come when people least expect it (Matt. 24, 44). So let us turn to God for good