Scripture:
Jeremiah 18:1-6
Matthews 13:47-53
Reflection:
Jesus, in the 13th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, shares seven parables with the crowds and the apostles. In today’s reading, we hear about the net cast into the sea, which is the final parable in this chapter. He puts the following question to His apostles:
“Do you understand all these things? They answered, Yes.”
Certainly, the fishermen among them are intimately familiar with sorting through their catch. Each of the apostles can relate to one or more of the parables in this chapter. So, their “Yes” is an honest answer. However, they are still students and have much to learn as they listen to Jesus’s teachings and witness His ministry. Even following the Ascension, the apostles only have a surface grasp of what they have learned.
Jesus knows the apostles will need assistance to truly understand His teaching. In John’s Gospel, He tells the apostles, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you.” The depth of Jesus’s message will become clearer when the apostles receive the gift of understanding from the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.
How would we respond if Jesus asks us the same question He put to the apostles? How often have we heard the Gospel messages and truly grasped their meaning? Let us pray to the Holy Spirit for assistance to grow beyond our human understanding and comprehend the teachings of the Gospel with the mind of God.
Mike Owens is the coordinator of the Passionist Alumni Association and a member of the Migration Commission of Holy Cross Province. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky.