Jeremiah 18:1-6 / Matthew 13:47-53
When a ceramic or clay vessel is broken, it is of no use whatsoever. It ceases to be what it is made for and the only thing left to do is to discard it.
But when it is first shaped and made, it was meant to be of service and to be used for what it is used for.
It is like what we read in the 1st reading, the potter shapes the clay into the required shape and heat it at high temperatures that lead to permanent changes including increasing its strength and hardening and setting its shape.
But just as in the turns and tumbles of life, clay vessels get cracked and broken and they are rendered useless and hence discarded.
The gospel parable also talks about discarding the catch of fish that are of no use. But that is the imagery of the end of time.
Meanwhile, what is there for those people who are cracked and broken? We must remember that Jesus came for them. He came for sinners.
The Japanese have a centuries-old art of fixing broken pottery with a special lacquer of powdered gold, silver or platinum. The cracks or breaks are seamed together beautifully with the lacquer, giving the once cracked and broken pottery a special and unique appearance.
We can learn something from that. And then we can understand why Jesus is called Saviour.