Thursday of Week 17, Year II: reflection

Theme: Parable of the fishing net: a call to be patient with others till the end.

Reading: Mt 13:47–53

One of the current issues in the Church is how to deal with those who have proudly embraced some sinful lifestyles and want the Church to delete their chosen sins from the list of the things God forbids, as well as grant them a status in the Church.

While it would be a sin for the church to grant such people their requests, it would be harsh if the Church separates them from the rest of the flock when the end has not yet reached. Today’s parable shows that the presence of such people and others who act like them was already predicted by Jesus.

In today’s parable, Jesus described a type of fishing that is done with a dragnet in which nets are tied to two boats and drawn through the water. In this dragnet fishing style, the nets catch anything they come into contact with, including fish (both good and bad) and other objects in the fishing water. It is at the end of each trip or the day that the fishermen sit and sort out what the nets collected. They take the good fish home and burn or throw back the bad fish and other objects collected by the net into the fishing water. So, the fishermen wait patiently till the end of each trip or the end of the day to do the work of separating the good from the bad.

Jesus is comparing the kingdom of God, which is actively engaged in the mission of conversion on earth, to dragnet fishing style. In her task of conversion, the church gathers both good and bad people into her fold. However, at the end of time, the angels will separate the good from the bad.

Therefore, the attitudes Jesus expects from all of us His followers towards those who seem to be living far below the requirements of the gospel are patience, tolerance, love, and compassion until the end when there will be a separation between the good and the bad.

We have to be patient with others and with ourselves too on this journey towards eternity. But then, the reality of what lies at the end, that is, a separation between the good and the bad, when the good will be rewarded and the bad punished, is wake-up call to all whose lifestyles bring shame to the name of Jesus; it is a call to put in more effort and exit from such lifestyle before it becomes late.

Happy New Month. May God’s blessings, graces, and protection be yours this month. Amen

Fr Isaac C. Chima