Scripture:
Jeremiah 18: 1-6
Matthew 13: 47-53
Reflection:
Since the beginning of time, it seems that people have been looking for hidden treasure. Today, people are still looking for treasure… they look for it in the Lottery, or in the Casinos of Las Vegas, in the Stock Market, or maybe using On-Line Gambling…If only they could hit that "big jackpot", they believe that their life would be better.
In one way or another, all of us are TREASURE HUNTERS…we’re all seekers. Each of us is looking for that certain something that will make our lives happy and complete…and that’s a good thing.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus compares the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN to a fishing net that collects all kinds of fish without regard for their value.
This is a story about the FINAL JUDGEMENT…and it is also a story about our God who patiently waits for us to have a change of heart…..to turn our lives around and come back to Him.
When the net is finally pulled in, the work isn’t done. The sorting will begin; the good will be kept and the bad will be discarded. So, while the "Gospel" net is cast out for everyone, not everyone will find themselves in the container marked… "Going to Heaven !"
As seekers on a spiritual journey, we can pray for an understanding mind and the ability to know that the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN…is Jesus Christ living within us…Right here…Right now.
And in the end…THAT is the container with the good fish…fish that got their value from the One who was willing to pay dearly for them by shedding His own blood on the cross for each of us.
When we respond to God’s call to be in a personal relationship with Him, then the realities of the rest of our life…the blessings and the challenges….are the steps along the path that will continue to lead us to that "big jackpot"…THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
Today’s Gospel, indeed, calls you and I to think and to pray… and may He give us the grace and the willingness to change.
Deacon Brian Clements is a retired member of the retreat team at Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California.