REFLECTIONS TODAY
The Gospel of Matthew is composed of five discourses. The third of these five is the Matthean parabolic discourse. Matthew 13 contains seven parables that describe the Kingdom of heaven. Today’s Gospel tells of the parable of the dragnet (sagēnē).
Jesus narrates that the Kingdom of heaven is like a fishing net which, after being thrown into the sea, catches fish of every kind. After being hauled ashore, people sit down and begin separating the good ones from the bad ones. The good fish are gathered while the bad fish are thrown away. Jesus explains that a similar thing will happen at the end of time when the righteous will be separated from the wicked ones.
The Kingdom of heaven belongs to the dikaioi or righteous ones (Mt 5:10). Do we live up to the challenge of righteousness demanded by the Gospel values? What are the concrete expressions of righteousness we practice every day?
First Reading • Jer 18:1-6
This word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: Rise up, be off to the potter’s house; there I will give you my message. I went down to the potter’s house and there he was, working at the wheel. Whenever the object of clay which he was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried again, making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased. Then the word of the Lord came to me: Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done? says the Lord. Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.
Gospel • Matthew 13:47-53
Jesus said to the disciples: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
“Do you understand all these things?” They answered, “Yes.” And he replied, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.” When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.
Source: “366 Days with the Lord 2024,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.