HOMILY FOR THE 17TH THURSDAY OF ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: JESUS DOESN’T DISCRIMINATE
BY: Fr. Isaac Awe
Exod 40:16-21, 34-38; Psalm 83(84):3-6, 8,11; Matt 13:47-53
“And all the nations shall be gathered together before him. And he shall separate them from one another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats”. (Matthew 25:32)
What can a story of a dragnet and a great catch of fish tell us about God’s kingdom? The two most common ways of fishing in Jesus’ time was with a casting-net which was thrown from the shore and the drag-net or trawl which was let down or cast into the waters from a boat. As the boat moved through the waters the dragnet was drawn into the shape of a great cone which indiscriminately took in all kinds of fish and flotsam and jetsam swept in its path. It usually took several men to haul such a net to shore.
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What is Jesus’ point here? Just as a drag-net catches every kind of fish in the sea, so the church acts as God’s instrument for gathering in all who will come. Just as the drag-net does not or cannot discriminate, so the church does not discriminate between the good and the bad, the useless and the useful.
God’s kingdom is open to all who will accept and believe. But there will come a time of separation, at the close of the age, when the angels will send the good and the bad to their respective destinations. Our duty is to gather in all who will come. God, in the end, will give the good (those who accept God’s word and obey it) and the bad (those who reject God and his word) the reward they deserve.
Reflection Do we hunger for God and for his everlasting kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy?
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, may your word take deep root in our hearts and transform our ways of thinking, discerning, and acting. Amen.
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