In the first reading today from Exodus 40, we read about the Dwelling. Notice the capital “D” in the word. This was the place in the Israelite camp where God stayed. We read about how the children of Israel scheduled their travels around the comings and goings of God in the Dwelling. Today’s Gospel reading is from Matthew 13. It is the last two parables from Jesus in this chapter of Matthew.
OK, I’m going to date myself now…whenever I think of this parable of Jesus about the net, I hear the theme from the old TV show “Dragnet.” Do you remember it? Dum-duh-dum-dum…Dum-dah-dum-dum-Dummmmm! Why does this always come to mind for me? (Aside from the fact that I have gobs of useless trivia stored in my head?) A dragnet is what fishermen would use. They would drag the net along and bring up all kinds of stuff from the sea. The net did not discriminate between good and bad. There would be all manner of stuff in the net. Then the fishermen would separate the good from the bad after they pulled up the net.
This is the second parable that Jesus tells about how there will be good and bad alike in the Kingdom. Remember the parable of the weeds and the wheat? Jesus wanted to make it known that life in the Kingdom here on earth would not be perfect, would not be without its challenges. There are those who seek to destroy the Church; some even from within. And even though they may try to fool those of us here on earth, in the end, God will get…(cue the Dragnet theme) just the facts. And He will do the separating.
Father, keep us faithful to your Church and her teachings. At the end of the age we pray that we may be included among the righteous. Amen.
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