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.
REFLECTION
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.
I refer to myself as a poor sinner but yet, I don't see why. When I sin I may feel guilty but I made a conscious decision to sin. If I find an adjective to describe me then I am making some sort of excuse as to why I sin.
God invites all to His Church. No one is excluded from hearing His call. And so I find myself in a large net with every kind of fish--large and small, desirable and undesirable. We will all die, some early and others at a ripe old age. We don't know when it will be, but eventually there will be a time when we will be separated-- the righteous from the wicked.
Scary, yes, but God is so good. He tells us what will happen to us if we do not repent, grow in holiness and become more like Christ. It is up to us to walk away from sin, from the near occasion of sin and follow the advice of those saints who have left their legacy for us to follow. It is our response to these graces given to us that will allow Jesus to transform our hearts.
How can we be transformed? Understand His Word, follow His great commandments and do His Will. Frequent reception of the Eucharist, regular confession, daily prayers and acts of charity will help us in our daily journey until we stand before Him.
