Reflection for Thursday August 1 Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church: Matthew 13:47-53

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.

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Reflection:

A desperate man was set to end his life, when he was about to do it he heard the voice of God which told him not to end his life. The man told God, “I am a grievous sinner my Lord I don’t deserve to live anymore, I deserve to die and be in hell.” The Lord told the man, I love you my son no matter who you are and no matter what you have done. 

The love of God is like a net thrown into the sea which collects fish of every kind (Matthew 13:47). It does not discriminate; it catches every fish, the good and bad alike. This is the love of God for each and everyone of us: Sinner and non sinner alike. 

Yet this love that God gives us freely is not also being forced upon us. We also have the freedom if we would respond by renewing our lives or we continue with our sinful ways. If we renew our lives and permanently walk away from sin then we save our life.  

 But if we continue on sinning notwithstanding the fact that God has already called us. We therefore have to be ready for the grievous consequence that may befall us.  It’s no brainer therefore that we have to discontinue our sinful lives and take advantage of the love of God that he perpetually offers us. 

Let us choose to embrace the love of God and permanently dump into oblivion the sinful offering of the devil. Why? Because the love of God is peace the love of God is heaven on earth. The offering of the devil will bring us nowhere but disturbance, problems and hell even while we are still living. - Marino J. Dasmarinas