17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Parishioner,

In Palestine, there were several ways of fishing. One way was for a fisherman to stand on the shore throwing a net. The net would fall in the water and the fisherman would let it sink and then pull it in.

Another way to fish was to have a net strung between two boats. The net would hang several feet down in the water. Other boats would “herd fish” toward the net where they would be caught in the net. The net would then be pulled up on shore where the fish would be sorted. The desirable fish would be kept. The others would be thrown away.

This is the type of fishing that Jesus’ was referring to in his parable this Sunday. Jesus seems to concentrate on judging. He speaks about a final judgement. Once again, he says the wicked will end up “wailing and grinding their teeth.” Why will certain people be punished? We are told it is because they do not appreciate the values of the Kingdom. What is the thing that is most valuable in the Kingdom? According to the Our Father it is the ability to forgive. God values people who are rich in mercy, not those who are quick to condemn.

Jesus does not tell how many wicked people there will be nor does he tell us how many righteous persons there will be. All that is left to imagination. What we know is that Jesus was quick to forgive. He saw value in people that others did not see.

We can be confident that the Lord sees value in us. We can rely on his mercy. We remember his beatitudes (Matt 5:7) when he says, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.”

Blessings,

Fr. Mark