“Thus it will be at the end of the age…” But for now, the Kingdom of Heaven is a net that is cast wide, thrown into the sea, and fish of every kind find themselves caught in it. At the end of the age there will be a sorting out, a division, a separation, a judgment… But for now, you and I and all of us are being drawn together into the mystery of the Kingdom, God’s reign breaking into the world.
This passage makes it sound like there’s one net, perhaps one great experience by which all of us find ourselves caught up in God’s great loving gift of salvation. But how we know that these moments of being captivated by Love Incarnate and Beauty and Goodness and Truth are like personalized and precious pearls. A million ways in which Jesus knocks on a million hearts… His request for our attention…The hope that we will return His advances…The desire that we will cast ourselves into His arms with the relief of discovering that we are cared for by an ever-provident God…
Augustine described his own encounter with the Kingdom this way in his Confessions: “You were within me, but I was outside. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.” (Book X)
Unlike Augustine, I don’t have one dramatic encounter with God who “broke through my deafness.” Instead, probably like you, I can recount an endless string of small ways in which He has broken into my life: in tragic moments and in grateful ones, while overcome by nature’s beauty and quietly absorbed with God’s glory at Mass, when life seemed boring and sad and when it burst with adventure. Small though they may be, they are continuous, and the more I notice them and am grateful for them, the more He reciprocates with gifts of more presence.
Being taken up in the nets of the Kingdom stretches us, astounds us, changes us. Take some time today to remember how you have been caught up in the nets of God’s mercy. Perhaps using each of your senses, you can deepen your gratitude for what you have known in God’s presence: what you have seen, what you have heard, what you have tasted, what you have touched. And, like Augustine, give thanks!
Así “será al final de los tiempos…” Pero por ahora, el Reino de los Cielos es una red que se extiende, se arroja al mar, y peces de toda clase quedan atrapados en ella. Al final de los tiempos habrá una selección, una división, una separación, un juicio… Pero por ahora, tú, yo y todos nosotros estamos siendo atraídos juntos hacia el misterio del Reino, la irrupción del reinado de Dios en el mundo.
Este pasaje da la impresión de que hay una sola red, quizás una gran experiencia por la cual todos nos encontramos atrapados en el gran don amoroso de la salvación de Dios. Pero sabemos que estos momentos de ser cautivados por el Amor Encarnado, la Belleza, la Bondad y la Verdad son como perlas personalizadas y preciosas. Un millón de maneras en que Jesús llama a un millón de corazones… Su petición de nuestra atención… La esperanza de que corresponderemos a sus insinuaciones… El deseo de que nos arrojemos a sus brazos con el alivio de descubrir que somos cuidados por un Dios siempre providente…
Agustín describió su propio encuentro con el Reino de esta manera en sus Confesiones: “Estabas dentro de mí, pero yo estaba fuera. Llamaste, gritaste y rompiste mi sordera. Resplandeciste, brillaste y disipaste mi ceguera. Exhalaste tu fragancia sobre mí; respiré y ahora jadeo por ti. Te he probado, ahora tengo hambre y sed de más. Me tocaste y ardí por tu paz”. (Libro X)
A diferencia de Agustín, no tengo un encuentro dramático con Dios que “rompiera mi sordera”. En cambio, probablemente como tú, puedo contar un sinfín de pequeñas maneras en que Él ha irrumpido en mi vida: en momentos trágicos y en momentos de agradecimiento, mientras me embargaba la belleza de la naturaleza y me absorbía silenciosamente la gloria de Dios en la misa, cuando la vida parecía aburrida y triste y cuando estallaba en aventuras. Por pequeñas que sean, son continuas, y cuanto más las percibo y agradezco, más Él me corresponde con dones de mayor presencia.
Ser arrebatados por las redes del Reino nos expande, nos asombra, nos transforma. Dedica un tiempo hoy a recordar cómo has sido arrebatado por las redes de la misericordia de Dios. Quizás, usando cada uno de tus sentidos, puedas profundizar tu gratitud por lo que has conocido en la presencia de Dios: lo que has visto, lo que has oído, lo que has gustado, lo que has tocado. Y, como Agustín, ¡dale a Dios las gracias!
Sr. Kathryn James Hermes, FSP, is an author and offers online evangelization as well as spiritual formation for people on their journey of spiritual transformation and inner healing. Website: www.touchingthesunrise.com My Books: https://touchingthesunrise.com/books/
Public Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/srkathrynhermes/ HeartWork Spiritual Formation Group: https://touchingthesunrise.com/heartwork/
Feature Image Credit: Matea Gregg, unsplash.com/photos/a-man-standing-in-front-of-a-church-alter-W5DWia2nNME
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
Daily Reading
Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 Jeremiah 18:1-6 This word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:Rise up, be off to the potter’s house;there I will give you my message.I went down to the potter’s…
Saint of the Day
Saint Alphonsa
Saint Alphonsa of Bharananga is the first person of Indian origin and of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church to be canonized as a saint. The post Saint Alphonsa appeared first on