The Kingdom of Heaven

    The Net

    The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

    Matthew 13:47-50

    Jesus spoke this to fishermen who had done this exact work every morning of their lives: haul everything in first, sort on the shore after.

    The invitation of the kingdom is wide open and gathers every kind. But gathering is not the end of the story. A day of sorting comes, and it is done by angels, not by us.

    Live with both truths: welcome everyone as the net does, and take your own life seriously because the shore is real. Urgency without panic, openness without pretending nothing matters.