What are you collecting?

Good News ReflectionThursday of the 17th Week in Ordinary TimeJuly 30, 2009
Today's Readings:Ex 40:16-21, 34-38Ps 84:2-6a, 8a, 11Matt 13:47-53http://www.usccb.org/nab/073009.shtmlUSCCB Podcast of the Readings:http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/09_07_30.mp3
What are you collecting?
After listening to what Jesus says in today's Gospel reading, consider what you're collecting in your net. When your life on earth has reached its end and Jesus comes to take you home, what will be in your net? What will you try to drag into heaven? What will the angels have to sort through to yank out and help you get rid of in "the fiery furnace"? (Now there's a picture of purgatory!)
And what will the angels show to God and say in great delight, "Hey, look at this! Awesome! Really cool!"
Whatever we collect that does not belong to the kingdom of God is worthless. It won't give us heaven on earth and it won't get us into heaven later. In fact, it's a handicap that will lengthen our purging process in purgatory. We might see value in it now, but that's only an illusion. The value we've assigned to it does not exist in real life – "real life" is the eternal life that we have with God.
I think my computer is valuable because I'm using it to share my insights with you, but I can't take it to heaven. I can't even keep it working well here on earth! Therefore, it's worthless in real life and a burden. What IS valuable, however, is how I choose to use it as a tool for the kingdom of God. Although my words can disappear off the monitor with a click of the delete button, the communication of the inspirations of the Holy Spirit will last forever.
The gifts that God gave me that enable me to write these inspirations, and the partnership I have with the Holy Spirit who uses them to bless you and heal you and challenge you, and the ability to convey these words with compassion so that the challenges don't drive you away, and the gift of being able to pay for the equipment and Internet services that deliver them to you (which God gives to me through you) – these are the truly valuable treasures that have been caught in my net.
I can choose to use my net to capture things that have no lasting value. I could write fluff that is nice to your ears but does nothing to help you travel farther on your journey of holiness. I could use my writing talents for immoral trash or stories that glamorize violence and horror. But why should I do any of that? It's meaningless. It's a waste of my short time on earth!
What are you collecting? What's in your net that the angels will have to hurl when Jesus takes you to heaven? Will you be wrestling the angels for it? You can get rid of the bad fish now by utilizing the power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This is a sacred gift that helps us make room for the awesome stuff of God, the valuable treasures that we can use in his kingdom today and will be ours to enjoy throughout eternity.
© 2009 by Terry A. ModicaFor PERMISSION to copy any of my reflections, go to:http://gogoodnews.net/DailyReflections/copyrights-DR.htm
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