Jesus’ will reward good behavior with heaven!

Gospel Reflection for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells his disciples three more parables about the kingdom of Heaven. In the first parable, Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field.” Our faith in Jesus is like this treasure. We have to take the time to listen to Jesus, to love Him, and pray to Him just as the person in the parable took the time to dig for treasure.

In the second parable, Jesus says, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.” Our faith in Jesus is like a pearl, but there are also many things that distract us from Jesus. These are like the fake pearls that distract us from the real treasure.

Then, in the last parable, Jesus tells his disciples, ““Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind.” This reminds us that every person in the world is different. We each help to make the world a different and special place. We all grow together – some of us do good things and some of us do bad. In the end, Jesus will reward those who do good and punish those who do bad just as the fisherman keeps the good fish and throws away the bad ones.