The Kingdom of Heaven is Like...

As a kid, did you ever think about what Heaven must be like? Has that image changed as you got older? For me, I always tried to envision what Heaven must look like. What does it smell like in Heaven; what are the restaurants like? I never could get a picture of it in my mind. I always thought of the journey from this life to Heaven as if I were reaching land on a ship. For instance, I thought that when I died, my soul would come ashore to a beautiful island. As I disembarked the ship, I would be greeted by all of my loved ones who have gone before me. In some way or another we all have similar visions of Heaven where we are finally reunited with those who have already died.

This week’s gospel has no mention of reunions. In fact, it can scare us a bit. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a net that collects fish of every kind…the good are kept and put in buckets…the bad are thrown away.” In today’s world, it is very difficult to know what is right. We have so many different voices telling us what to believe. When we were kids, we listened to what our parents and teachers told us. When we became young adults we listened to our professors, supervisors, and bosses. Who is right? What is the voice of truth? Who do we listen to if we want to be among the “good fish”?

The voice of truth is rarely heard because it is most often spoken in a whisper. God calls out to us but not over all the noise in our lives. We must take the time to silence the noise and listen only to Him. Whether it is 5 minutes in the morning, on the drive to work, or a half hour on our lunch break, we must strive to listen to the voice of truth. Rather than taking our prayer time to ask God for things we need, try asking for an understanding heart that can hear His words. (Like Solomon in the first reading today). Then and only then will we hear the voice of truth say, “Because you have asked for this—not for a long life for yourself, nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies, but for understanding so that you may know what is right—I do as you requested. I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you.” Then, I guarantee you, we will be among those good fish.