Download BBWS236 Fishing Net - Immaculate Conception Parish

Parables on the Run
For You and Your Child
By Beth Belcher
The Net
The story of The Net is told in the book
of Matthew:
"Again, 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 gnashMt 13:47-50) NRSV
ing of teeth.”
© Beth Belcher, 2010
Have you ever been able to pick your
child’s picture out of a crowd in their
yearbook? Or find their class work on
the wall at Open House—just by recognizing their handwriting? What about
when you meet your soul mate, a person whom you have never known until
that day, but who seems somehow very
familiar to you.
Parables are the way that Jesus used to
give us an insight into the Father. The
stories that Jesus told are sometimes
easy to understand, and at other times a
bit of a mystery. But all of the time
they are a path to the wisdom of God.
Use this pamphlet to become more familiar with this story and then enjoy relating it to your child.
The Net
Catching fish by using a net is an art
that is thousands of
years old, and yet it is
very modern too. Today, animated movies
sometimes even depict this kind of fishing. Most people can
relate to it in some
way or other.
Jesus tells the parable about what will
happen at the end of time. He uses
the image of fishermen to represent
angels who will separate the good
souls from the evil ones.
As fishermen throw out their nets,
they haul in many different kinds of
fish which can be pulled up in a single
throw. As the fishermen sort through
their catch, they keep what they are
looking for and throw away what
does not belong.
Jesus uses this
imagery to
express how
the kingdom
of God will
be peopled
only by those
who belong
in the family
of God.
What Does This Story
Mean?
*The net represents the far-reaching ability of
God to embrace all of the creatures that God
has made. Jesus takes that abstract concept
and makes it concrete so that we can understand the greatness and willingness of God
to encircle all of us into God’s own presence.
*The fish represent all of
the peoples of the world,
those who desire union
with God in heaven and
those who don’t. This
parable is a great way for Jesus to show that
God does not choose who goes to heaven
and who does not, rather, we make the
choice everyday whether or not we will follow Jesus to heaven.
*The buckets unceremoniously represent
heaven, where the ‘good’ will go,
*It then makes sense that the fiery furnace
stands for total and complete absence of
God, which we call hell.
*Children have an innate sense of what is
good and what is bad. They instinctively desire to do what is good even if their habits
don’t always allow them to do that. Remind your child that God reaches out to us,
like a net that catches fish, so that we can be
with him forever. Play this short game with
your child: tell them that you will be God
and your arms will be God’s net, and your
child will
be the little
fish whom
God is embracing.
Pull them
close and
remind them
that God
loves them—
even more
than you do!