“Jesus says the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net thrown into the sea. It gathers fish of every kind. Only later are the good fish separated from the bad.

Notice something very important: both the good and the bad fish are inside the same net.

The net represents the visible community of God’s people. In other words, simply belonging to the Church is not enough. One can be baptized, attend Mass, wear a crucifix, and still live dishonestly, refuse to forgive, exploit others, or ignore the poor.

This is perhaps one of the greatest challenges facing us Filipinos today.

We proudly call ourselves Christians, yet corruption continues. We are a nation that loves religious celebrations, yet road rage, online hatred, family conflicts, cheating, and dishonesty remain common. Sometimes we have become experts at religious practices but beginners in Christian living.

Jesus reminds us today that God is not looking only at whether we belong to the Church. He is looking at whether Christ is visible in the way we live.

St. James says, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22).

A true Christian is recognized not by the medal around the neck, but by the kindness in the heart; not only by praying the Rosary, but by refusing to spread gossip; not only by making the Sign of the Cross, but by carrying the cross with patience and love.

Physical present or becoming disciples?

There is a story about a tourist who visited a beautiful cathedral in Europe. He admired the stained-glass windows, the altar, and the statues. Then he asked an elderly caretaker, “How many Christians worship here every Sunday?”

The caretaker smiled and replied, “I don’t know. Only God knows. I only know how many people come.”

That answer says everything.

Only God knows how many of us are merely present in church and how many are truly becoming disciples of Jesus.

Final Words

So today, let us not ask, “Am I inside the net?” Instead, let us ask, “If someone watched the way I speak, work, forgive, serve, and love, would they recognize Christ in me?”

Because in the end, God will not judge us by the number of Masses we attended alone, but by whether the faith we celebrated became the life we lived.”