“…“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes” (Matt 21:42)
(Year A: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 8th October, 2023)
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
READINGS
See, also Mark 12:1-12 and Luke 20:9-19
Yet another parable of Jesus is presented to us in the Gospel of Saint Matthew. Picture a landowner planting a vineyard, some tenants and a few slaves and the harvest. We may imagine different scenarios for this story ranging from our own role in possibly resisting the Word of God in our lives or the centrality of grace found in Jesus Christ the cornerstone of our redeemed lives. But, we need to be mindful of the historical context in which this parable or story is told. Matthew, as already said in previous blogs, is written by a Jewish Christian in a Jewish Christian community in the last half of the first century. These were seriously no fun times for Christians – or Jews who had submitted to Christ while remaining Jewish.
Persecution, torture, ostracism and death faced many as Rome crushed and dispersed the Chosen People and as the new faith founded on Jesus began to spread West and East and South and North (usually the western part dominates the history books).
Rejection and acceptance feature throughout scripture including, for example, in the Letter of Peter (1 Peter 2:4-7)
Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture: ‘See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’ To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner’,
Jesus the Christ was rejected by some of his own people and, above all, by those in control of the Temple, the interpretation of the Law and allocation of justice. Yet, he was and is the cornerstone. Those sent in the name of Jesus were rejected and persecuted by those who will not accept the Gospel and its demands. We may find ourselves in the dual position of being rejected as well as being among those who reject. We fail to see Christ in our brother who pleads with us for mercy and understanding. We may, without knowing it, reject Christ, daily, in the those who are different to us and who cross our path for a purpose in God’s larger design.
God’s plan is that each person should be conceived, born and nurtured by love, in love and for love. While, unfortunately, it does not always work this way in practice, we can be sure that our place and our call is to respond, generously, to this love. If we feel rejected, so was our brother and Lord. If we feel loved and accepted then so we must extend that welcome and love to others.
The great majority of us were blessed with a loving mother. Most of us have known a special love in the course of our lives. This is God’s way of helping us to grow in love for others.
We have been called to go out, give witness and bear fruit like those tenants to whom the vineyard was given when others failed to bear fruit.
May we go out and tell the whole world that God is love and that God has loved us in others and that love is the purpose and source of our call to serve the world.
Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:10)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.