THE WORD BECAME FLESH

Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time, 2023

Tb 1:3, 2:1b-3

Ps112

Mark 12:1-12

Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop, and Martyr

The stone that the builders...

The story that Jesus tells in this morning’s gospel reading (Mk 12:1-12) is a story about rejection. A vineyard owner sent his servants to collect his share of the fruits of the vineyard; all of them were rejected out of hand. He then sent his son who was not only rejected but killed. At the end of the story, Jesus declares that the stone rejected by the builders went on to become the keystone, the most important stone in a building.

 The story is, of course, a veiled reference to what had happened to the prophets before Jesus came and what would soon happen to Jesus. He would be rejected and put to death. However, God would raise him from the dead and he would become the keystone of a new spiritual building, the church. The experience of rejection is a common enough human experience. People can feel themselves rejected by others, often by significant others, at various stages of their lives. Jesus who knew the pain of rejection by others identifies with us in our moments of rejection. He also assures us that there can be life beyond rejection; the rejected stone can become the keystone. 

As well as experiencing rejection, we can also find ourselves rejecting others or rejecting some proposal or some possibility that is put to us. Today’s gospel reading encourages us to look again at what we reject; God may be present to us there in a way we might not suspect.

Let us pray: Father, I lay my pride, will, heart, soul, and mind at the foot of Jesus' cross. Give me only Your love and Your grace in return. Amen.

+Remain blessed