June 5 2006

Mk 12:1-12 Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully. He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed. He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him and killed him,and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this Scripture passage: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?” They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd, for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them. So they left him and went away.

The stone that the builders have rejected has become the cornerstone. The decision of the mob of greedy vineyard tenants was to kill the son of the vineyard owner. God is of course the vineyard owner. If Jesus is to be rejected for following the will of God by going into the vineyard then I can expect nothing less than to also in some way to be a stone rejected by builders. I will not seek that out but by following God when it happens I can say God has blessed me to be able to follow the Son in my life and have the gift of grace and faith.

The chief priests, scribes and elders were among those listening to Jesus. There were ones who were ready at that time to arrest Jesus but when they heard what he said they would not arrest him then. When a Church or chapel is consecrated/dedicated the liturgy includes the quote the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. It is one of the foundations of our Catholic Christian faith. In the face of adversity true faith flowers and a ritual or an acts that are not fully believed fade away. The new grass that sprang up on the area of shallow dirt burns up while the seed on good ground grows deep roots and flourishes.

The incarnation as a dear friend of mine stated is a puzzle it does not necessarily make sense. The new life in Chirst and the resurrection are foundations of faith. If there is no belief that Jesus ascended to heaven or that Jesus came to the apostles after the crucifixion then the faith of Christianity has not firm basis to build the other tenets of faith on. Faith by the nature of being faith goes beyond anything that can be seen or proved. It is an experience of trascendance and transformation. The facts and logic and history are a springboard but far from the whole of the faith story.

I pray today that God gives me the strength to be a true evangelist of the Word of Christ in all of my acts and words this day.