Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”

 

Gospel Reading: Mark: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.

 

God created the world that we live in for us. Everything God created is good, yet man found some way to corrupt the creation of God. Jesus uses the analogy of the vineyard to explain our treatment of the gifts God gave us. In this story, the master provides the workers with everything they need. He provides them good stock, protection from the outside, a place to make wine and a place to store the harvest. When it is time for the master to collect but a small share of the harvest, he sends a messenger to claim some of the harvest. How do the workers repay him? They shoot the messenger. This is the same thing that man did with all the messengers that God sent. But the master does not give up. Eventually God sends his “beloved son” to save us from our sinfulness; however, humanity does not change. In response to the greatest gift that God could give us - beloved son, we torture, beat then kill him. When asked what should the master do, the people respond that the master should come and punish and destroy the tenants. This is probably how we would respond if someone destroyed everything that was valuable to us.  However, this is not the behavior that our Master in heaven wants from us.  Instead of killing them, the beloved son becomes the cornerstone of our faith and our salvation. Instead of retaliating hatred for hatred, God responds with love.

 

This same message is so true even today. God gives us everything we need. He provides us with many gifts and talents. How we use those gifts reflects how we respect the master who gave them to us. This parable tells us how God deals with the sinfulness of man. God loves us and continually forgives us. His forgiveness is limitless. No matter what we do with the gifts he gives us, God will continually be there for us. He has entrusted us each with different gifts to help in the harvest. We are free to do as we will with these gifts. Not only does God trusts us to make our own decisions, he loves us so much that he will not force us to do things that are against our will. God entrusted us with the vineyard and it is our responsibility to reap the harvest. Jesus knew that he would be rejected and killed, but he also knew that his death would not be the end. Through his death would come the ultimate glory. He knew that he would be the cornerstone of our faith and our salvation. Jesus promises us a great harvest if we submit to his will. If we use the gifts he gave us to fulfill the wishes of the master, we will be rewarded abundantly in the Kingdom of heaven.

 

A Simple Prayer

 

Lord Jesus, you are the cornerstone of our faith.

Through you we find our salvation.

You provide me with many gifts and talents.

May I use these gifts for your glory and praise.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon