Monday, June 1, 2020

THE CORNERSTONE


THE CORNERSTONE
Reflection for Monday of the 9th Week in Ordinary Time
(2Pet 1:2-7; Mk 12:1-12)
Have you ever tried to help someone but he sees it as an opportunity to take advantage of you? Human greed and injustice is at its worst in the parable of the vineyard that Jesus narrated in today’s Gospel. It is interesting that we walk into the month of June with such a beautiful story, which assures us of God benevolence and patience in leasing out His treasured vineyard to His trusted servants. All He required of them was to give Him what was His due. And what belonged to Him in justice was clearly spelt out.

But, how can God’s servants offer back to Him what they know ought to be given to Him if they did not appreciate the treasure entrusted to them as an act of love? Without love there cannot be justice! In their greed they thought that giving God what was His due would reduce their enjoyment of the fruits of the vineyard. Thus, they acted like modern day secularists who think that denying God a space in human affairs will guarantee their control and self-emancipation. Think about those moments that prayers seemed like infringing on our happy hour! So they killed the prophets; they criticized religion and blamed the Church for failures of society.

Surprisingly, the Master remained patient and consistent in His plan for His beloved servants. He put in the greatest sacrifice in order to get the tenants to obey. Finally He sent His Son to them, saying, “They will respect my Son.” Imagine the great hope He bestowed on His Son that where the prophets failed, His Son would succeed. Reflect on the great assurance His placed on His Son on this journey that through His Son His plan for the vineyard would be fulfilled. This hope cannot be in vain!

However, the greedy servants said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” So they thought, but the Blood of the Son saved the vineyard from the hands of the evil ones. In the death of the Son, the plan of the Master was fulfilled; the hope placed in the Son shines out. “The very stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone...” Yes, the vineyard of the Lord is the House of Israel (Is 5:7)—God’s chosen people.

Therefore, let us build our lives and homes on Jesus the Cornerstone. Greed and secularist lifestyle want us to believe that putting God aside will give us a sense of self-emancipation. In Jesus we return back to God what is His due. Unless we build on Christ the rock, we stand on a shaky ground. St Peter gives us a practical way to stand on the Cornerstone in the first reading: “For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.”

St Justin the Martyr, Pray for us. Amen.

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Monday June 1st, 2020.
Memorial of St Justin de Martyr.

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