Meditation
for Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
(Tobit
1:3; 2:1-8; Mk 12:1-12)
After narrating the parable of the wicked tenants, Jesus
concluded by saying, “The very stone which the builders rejected has become the
head of the corner; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?”
The ‘builders’ who are supposed to be professional in their work ought to know the
cornerstone and build on it. Why did they act so unprofessional and reject the
cornerstone, which was for their good? The answer is found in the bad choices
made by the wicked tenant against their master, who loved them and had good
plans for them. In their greed and selfishness, they rejected their master's goodwill and all the efforts he made to forgive them and make peace with them,
which included sending down his son as the final saving grace for them. But
they rejected the Son, the Cornerstone, and followed their selfish and greedy
desires. This brought them to destruction.
In the first reading, as Tobit lived for the love of his people
and attended to the victims of persecution, his neighbors laughed at him. Here is
an example of a man, who followed not his selfish inclinations, but denied
himself food to bury the man that was killed. Such a man is true ‘builder’, who
establishes his house on the cornerstone. Think about how people want to build
lasting and strong family ties, peace, unity and progress without the
sacrificial love that Jesus laid down for us. But how can we imbibe this love
that binds all things together (cf. Col 3:14) when we do not welcome Jesus in
our lives as the wicked tenants did? Imagine the wasted effort, wasted
opportunity and resources when we do not build on the Cornerstone, which Jesus
Christ. God will do marvels for us if we act professionally and build on the
Cornerstone. Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Monday, June 5, 2023.
