Cornerstone Rejected

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to ponder the circumstances that lead to the rejection of the message of Jesus of love and compassion.

Workers in the Vineyard

In the reading from the Book of Genesis, Joseph Is sold by his brothers.

* [37:21–36] The chapter thus far is from the Yahwist source, as are also vv. 25–28a. But vv. 21–24 and 28b–36 are from another source (sometimes designated the Elohist source). In the latter, Reuben tries to rescue Joseph, who is taken in Reuben’s absence by certain Midianites; in the Yahwist source, it is Judah who saves Joseph’s life by having him sold to certain Ishmaelites. Although the two variant forms in which the story was handed down in early oral tradition differ in these minor points, they agree on the essential fact that Joseph was brought as a slave into Egypt because of the jealousy of his brothers.

* [37:28] They sold Joseph…silver: editors tried to solve the confusion, created by different sources, by supposing that it was the Midianite traders who pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him to Ishmaelites. In all probability, one source had the brothers selling Joseph to Ishmaelites, whereas the other had them cast him into the pit whence he was taken by Midianite traders. (Genesis, CHAPTER 37, n.d.)

Psalm 105 praises God’s Faithfulness to Israel.

* [Psalm 105] A hymn to God who promised the land of Canaan to the holy people, cf. Ps 78; 106; 136. Israel is invited to praise and seek the presence of God (Ps 105:1–6), who is faithful to the promise of land to the ancestors (Ps 105:7–11). In every phase of the national story—the ancestors in the land of Canaan (Ps 105:12–15), Joseph in Egypt (Ps 105:16–22), Israel in Egypt (Ps 105:23–38), Israel in the desert on the way to Canaan (Ps 105:39–45)—God remained faithful, reiterating the promise of the land to successive servants. (Psalms, PSALM 105, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents the Parable of the Wicked Tenants.

* [21:33–46] Cf. Mk 12:1–12. In this parable there is a close correspondence between most of the details of the story and the situation that it illustrates, the dealings of God with his people. Because of that heavy allegorizing, some scholars think that it does not in any way go back to Jesus, but represents the theology of the later church. That judgment applies to the Marcan parallel as well, although the allegorizing has gone farther in Matthew. There are others who believe that while many of the allegorical elements are due to church sources, they have been added to a basic parable spoken by Jesus. This view is now supported by the Gospel of Thomas 65, where a less allegorized and probably more primitive form of the parable is found. (Matthew, CHAPTER 21, n.d.)

Scott McClure comments on how a landowner and his vineyard is used as the backdrop for God’s relationship with his people. What love! What loving patience it must take the Father to endure in his relationship with us, even now. Ages of offenses have as of yet not resulted in the Father’s abandonment of us. Is this not remarkable? Further, is this not a remarkable example the Father has set for us?

When we feel disregarded by others, the Father understands.

When we feel mistreated, as Joseph was by his brothers, the Father understands.

When our greatest sacrifices for others are unappreciated and discarded, the Father understands.

In his most trying time, during his passion, Jesus turned to his Father. This Lent, let us do the same. Let us turn to the Father for the strength to forgive and endure as he has done for us since he created us. (McClure, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “Life through death,” by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Unless the Word of God had first assumed our mortal flesh He could not have died for us. Only in that way was the immortal God able to die and to give life to mortal humans. Therefore, by this double sharing He brought about a wonderful exchange. We made death possible for Him, and He made life possible for us." (excerpt from Sermon 218C, 1) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46 comments that many of Israel’s leaders rejected God’s “cornerstone” in Jesus (Matthew 21:42). But God made even that rejection “wonderful” (21:42) because it led to his cross and resurrection—nothing short of our redemption! Even today, the risen Jesus reaches out to every person, and he will never stop! And as his disciples, we now have the joy of laboring in his vineyard. We can reach out to share his love with the same tenacity that God has always shown; we can help bring his children, the fruit of his vineyard, back to him.

God doesn’t want our efforts in evangelization to begin with fear, duty, or obligation. He wants them to flow from our experience of Jesus and his love for us. When we are filled with his love, we simply can’t contain it. We long for people to know that love, and we ourselves become tenacious—in a humble and winning way—in sharing it with them.

So where is God sending you today? What part of his “vineyard” is open for you to go and help bring in a rich harvest of people longing to know him?

“Father, thank you for your tenacious, unyielding love. Help me to share it with the people around me today.” (Meditation on Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler discusses the favoritism of Jacob towards Joseph that leads to drastic response to jealousy by his brothers. The difference in the location of the murder of the son in the parable in Mark and Matthew points to Jesus' knowledge of His eventual Passion and death.

Friar Jude reminds us of the pattern of rejection of prophets in salvation history.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, often teaches that God can be sought and known outside of traditional church services and forms of prayer. Pilgrimages, big and small, can allow us to experience God’s presence on the “cellular” or energetic level that Father Richard describes. Pastor and author Brett Webb-Mitchell suggests how we might make pilgrimages a regular part of our lives.

A pilgrimage is more than just a hike, a walk, a run, a bike ride, a vacation, or a journey…. Pilgrimage is the state of mind and heart or spirit that changes the vacation, the hike in the woods, the long kayak journey along an intercoastal strip of water, the ride out into the country, the walk to a friend’s house, the errand in the middle of the day, the walking of a dog, the 5k run or marathon … into a pilgrimage in which one encounters the Holy. Benedictine monk David Steindl-Rast describes this very sentiment:when the pilgrim sets her foot on the ground, every step is a goal, and the pilgrim says “now, now, now”; she is living in the present and claiming the presence of the Holy God now in her midst [2], upon this soil, fully cognizant of the sacred land she walks upon…. Whether we are on an actual pilgrimage or perceive that the road of life we are on is our pilgrimage, each step, each move one makes is blessed by the Spirit. For both an actual pilgrimage and the pilgrimage of everyday life is a journey of faith. [3] (Rohr, n.d.)

We are inspired by the Spirit to be the workers in the vineyard of the Lord where we celebrate life sometimes in the face of rejection.

References

Genesis, CHAPTER 37. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/37?3 

Matthew, CHAPTER 21. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/21?33 

McClure, S. (2023, March 10). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/031023.html 

Meditation on Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/03/10/628594/ 

Psalms, PSALM 105. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/105?16 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Everyday Pilgrims. The Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/everyday-pilgrims-2023-03-10/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Stone Which the Builders Rejected. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=mar10 

Trust and Transform

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today alert us to trust in God as we attend to the prompting of the Spirit to transform our action to address the needs of the poor.

Seeing Lazarus

The reading from the Prophet Jeremiah presents the true Wisdom of trust in the Lord.

Psalm 1 presents the Two Ways.

* [Psalm 1] A preface to the whole Book of Psalms, contrasting with striking similes the destiny of the good and the wicked. The Psalm views life as activity, as choosing either the good or the bad. Each “way” brings its inevitable consequences. The wise through their good actions will experience rootedness and life, and the wicked, rootlessness and death. (Psalms, PSALM 1, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke presents the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.

* [16:19–31] The parable of the rich man and Lazarus again illustrates Luke’s concern with Jesus’ attitude toward the rich and the poor. The reversal of the fates of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:22–23) illustrates the teachings of Jesus in Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain” (Lk 6:20–21, 24–25).

* [16:19] The oldest Greek manuscript of Luke dating from ca. A.D. 175–225 records the name of the rich man as an abbreviated form of “Nineveh,” but there is very little textual support in other manuscripts for this reading. “Dives” of popular tradition is the Latin Vulgate’s translation for “rich man” (Lk 16:19–31).

* [16:23] The netherworld: see note on Lk 10:15.

* [16:30–31] A foreshadowing in Luke’s gospel of the rejection of the call to repentance even after Jesus’ resurrection. (Luke, CHAPTER 16, n.d.)

Barbara Dilly shares that the lessons for today remind us that trust, hope, generosity, and perseverance are the essential practices of the blessed.

So, when we read “blessed is the man who trusts in the lord, whose hope is in the Lord, we can envision a man who is not only good, but who is sustained in goodness, and who can make good happen. When we read “blessed are they who hope in the Lord,” we find that the Lord not only watches over those who follow the Lord to sustain them, but whatever they do prospers. They are set up to make even  more good happen.  And when we read, “blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance,” we get closer to the Gospel message for today. What are we to do with our blessings in this life?  It is not enough that we can be confident in the hope that God blesses us like the Pharisees. We are invited to receive God’s blessings with a generous heart, sharing with those in need, Like Lazarus. In blessing us, God brings out the best in us, which enables us to be a blessing to others in this life.  We are blessed to make good happen where it is needed. (Dilly, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “Creator of both rich and poor,” by Augustine of Hippo, 3540-430 A.D.

"God made both the rich and the poor. So the rich and the poor are born alike. You meet one another as you walk on the way together. Do not oppress or defraud anyone. One may be needy and another may have plenty. But the Lord is the maker of them both. Through the person who has, He helps the one who needs - and through the person who does not have, He tests the one who has." (excerpt from Sermon 35, 7) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 16:19-31 comments that Scripture has the power to open our eyes to the needs around us. It can also shed light on what’s going on in our hearts and convict us to change our ways when our actions don’t line up with what God desires. He wants us to care for the “least brothers” (Matthew 25:40), but first he has to open our eyes to their presence among us—especially those right in front us.

As you reflect on the words of Scripture today and every day, let them penetrate your heart. Let them change the way you see the world and the people you encounter. Let them help you see as God sees so that you don’t miss a Lazarus at your door.

“Lord Jesus, open my eyes to the needs around me, and then give me the grace to act on them.” (Meditation on Luke 16:19-31, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the accusations of Jeremiah that human hearts can turn from the good. The image of life of the tree near a source of water is an image of our relationship with God. Friar Jude notes the difficulty of the extremely rich man to see the distress of Lazarus.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook who connects pilgrimage to the universal longings of our hearts.

 Pilgrimage, then, involves … the heart. The Talmud says, “God wants the heart.” It is the heart that holds the body together…. Augustine of Hippo [354–430] wrote that the heart is a metaphor for our deepest and truest selves, and he frequently uses the image as a way to explain his own journey to God: “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” [2]... 

The sacred art of pilgrimage involves both an inward and outward journey…. The pilgrim strives to hold both the inward and outward journey together, sometimes in tension, but always focused on the search for meaning, for the Divine…. What most distinguishes the sacred art of pilgrimage from a tourist trip or hiking expedition, as beneficial as these are, is the characteristic inward journey, a turning of one’s heart to the Divine, with the expectation of transformation on every level of being along the way. Benedict of Nursia [c. 480–547], the founder of Western monasticism and author of the Benedictine Rule, used to advise his monks and nuns to “listen with the ear of their heart.” [3] In other words, the pilgrim’s first yearning is in the heart, deeply and inwardly, sometimes for years before the outward journey begins. (Kujawa, 2023)

We pray for transformation that opens our eyes to the needs around us that we can address in Jesus Way.

References

Dilly, B. (2023, March 9). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/030923.html 

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 17. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/17?5 

Kujawa, S. (2023, March 9). A Journey of the Heart — Center for Action and Contemplation. Cac.org. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-journey-of-the-heart-2023-03-09/ 

Luke, CHAPTER 16. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/16?19 

Meditation on Luke 16:19-31. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/03/09/628091/ 

Psalms, PSALM 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/1?1 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Lazarus Was Carried to Abraham's Bosom. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=mar9