Lent Week 2, Friday 21 March: Christ the cornerstone

 

Today's gospel touches on the subject of rejection and out of how Christ's rejection came the Cross and Resurrection, the means of our salvation and healing and the salvation of the world.

Collects

Almighty God, 
you show to those who are in error the light of your truth 
that they may return to the way of righteousness: 
Grant to all those who are admitted 
into the fellowship of Christ's religion, 
that they may reject those things 
that are contrary to their profession, 
and follow all such things 
as are agreeable to the same; 
through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Almighty and everlasting God, 
you hate nothing that you have made 
and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: 
Create and make in us new and contrite hearts 
that we, worthily lamenting our sins 
and acknowledging our wretchedness, 
may receive from you, the God of all mercy, 
perfect remission and forgiveness; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Today's gospel reading

Matthew 21: 33-43; 45-46

[Jesus said] “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realised that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

Marten van Valckenborch, 1550 

Parable of the wicked husbandmen

Wikicommons. Public domain

Christian Art, reflection on the gospel by Fr Patrick van den Vorst See https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-21-33-43-45-46-2025/

"In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells a parable in which the son of a vineyard owner is killed by the tenants. This reading is a direct foreshadowing of Jesus' own death. Following the parable, Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22: “It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone.”Here, he even foretells his resurrection. Though rejected by the religious and political leaders of his time, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, becoming the keystone of the new temple, his Church. Through this teaching, Jesus reminds us that what is initially dismissed or undervalued can often turn out to be of crucial and life-changing importance. [....]  Rejection, at its core, is about being pushed away, whether in a single painful moment or through gradual exclusion over time. It can leave us feeling unwanted, unvalued, or unaccepted. Yet, rejection can also serve as a catalyst for growth. When we share our faith with others and experience dismissal, whether from friends, colleagues, or society, we might initially feel discouraged. However, rather than letting rejection weaken us, it can strengthen our resolve and ignite a deeper passion for God’s Kingdom. We may not be the keystone of the Church, but each of us is a vital brick within its foundation!... Each of us small yet essential in the life and mission of the Church."

 Ephesians 2: 18-22

For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.  In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Clive Memorial Presbyterian Church, Ohmama, built 1910

Sacred Space

You can find an aid to prayer and a gentle reflection on the gospel here:

https://sacredspace.com/daily-prayer/2025-03-21/

A contemporary song with the 'Cornerstone' theme

https://youtu.be/Ws5Jnoq96qo?feature=shared