Jesus said, "Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done and wonderful in our eyes? – Matt 21:42
Friends, God is good, all the time.
Rejection is painful. A priest friend described it as hurtful, sometimes shattering and occasionally killing. But it is something many people have had to deal with one time or another, sometimes exceedingly early in life.
A man narrates his first rejection when he was nine years old. Being shy and withdrawn, he realized how necessary it was to overcome his lonely attitude. As the first step, he thought of asking one of the girls in the class to be his friend with whom he can play and talk. After rallying all the effort to get to the girl's house in his almost best cloths, when he knocked at the door, it was the girls who opened the door. So, he asked her to be his friend. With a little hesitation during which she turned her eyes towards her grandparents, she slammed the door on his face. It turned out her grandparents didn't want any shabby looking boy to bother their "very Catholic granddaughter."
Jesus speaks about his own rejection in the gospel today, and so does the Father in the first reading. Jesus was a good man who went about doing good and helping people. But he was rejected even in his own town. The worst would occur later the cross, and he knew it as he was relating these facts. The Father himself talks about his rejection by the house of Israel after doing everything necessary to make them his people. The house of Israel referred to as the Lord's vineyard has not produced the fruits of obedience and justice so exalted among them by the prophets.
But you know what the good news is. As Jesus mentioned, "the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done and wonderful in our eyes." His rejection and murder are the reason the world is better, and we are saved. It is the reason there are many Christian disciples today as has always been for centuries. If we are his disciples, then ours is to produce the fruits in its season. The vineyard of the Lord today is our family, circle of friends, neighborhood, community, the Church, and the world. Let us show the fruits of love, mercy, justice, obedience, trust, and kindness.
How should we handle rejection? Well, here is the thing, St Paul urges us in the Second Reading to "have no anxiety at all but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." It is Jesus who is the corner stone for the Christian and enables us to turn our rejection into foundational support for a meaningful life. So, trust God and live under his care, and he will anchor you in life successfully without being depressed or destroyed by rejections from others on any account. Because what God understands about our lives and circumstances, others don’t know and understand, so they quickly reject us.
Prayer blessings: Lord keep me always as the apple of your eye in your rich garden of life.