The Necessary Rejection

 From the Gospel of today, Monday of the 9th Week in Ordinary Time (Mk 12:1-12)

The very stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone (See Mk 12:10).

Jesus used this quotation from Psalm 118:22 to respond to the chief priests, scribes, and elders (See Mk 11:27), who asked Him by what authority He had challenged their business in the temple. Remember what we talked about: the real thing we all are bringing to the table—love.

The main thing happening here is that the owner of every gift we have received (the vineyard we heard about in today's Gospel), who left us as tenants to manage his vineyard, is accusing most of us of turning his house into a den of robbers (See Mk 11:17) through our acts of stealing and banditry.

He created and blessed His world to function in love, a place where everyone responds to the needs of others with the gifts He (the vineyard owner) has given to him or her. He gave to me something that you need and gave to you that which I need. But unlike following worldly logic, where exchange is done through buying and selling, or worse still through snatching and stealing from others, we are to listen to Him, who speaks to us in our hearts, and respond to those needs with gratuity (Mt 10:8 would say, "You received freely; give freely").

Now, let me explain why you must suffer and be rejected if you are authentic and obey His voice. Since Genesis 3, we have been bitten by the serpent, the same serpent that killed many in the desert (Numbers 21). He (this serpent) sows the seeds of deceit, fear, doubt, pride, jealousy, selfishness, bitterness, unforgiveness, pain, and so on in the hearts of men and women. Truth be told, all of us have suffered pain, neglect, disappointment, betrayal, and so on when we tried to follow that silent voice of God that calls us to love. Therefore, most of us devise many survival strategies.

But the only thing that can save us from this mess is opening ourselves to and looking at the raised bronze serpent (See Numbers 21:9) and, therefore, at the crucified Lord (See John 3:14-15).

Since many choose to remain distracted and constantly run away from this crucified Lord, they are ready to do anything to protect their broken and empty selves. They will invent lies, antagonize, oppose, beat up, resist, kill, and eliminate anyone who comes in the name of the owner of the vineyard (the exact parable of today's Gospel). If they lack peace within themselves, they will do anything at their disposal to fight you. Do not be deceived by how beautiful they look or how sweet their words are. The fruitless fig tree that Jesus cursed was full of leaves (Mk 11:13). They care so much about what to say, how to appear, and how to impress, but they are empty inside.

So they must reject you, but I am here to encourage you and tell you that it is precisely this rejection that confirms that you belong to God. Therefore, if you persist and do not allow them to pull you down into their kingdom, God's reign will triumph through your testimony, as it did through the testimonies of St. Justin and his companions. Whenever we are under the dominion of the devil (bitten by this serpent), we oppose the truth and the light.

So the question will always be: Am I ready to open myself up and look at the Crucified One, or do I want to handle my sickness alone?

Ifeanyichukwu, 01 June 2026.

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