Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 10, 2023
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
“Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it,
dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them,
thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
‘This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?”
They answered him,
“He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times.”
Jesus said to them, “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 it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,
they knew that he was speaking about them.
And although they were attempting to arrest him,
they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.
I have worked in the construction industry for several years. When we set out to begin a new project, we carefully assess the specifications and requirements for the building and intentionally source those materials. After the initial order, we verify in person that the materials are actually what we need, and when they arrive on the job site, we verify again before installing.
So, yes, it’s pretty realistic that there would be a stone that builders would reject, measuring against a required list of conditions every step of the way to ensure that the stone is exactly what the project needs.
But in this parable, Jesus states the rejected stone becomes the cornerstone—the pivotal stone—that forms the base of the project and the foundation of what is to come. It makes me consider that while we may have our own set of rules and regulations by which we measure things in our life, ultimately, it’s not up to us to decide what becomes those fundamental core moments.
Jesus himself was a stone rejected but became the cornerstone of God’s kingdom.
God hands us moments, experiences, and instances throughout our lives that may or may not become a cornerstone in our life’s journey. Although it may not be what we desire, nothing God sends us is unintentional.
May we recognize those experiences as coming from the ultimate divine architect and appreciate them as cornerstones, whether or not they were according to our plan.
Prayer
Lord, teach us to be filled with you and emptied of an ego that puts our glory over your glory. Let us be your ambassador. Give us your voice and direct our motives this day that we might produce the fruits of the kingdom. Amen.
Saint of the Day
The 40 Martyrs were Roman soldiers who were put to death in Sebaste, which is in Armenia today. The account of these martyrs is well-documented historically, and inspired great faithfulness in the ancient Church.
Around the year 320, the emperor of the eastern Roman empire, Lucinius, issued a decree ordering every Christian to renounce their faith or face death. When this decree was announced to the Roman army, 40 soldiers of different nationalities—all part of a famous “Thundering Legion”—refused to comply with the order to sacrifice to Roman gods. They were brought to trial in Sebaste, and the governor there threatened them with disgrace if they continued, and promised promotions for any who renounced their faith. They all stood firm.
The governor then devised a plan to test their faith. They were to be placed upon a frozen lake, naked and exposed to the howling wind, until they either changed their minds or froze to death. The 40 did not wait to be stripped, but undressed themselves, and encouraged one another in the ordeal. A fire and warm baths were prepared at the edge of the lake, and they were told that they could come in from the ice and warm themselves if they turned away from Christianity.
For three days and nights, the group endured. One young soldier decided to leave the group for the warmth of the baths, but the shock to his system killed him. One of the guards, seeing this disgrace, was inspired by the resolve of the remaining 39. When he was off-duty, he fell asleep by the fire and had a dream in which angels descended upon the soldiers on the lake and crowned them. He counted only 39 crowns, and decided to join them. He put down his arms and cloak, proclaimed himself a Christian, and walked out to the group on the ice, bringing the number of martyrs back to 40.
By the morning of the fourth day, most were dead, and the remaining were killed. All the bodies were burned in a furnace, and their ashes thrown into a river. The Christian community recovered some of the charred remains.
The family of St. Basil the Great—whose parents and three siblings are all saints—were among those who helped to gather what remained of these martyrs. The witness of these soldiers moved this holy family, as well as many other Christians, to greater faithfulness.
Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, who froze to death on an ice-covered lake instead of renouncing your faith—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste is in the public domain. Last accessed February 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
