TWENTY SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

In today’s gospel from the twenty-first chapter of Matthew, Jesus has already arrived in Jerusalem and is teaching at the temple. We know that the chief priests and the elders of the people are questioning His authority and planning to have Him killed.

Jesus is not alarmed. Rather, He confronts the chief priests and elders by telling them the Parable of the Wicked Tenants.

The chief priests and elders were offended. They knew full well that Jesus was comparing them to the wicked renters who killed the servants and the son of the owner.

They knew Jewish law: a tenant would inherit the land if there was no heir for the property. It was apparent that Jesus knew they were already preparing to kill Him. You can be sure the chief priest and elders did not like that Jesus knew their conspiracy.

In this parable, who do you most readily identify with?

• The owner whose only son or daughter was murdered?
• The servants who were rejected and stoned?
• The renters who felt oppressed and taken advantage of?

Remember, Jesus quotes from Psalm 118, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord this has been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes.”

It is the next verse that gives me hope, “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 I am rejected, I become very disheartened. I tend to view myself in a negative light, and this drains my energy and enthusiasm for living life to the fullest. But Jesus says the exact opposite when He assures me that the rejected stone becomes the cornerstone.

Nowhere was failure more apparent than in Jesus dying like a criminal on the cross.  Even though He was so intent on goodness, He was still condemned to die. But Jesus demonstrates to us that every setback and misfortune can have a redeeming value and offer a new beginning. Problems are painful. Sacrifices are tough. Losses can hurt. But all can be productive. Stones might be thrown at us, but they can become a cornerstone to something that survives forever.

Attitude means everything here. Some people give up, but others move on. Problems will always be with us, but it is the way we handle our problems that counts.

On a trip home to Minnesota, I remember listening to two childhood friends lament the worsening traffic that had extended their commute time to and from work.

One friend described his irritation in great detail: other drivers who cut him off, the long waits for a traffic signal to change, and the delays due to weather, road construction and crashes. As he talked, he got more and more agitated.

The other friend simply calmly described how he was learning a new language by listening to tapes, which he alternated with audiobooks.

Same problem. Two different ways to deal with it.

I believe that God gives us opportunities. Remember, every stone that is thrown at us has the opportunity to be used for a cornerstone. Divine providence says that there is a purpose for everything that happens. There are no such things as unredeemable mistakes, defeats or failures unless we despair. Yes, attitude means everything.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could all live as St. Paul suggests in his writing to the Philippians? In our second reading today we heard, “Have no anxiety at all …”

Internal conflict was affecting the peace and unity of the community. Does that sound familiar? St. Paul called upon the Philippians to, “…make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.”

A recent survey reported that:

• 40% of things that people worry about never happen.
• 30% of things have already happened and cannot be changed.
• 12% of worries arise from concern about what others think, and an even higher percentage for teenagers on social media.
• 10% of worries are about sickness, both real and imagined.
• Only 8% of worries are truly worthy of anxiety, and this can be managed with the right attitude.

If you are excessively worried about something, go back to St. Paul’s words. “Then the God of peace will be with you.”

In honor of our patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast day is October 4^th, as we receive God’s peace, let us also extend peace to others as we pray the Prayer of St. Francis:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

 

Amen.