Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes,
and the elders in parables.
“A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it,
dug a wine press, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey.
At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants
to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard.
But they seized him, beat him,
and sent him away empty-handed.
Again he sent them another servant.
And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully.
He sent yet another whom they killed.
So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed.
He had one other to send, a beloved son.
He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’
But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
So they seized him and killed him,
and threw him out of the vineyard.
What then will the owner of the vineyard do?
He will come, put the tenants to death,
and give the vineyard to others.
Have you not read this Scripture passage:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?”
They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd,
for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them.
So they left him and went away. MK 12:1-12
On Saturday, in the Gospel while Jesus was walking through the temple area the chief priests, elders, and scribes asked Jesus by what authority He was doing what He was doing. Today, Jesus uses a parable to describe how the Jews have killed all of the prophets God sent them. Now, God’s only Son, Jesus, has come and they are trying to find a way to put Him to death. They believe He is a blasphemer. Jesus claims to be God, this is blaspheming unless He is. Jesus later quotes Scripture, The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?” Psalm 118:22
How many times has Jesus came to us and we reject Him? If I reflect hard enough, I think, for me, about every day. This is what makes Jesus so special. Even though we fall short of loving Him, sin, give into temptation, He comes back every day ready to love and forgive you. In this Year of Mercy, allow Jesus to love you. Be vulnerable. We hate that word, vulnerable. It makes us sound weak, our pride despises it. We must die to self, pick up our crosses, and follow Jesus to receive the eternal reward. Jesus is still present and still waiting.
Today’s challenge: Visit Jesus in a quiet empty Church and listen. We know our sins well, this summer try to conquer one of them through frequent reception of the sacraments, a dedicated prayer time, adoration, and avoid the near occasion of sin by breaking the habit that is leading you to sin. Consecrate yourself to Jesus through Mary with a daily consecration prayer. God chose Mary to bring His Son to us we must return to Him through the same instrument, say your rosary daily, no excuses.
Be a servant, become a saint!
Christian YOLO
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