THE STONE WE REJECTED

Do you have any regrets in your life? I have — and there are many of them. My regrets come from an error of judgment and the rejection of something in or for my life that I should have accepted. For example, I regret not taking up the chance to learn a musical instrument when my parents offered me. I regret this so much that I wish they had forced me to do it. Why don’t I just start learning one now? Well, maybe I should. But the excuse I give is that I am too busy to have the time to learn an instrument properly. And if it is worth doing, it needs a minimum level of commitment and effort. Is this reason good enough? Maybe not, but it holds sway in my mind as I write this reflection.

Jesus tells a parable and then interprets it through the image of a rejected stone. This is a powerful image. When we consider that the stone is a metaphor for a foundational truth in our lives, it becomes all the more important.

The people to whom Jesus was speaking knew exactly what Jesus meant through the parable but they reject His criticism and seek to get rid of Him from their lives. This rejection is a rejection of the truth of the Gospel. It is a refusal to submit one’s life humbly to the will and plan of God. It is tantamount to replacing God as the authority figure in one’s life.

Regret can lead to depression. When we realize that we have made a mistake, let us be mature enough to admit it, repent of it and then get on with remedying the situation no matter how embarrassing it might be. Nothing is worth going into depression. We all make mistakes. Let us simply try to do our best to make the right choices, and change and fix whatever errors we make. Jesus must be the cornerstone — in fact every stone — on which we build our Christian lives. We can learn about Him through the lives of others, but ultimately it is Jesus and the Gospel upon which we must build. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

Do I have any regrets in life? What are they? Can I do anything to fix the problem they created? What am I going to do about them?

 

Father, You are the source of all goodness. Help me to draw from the truth in the decisions that I make for my life so that I will regret as little as possible later.

 

St. Paul the Simple, pray for us.