Disguised Grace

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

1 He began to speak to them 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. 2 At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully. 5 He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed. 6 He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What [then] will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this scripture passage:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11 by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes’?”
12 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.-Mark12:1-12

Rejection. Nobody wants it. Given a chance, we would always wanted to be accepted, welcomed and received in the best way. But in today's Gospel, I cannot help but realize that sometimes rejection is a blessing in disguise, a hidden and strange grace. A few years ago, my job contract ended at the time allotted for it right from the start. Although I knew it was coming because right from the start it was clear to me, I did not really take it seriously. When the day came that I have to go, I was much pained. However, a much better job offer came to me with better pay, better work and more chances of growth. As I look back, I would always marvel and say to God that if my previous job did not end at the right time, the better job will never be given to me. So let's look back on the many rejections we had and see how God weaved His plan through it so that we become better individuals or a much blessed individual.

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Reject or Accept?

Miracles happen everyday.

24 And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. 25 [a]Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. 26 [b]It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27 Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. 29 They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went away.-Luke4:24-30

Elijah and Elisha are two prophets of the Old that inspired me. The widow of Zarephath and her son are about to die because of the famine. All that is left is a small amount of oil and a little amount of flour enough to make a last meal. However, Elijah asked for their generosity, and in turn asked God that the "jug of oil never run dry, and the jar of flour never run empty" during the famine years. Elisha cured Naaman, a great soldier inflicted with leprosy, and that disease is known to be incurable for a long time. Two stories of hope and miracle. God will always send people to help us. But what will be our reaction? Are we going to reject help? Or, are we going to accept it even if it meant depriving ourselves?

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