The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
Growing up in the faith, there are many readings, passages, and phrases that become so commonplace that it becomes quite easy for my mind to skip right over them without giving them a second thought. The phrase "The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone," is certainly one of those phrases. The understanding I was given about what a cornerstone is has always been simply the one stone that holds the whole structure together, and, without it, the structure falls apart (usually depicted by a stone placed in the center of an arch). While this is true, there is a greater understanding to be had from this well-known phrase we find in the first reading and psalm.
The cornerstone is not only responsible for the foundation of a structure, it is also the very first stone laid and the one all other stones are relative to. Indeed, the position and formation of any structure is entirely dependent on the cornerstone. Knowing this, it adds a lot more weight to words we find in these readings. Both readings make it clear that God is not only the most important and essential element in order to attain salvation, but how the entire structure of our faith is built upon the sacrifice and mercy of our loving Savior. Indeed, as St. Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, states, "There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are saved."
So what is the nature of this savior that makes up the cornerstone of our faith? Jesus Himself tells us in the Gospel. He is the Good Shepherd who leads not only His own people, but even those who "don't belong to this fold." He is a faithful, loving leader who protects us from the wolves of evil; who is even willing to lay down His own life to save us. Jesus also makes it clear that He is not indifferent and impersonal, but, indeed, very close and personal with us. He even contrasts Himself with a hired hand who is very impersonal and only truly cares about his wages, and not the well-being of the flock he leads.
Because Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith (and our lives), everything about us is relative to Him. Let us conform ourselves more fully today to our Good Shepherd.
Andrew Montpetit is a Motion Graphic Designer / Animator in West Michigan. He greatly enjoys good films and deep, substantive conversations about beauty and its pursuit. You can find his work on his website.