Rejecting Christ

How long will you reject Christ?

Such a strong question. Valid, nonetheless.

If someone was to ask you, how long would you reject Christ, what would be your reaction?

Denial? I am not rejecting Christ! I am following his word, I am a good person.

Questioning? Am I really rejecting Christ? How am I living my life?

Acceptance? Yeah, I think I am rejecting Christ in one way or another.

Repentance? I am rejecting Christ. I am sorry. I need to do something about it, now.

In the gospel today, we see Christ being rejected by the leaders of that time – the chief priests, scribes and elders. The people who were supposed to be building the Church, were rejecting Him. Thus, the stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone. The supposedly builders rejected Christ, who is the cornerstone – the very foundation of our faith.

They were rejecting him not just out of ignorance, but out of hardness of heart. They saw the same thing other people who believed saw. They saw Jesus’ teachings, healings and acts proclaiming God. Yet their hearts were closed to him. They were more concerned of their current status in society. They were afraid that welcoming Him would take them out of their comfort zones, that welcoming Him would mean the end of their glorious and prestigious days on earth as the leaders of faith.

Come to think of it, we do not differ so much. We reject Him when we do not allow him to rule in our lives. We reject him when we refuse to make the most out of the sacraments, when we do not confess or receive him in holy communion, because we think we are okay by ourselves and we don’t need him in that way. We reject him when we want total control of the things in our lives and refuse to let him take charge. We reject him when we do things our way and not his. We reject him if we consistently refuse to die of our selves, of our own worldly needs and wants, and refuse to let him be God in our lives.

May we take time off to see what areas of our lives are not yet opened to him. Let us examine our lives and see what else we need to surrender. May we see the need to surrender everything to him and accept him in our lives, and be one with the psalmist in saying: “In you, my God, I place my trust”

Prayer:

Father God,

I am sorry for rejecting you in my life. Lord you know I try to live a good life, but I know that there are things that I have not surrendered. There are aspects of my life that I have not yet given to you. There are things that I am yet to give up. Lord, I ask that you help me surrender. Give me the desire and the will to accept you and surrender my life to you, even if it entails pain, even if entails dying of myself, because Lord I know that it is the only way that you will live in me. All this I ask in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

Have a blessed week!

In Christ,

-g-