Lenten Reflection for 3/1
Friday of the Second Week of Lent
Daily Prayer
Almighty and Eternal God, You bring together a people, gathered from all the nations, to be Your own. We believe Your Son to be the cornerstone of our salvation. Grant us the resolve to run forth to meet Him with righteous deeds, so that we may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom. Keep the Church faithful to its mission. May it be a leaven in the world, renewing us in Christ and transforming us into Your family. Amen
Scripture Readings
Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a; Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46
Scripture Quote
Matthew 21:42
Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes’.”
Reflection
Jesus is quoting Psalm 118 which was most likely written by, or at least about, His ancestor King David. This verse is precognition of Jesus as the Messiah to come, Jesus’ own crucifixion and Resurrection, transmuted into the building of the Christian church.
Psalm 118 is the final prayer song in the liturgy of the Passover feast, celebrating the time when the Israelites were freed from Egypt. Three hundred years later, in King David’s time, the people of Israel were rejected by other nations. But God made them to be the cornerstone of His plan for the salvation of the world. One thousand years after King David, his descendant Jesus became the new cornerstone.
Reflection Questions
How can I increase the awareness of my dignity and worth today, of my status as a son or daughter of God?
Do I celebrate God’s works when I pray?
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.