In the last few days at daily Mass in our Gospel readings we have heard Jesus tell his disciples that they need to be servants when he observed how the scribes and Pharisees were putting an emphasis on glory and honor. We heard about the rich man and Lazarus, how the rich man did not see the needs and suffering of Lazarus that were right under his eyes.
Today, the Gospel turns to Jesus himself, telling a parable of the rich landowner and the vineyard, in which Jesus sees himself as the stone which the builders had rejected, which had now become the cornerstone.
When I think of the stone which the builders had rejected, I think of the people that we ignore or throw away in society. I think of the prisoners I visit at the state correctional institution here in Pearl and in the federal prison complex Yazoo City. Many of the prisoners are in living situations that no human being should endure. I think of Whitfield state hospital where I used to celebrate Masses each week when I served as pastor of St Jude in Pearl. The men and women out there in Whitfield struggle with mental illness and other such diseases and illnesses; they have a lot of pain and suffering in their lives. Are those stones we as a society have thrown away? Are we unwilling to commit the necessary resources to these programs? Sometimes, we often overlook the least and the neediest in society. What is God calling us to do?
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