The following is a part of a meditation series that I write with my wife, called Somedays’ Meditations. We started it in our home parish for our tweens, and we thought it would be helpful to folks online as well. You can read the meditations here, or you can visit https://christchurchmanlius.org/somedays-meditations to see them as a collected volume.

Scripture:
Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:

“The stone that the builders rejected   
has become the cornerstone 

 Matthew 21:42

Meditation:
Do you know what a “cornerstone” is? It’s an important part of a building that bears much of the building’s weight. Some translations give “keystone,” instead, and if you live near Pennsylvania, you may have seen the keystone shape on the highway signs there. Keystones are the center stones in an arch. They need to be in this shape so that the arch doesn’t fall down. They are the most important stone in the whole building or in the whole arch.

So what is Jesus saying? Something that was thought of as unnecessary or useless became the most important thing. Who is Jesus talking about? Well, he’s probably talking about himself: Jesus will be rejected and hung on a cross, and yet he is the most important person in the history of all humanity (that’s pretty important, huh?).

Over the years, however, people have wondered if, maybe, Jesus was talking about something else as well. Maybe he was speaking more generally and less specifically. He may have been saying, “Be careful of what you ignore or say is unimportant. Those people you don’t like or who you want to ignore, watch out! They may be more important than you realize!”

It often happens that someone who is less important or the underdog comes out on top. This is a common theme in American culture. We love the underdog. But it’s not just the underdog who is important. It’s the ones who all of our culture looks down on: the sad, the lonely, the forgotten, the poor, the minorities. Their voices are important, and we may be surprised how important they actually will be, and how much we should have listened to them!

Activity:
Who do most people ignore in your community? Maybe reach out and connect with them, listen to their stories, and hear what they have to say.