Fifth Sunday of Easter 2023
“The cornerstone is an important part of any masonry foundation. It is the first stone that is set in the construction of the foundation and all other stones are set in reference to this stone.” If you haven’t figured out what the cornerstone of the Church is, please remember that it is the Church of Christ. Christ is the cornerstone, because all of us living stones are set, created, in reference to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer. Without Christ, we are not Christians. Without Christ, there is no purpose to our being here, gathered in worship and service.
Now the cornerstone also sets the orientation of the building. For instance, traditionally the direction toward which we look for Christ, at His second coming, is east. Catholic churches for centuries have preferably been built so that the altar, set against one of the walls, faces east. Then the celebrant and other ministers, when they pray, face with the congregation in the same direction, and toward Christ. The Church must always be moving forward into the future, so into the sunrise, with and for Christ. Can one build a church facing otherwise? Of course, but it says so much to position the cornerstone so that the whole church, that is the whole congregation, looks east as they, the Church, pray to and with Christ.
We are all living stones in this edifice built on the cornerstone, Christ. There are bishops and priests and even deacons in the Church, but the basic priesthood is one we all share. That is, we are all called to offer–as Peter tells us–prayers and sacrifices for ourselves and the rest of the people of God. Now St. Luke tells us in his second major work, the Acts of the Apostles, that seven men full of the Holy Spirit had a special role in the Church. They were called and ordained to service, especially of the widows, that is the marginal members of the Christian community. Because they could wait on tables, the Apostles didn’t have to.
But they, as well as the rest of us, are also called to image Christ in our day and time. So the first named deacon, Stephen, isn’t portrayed as someone waiting on tables or giving alms to widows. No, it looks like the first thing he did after ordination was become a stumbling block for the Jews of the Synagogue of Freedmen. He argued with them, quite vigorously, quoting Scripture, and made them so mad that they dragged him out like Jesus and stoned him to death. It appears that Paul, then called Saul, was a member of that synagogue, so he is pictured not as hurling stones, but as guarding the garments of the executioners. I like the image of Stephen dying with forgiveness on his lips and hurling the cross of Christ to Saul, who would later pick it up and become one of the most effective evangelizers in the Church.
Yes, those of us who follow Christ and model the great Christians who came before, like Stephen and Philip, may often need to step outside our zone of rest to become stumbling blocks for those who are doing evil. And especially those who are leading others to do evil. It is very likely that for our trouble, those others will seek out multiple ways to punish us for standing up against them and championing truth, goodness and beauty. So what? Jesus is preparing rooms for each of us, and for all of us collectively, rooms in the kingdom of God. We are placed here and made followers of our Lord so that we may do the works He did, and even greater works. Let us pray for wisdom and the gift of discernment, so that we can hear His voice calling us to those works, and have all the virtues needed to accomplish them.
