The Stone Foundation (2014-04-20, Easter)

[__01__]     In this Easter Sunday Gospel, the stone or the rock in front of the tomb is moved out of the way.

This is the Resurrection. The stone is moved. But, where is this stone ultimately placed?

We could also say that the Temple authorities and Pharisees also want to move Jesus out of the way. They only want to place him in the tomb, behind a boulder. They want to get him out the way. They don’t know where to place the Savior in their lives.

We also may struggle, at times, about the location of the Lord or the Gospel in our lives.

[__02__]     In the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, the Jewish people received the stone tablets of the 10 Commandments.

Moses carries them down from Mount Sinai, he lifts them, they carry them.

But the task is not only to move the tablets but also to place them, to cherish them, and place them in the Temple, to build with them and to build their lives upon these commandments.

It’s not just about lifting the commandments but also putting them into place.

[__03__]     About 5 years ago, I visited my brother and his family in Los Angeles for a week.

Arriving there, he told me of a project – a patio – he was building and he asked if I could help.

Truly I wanted to help, but I also wondered what choice did I really have in the matter.

I woke up the next day to the sound of the truck and forklift delivering to the driveway about 15 4-foot-square pavers weighing about 30 pounds each.

The construction had already started.

But, the easy part was …

• Getting the stone delivered
• The easy part was carrying the stone from the driveway to the backyard.

The challenging part was leveling the ground with the sand and finding a place for each stone, finding the proper horizontal setting for each stone in this patio.

[__04__]     Living our faith is not only a one-time placement of stone, brick, mortar, steel at One Eagle Rock Avenue 50 years ago in this church building or 100 years ago as a parish in West Orange.

But also of continuously building with spiritual virtues of faith, hope and love… (1 Corinthians 13) and with the fruits of the Holy Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

These virtues make the building stronger.

[__05__]    Thus, the house and family are stronger against elements of selfishness or injustice, and against storms of bitterness and resentment that could break through the walls or roof.

Our lives are stronger against storms of injustice.

Our lives are more aligned – structurally and spiritually – to care for a very young person, a child… to care for an older person or one with special needs, to show affection to those from whom we do not receive affection.

The Gospel Good News and our Savior’s life is this stone foundation.

[__06__]    St. Paul summarizes this as a paradox, that the cross of Jesus is the stone that some will trip over…

St. Paul writes, “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God … we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block…” (1 Corinthians 1:18, 23)

St. Paul goes on to say that Jesus – crucified, died, risen from the dead – is a stumbling block for both his own people of Israel and those outside Israel.

As we read the prophecy of Psalm 118, he is the stone rejected by the builders (Psalm 118:22)

The people of the Lord’s day – even his closest disciples – were not sure where to place him as a stone, or how to build on his foundation.

This was also true for our brothers and fathers in faith, the Jewish people, receiving the Commandments, going through the desert with these tablets.

They had, at times, no spiritual or personal home for these stone tablets. They may have just wanted to unload them at the Temple or somewhere else. We may also wish to do so.

The people of the desert, with Moses, behave in ways that you and I also have done, regarding the stone tablets of the 10 commandments:

• Keep holy the things of God … does anyone notice?

• Honor thy father and mother … too difficult?

• Protect the lives of others even if it means risking my own … to dangerous?

• Protect another person’s reputation by avoiding the appearance of wrongdoing … that’s no fun !!

These are a few of the stones rejected by you and me, the builders.

The Good News is that when we strive to do these things we are building up the Church of God, the Body of Christ …and following God’s blueprint and architecture.

[__07__]    We are called to lift stones, carry them, and place them. We may need to smooth and level the area beforehand.

This would also involve using our gifts and talents, even if we were not inclined to do so.

For example, do we not have people in our lives from whom we learn God’s ways, from we learn to overcome our own laziness (at times), or our own complacency? This happens in school…..    

The voice of God will speak to us via our true friends, through a mother or a father, a family member, a teacher, a coach.

They push us to keep up our responsibilities, to invest and build with our talents rather than burying them in the ground.  (cf. Matthew 25:18)

Burying what we have only keeps Jesus underground, out of sight and our light under a bushel basket.

Easter Sunday reminds us to accept the Lord so that we can build with the talents and stone he has given us.

[__08__]   Easter Sunday also reminds us to come before the Lord with the stones of our obstacles, as Mary Magdalene does at the tomb.

These obstacles may be stones or barriers, partly of our own design or sub-contracting strategy.

We may find ourselves with some spiritual difficulty due to the past sinfulness by ourselves or by someone else.

In either case, we beg for God’s grace and forgiveness.

At such times, we are called to pray for God’s movement. There is movement on the first Sunday morning.

The stone rolls away due to an earthquake and seismic activity which shook the stone at the Lord’s tomb.

Consider that the Lord only had to move that stone a foot or two for Jesus to walk right out.

We also pray that his grace and mercy can move difficult stones of sorrow and grief. Maybe… just a little bit. And, thus that we can keep his commands not only as stones to be placed on shelf but as desires to be written in our heart.

On Easter Sunday, we recall that Jesus is this foundation, this stone … whom we may at times turn away from, but who also welcomes us back.

He is the stone … rejected by the builders … which has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done,  it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:22-24)

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