FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD
MARCH 10, 2023
SECOND FRIDAY OF LENT
WORD of the DAY
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?’ Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.
(Matthew 21: 42-43/45-46)
“How shall I live this Word? 
God our Father has special attention and care for each of us. He expresses His love and His predilection by calling us by name and making us His children. He gives us our life and asks us to continue to cherish it according to His style. When He asks us to account for His image and likeness in us, which are the precious treasures of our life, what we unfortunately deny is the gift of our being His children and we deny it for choices that lead us to indulge in evil and trade life for death. Jesus is the cornerstone that reminds us of our choices, our freedom, our responsibility, and asks us which side we want to be on, how we want to live, whether as children of God or as slaves of evil. Who do we listen to in our choices; who do we refer to; what ‘cornerstone’ do we have… have you never read the Scriptures?
O Spirit of God, give us the awareness of our being Sons and Daughters in Jesus! Give us Your light in knowing how to recognize and fight evil, which does not want us to produce the fruits for which God created us, to the point of wanting to ‘kill’ His image in us!
The Voice of Pope Francis
The urgency of responding with fruits of goodness to the call of the Lord, who calls us to become His vine, helps us to understand what is new and original in the Christian faith. It is not so much the sum of precepts and moral norms, but it is above all a proposal of love that God, through Jesus, has made and continues to make to humanity. It is an invitation to enter this story of love, becoming a lively and open vineyard, full of fruit and hope for all.
E-mail: srmterzo@gmail.com Website: www.sanbiagio.org info@sanbiagio.org Blog: livingscripture.wordpress.com Comment by Sr. Monica Gianoli, FMA
