Christ the Cornerstone

The path to true happiness: A love that’s poured out for others

In the first reading for the Fourth Sunday of Easter (Acts 4:8-12), St. Peter boldly proclaims his faith in Jesus. The Apostle has cured a man, a cripple, in Jesus’ name. He insists that he has not done this good deed by his own authority or by any earthly skill or power. Rather, “it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed” (Acts 4:10).

Peter goes on to say that this should not be seen as an isolated instance of Jesus’ power. Quoting Scripture, he says that Jesus “is the ‘stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.’ There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved” (Acts 4:11-12). The holy name of Jesus is to be revered above all other names. He alone is the foundation on which our salvation is built.

The image of the cornerstone appears in both the Old Testament (Ps 118) and in the New Testament (Mt 21; Acts 4). In the ancient world, the choice of a cornerstone was critical to successful building. The longevity of the structure depended on it, as its position bore the weight of what was gathered to it and, as a result, the cornerstone served as a reference to properly angle and place all other stones. Stones were “rejected” until a cornerstone was found to be worthy.

To say that a stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone is to acknowledge a power greater than us. It’s an affirmation that God’s wisdom is deeper and more insightful than human judgment. God’s choice of the cornerstone rejected by the builders means that God’s standards are different from human standards. What God sees as essential for the strength and sustainability of his creation far exceeds anything we can see without the help of God’s grace.

When Peter says that Jesus—the man rejected, crucified and risen from the dead—is the cornerstone, he is proclaiming that God’s standards for human life and freedom are radically different from anything we could know by our own experience. Humility, not arrogant pride, service rather than self-seeking, and the love that empties itself for the sake of others, are the foundation on which happy lives are built. Wealth, power and social standing are illusory; they cannot sustain us in the long run.

Prior to his episcopal ordination, every bishop-designate is expected to choose a motto, a short phrase that would serve as an indicator of his ministry as a bishop. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin chose “Rejoice in the Lord.” His predecessor, Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, chose “Seek the Face of the Lord.” Their mottos became readily associated with their ministry as bishops, especially recognizable as the titles of their weekly columns in The Criterion.

I chose “Christ the Cornerstone” because I believe that everything I say and do as a bishop must be founded on the person of Jesus Christ. Without him, I can do nothing, and unless my words and actions are founded on him, I will not be able to carry out the mission entrusted to me at the time of my episcopal ordination. Because “Christ the Cornerstone” is the title of this column, I am reminded every week of my responsibility to ground these reflections on the person and teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

During this Easter season, we remember joyfully how much God loves us. His wisdom is greater than anything we can imagine, and his love is more substantial and more powerful than anything that exists in creation. His decision to build the Church on a cornerstone rejected by the religious and secular leaders of his day serves as a vivid reminder that God’s ways are not our ways, and that God’s judgment is infinitely more reliable than ours.

The Gospel reading for this Sunday (Jn 10:11-18) uses a different but equally powerful image:

Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (Jn 10:11). In Jesus’ time, a shepherd was not the first choice for political, economic or social status. Shepherds were outsiders, people “on the peripheries,” as Pope Francis says. The fact that Jesus identifies himself in this way once again suggests a standard that is greater than mere human wisdom.

As we continue to celebrate this Easter season, let’s remember that, as faithful followers of Jesus, we must recognize that the wisdom of God far exceeds anything we can come up with on our own. †