rejected
"When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him so much that they would not even greet him." —Genesis 37:4
Joseph was rejected by his brothers. They almost murdered him but decided instead to sell him into slavery for twenty pieces of silver (Gn 37:28). Jesus was and is rejected by all of us. By our sins, we shared in murdering Him (Catechism, 598; Mt 21:38-39). Judas sold Him for thirty pieces of silver. Most of us have sold Jesus for much less than that.
Unlike most of the world, Joseph and Jesus responded to rejection not by rejecting the rejecters but by loving them. In fact, Jesus, although constantly rejected by us, has never and will never reject anyone. He promises: "No one who comes will I ever reject" (Jn 6:37). Jesus, the Person rejected more than any other person in history, has even taken on Himself all the rejections we have suffered. He has thus suffered all rejections but has never rejected anyone.
Let us have mercy on the all-merciful One and resolve to never reject Him again. To do this, we must deny our very selves (Lk 9:23) and reject sin.
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for forgiving my rejection of You and others' rejection of me. I accept and love You.
Promise: "The Stone Which the builders rejected has become the Keystone of the structure. It was the Lord Who did this and we find it marvelous to behold." —Mt 21:42
Praise: Although feeling rejected by some members of a Christian group, Matthew gave his disappointment to God and asked for the grace to forgive.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape Effects of Sin on audio AV 81-3 or video V-81.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Giles H. Pater, August 18 8, 2004
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, August 23, 2004