It's bad enough to be rejected, but it is even worse to be rejected by those who had accepted us. "If an enemy had reviled me, I could have borne it; if he who hates me had vaunted himself against me, I might have hidden from him. But you, my other self, my companion and bosom friend! You, whose comradeship I enjoyed; at whose side I walked in procession in the house of God!" (Ps 55:13-15) It is the very worst to be rejected by Christian spouses or by our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Jesus was and is rejected by those He created and for whom He died, when we sin seriously. "And when we deny Him by our deeds, we in some way seem to lay violent hands on Him" (Catechism, 598). Jesus, Who never rejected anyone (Jn 6:37), is the most rejected of all people (see Jn 10:31). He will give us the grace to stop rejecting Him and to forgive all those who have rejected us and continue to do so.

On the first day of Easter, we will be challenged to reject Satan and all his works. This includes rejecting unforgiveness and vengeance towards all who have sinned against us. Forgive! Reject Satan, not Jesus!

Rescript:  †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, November 28, 2018

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