Today is Dec. 5, Thursday of the First Week of Advent.
At Mass today we pray, “Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal Rock” (Is 26:4).
In Bethlehem, even stones have stories to tell. Beneath the surface of the city lies a network of ancient quarries, their rough-hewn walls bearing witness to the labor of craftsmen who once chiseled blocks of limestone from the earth. Roman legions built hundreds of miles of roads throughout the region with Bethlehem stone (some are still in use today!). These stones, shaped by human hands, built Bethlehem’s homes, streets and stables — including the shrine that preserves the humble grotto where the Savior of the world first laid His head.
Bethlehem’s stones remind us of the constancy of God’s promises. Generations have come and gone, and those quarried rocks endure. Even as kingdoms rose and fell, the promise of a Messiah stood firm, the one who would be the everlasting rock of the Lord. When Isaiah proclaims, “Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal Rock,” he invites us to place our confidence in the one who is unshakable, enduring and faithful.
Understanding Jesus as the “cornerstone”
It is no coincidence that Jesus, born among the stones of Bethlehem, would later call Himself the cornerstone. “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Ps 118:22, echoed in Mt 21:42). In ancient construction, the cornerstone was the first stone laid, setting the alignment for the entire structure. Without it, the building would fall. So, too, Christ is the foundation of our faith, the one upon whom we build our lives.
Consider how the quarry of Bethlehem mirrors the life of Christ. From the womb of the earth came stones to support human life, just as from the womb of Mary came the Savior who sustains us eternally. The stone walls of the stable bore silent witness to His birth, while the stones of Calvary witnessed His sacrifice. And finally, the stone was rolled away from the tomb, declaring His victory over death.
Those who stand in Bethlehem today can feel the weight of history. But more profoundly, one can sense the weight of glory — that the eternal Rock of Ages, our Lord, Jesus Christ, chose to enter our fragile world in this place. He came to transform our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, to be the cornerstone of a Church that would prevail against even the powers of hell.
Like the builders of old who carefully laid their foundation upon solid ground, we are called to root our lives firmly in Christ. And when life shakes us, when trials threaten to unmoor us, let us remember that our foundation is not in earthly things but in the One who is unshakable, eternal and faithful.
Let us pray,
Stir up your power, O Lord, and come to our help with mighty strength, that what our sins impede the grace of your mercy may hasten. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
