The Holy Martyr Sebastian and those with him.
Nativity Fast.
Titus 1:5-2:1; Luke 20:9-18.
Read Luke 20:9-18
The secularist and agnostic, H.G. Wells had this to say about Jesus Christ: “I am a historian, I am not a believer, but as a historian I must confess that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is the center of history.”
Every generation since Christ’s resurrection has faced the question he posed: “Who do you say that I am?” His answers often came in parables. Today’s parable shows he saw himself as the unique Son of God sent to the vineyard, murdered by its tenants, and made the cornerstone.
Unlike other rabbis and revolutionaries of Roman Judea, he did not fade. His message retained its force; his movement its energy. Two thousand and twenty-five years after his birth, Jesus still shapes the minds and hearts of billions. Even many who are not Christians acknowledge in him the finest example of how to live and how to die.
A cornerstone is the first, largest stone in a foundation; it bears the weight of the structure and sets true angles from which walls are measured. So Christ bears the weight of the world’s salvation and provides the measure by which lives are squared. A man who sets his heart and mind by Christ’s teaching will rise as a well-aligned edifice of a person.
It is remarkable that even agnostics such as H. G. Wells called Christ the center of history. For believers, and for anyone seeking a steady moral measure, Christ is not merely a historical figure but the cornerstone of individual lives. This orientation does not require understanding of every claim to appreciate its shaping power; acknowledging Jesus Christ — his teachings, mercy, humility, and sacrificial love—straightens a person’s interior life and anchors communities against drift and despair. His presence remains the decisive fact of human history.