Some lines in Scripture are repeated because God wants us to stop and listen. For Fr. Richard Simon, one of those lines is Psalm 118:22: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

On Father Simon Says, he reflects on how this verse echoes throughout the Bible, appearing again and again in the Gospels, Acts, and the letters of St. Peter. That repetition is no accident. It points us directly to Christ.

Fr. Simon explains that Jesus was not crucified on a distant hill, as many imagine, but in a quarry near one of Jerusalem’s busiest gates. It was a public place, a place where Rome made examples of criminals. And in that quarry, there was apparently a great stone that had been rejected for building because it was unusable.

That detail gives the passage fresh power. Jesus, rejected by the world, was crucified at the place of rejection. The image is almost too perfect to ignore: the rejected stone becomes the cornerstone.

As Fr. Simon puts it, “By the Lord has this been done, it is wonderful in our eyes.” What looked like defeat became the foundation of salvation. What seemed cast aside became the center of God’s plan.

It is a reminder for all of us: God does not waste rejection, suffering, or weakness. In Christ, even what the world throws away can be transformed into glory.

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