A Word for the Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost

Today at the Liturgy, beloved brothers and sisters, there was read from the Gospel the parable of Christ the Savior about a certain landowner who «planted a vineyard, set a hedge around it, dug a wine-press in it, built a tower, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, to receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying: they will respect my son. But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves: this is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance. So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers? They said to Him: he will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus said to them: have you never read in the Scriptures: the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? (Ps 117:22-23). Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it» (Mt 21:33-42). With this today’s Gospel reading ends.

What, then, does this parable mean? And, first, whom does the landowner who planted the vineyard signify? The landowner is God, the heavenly Father; the vineyard is the Jewish church, that is, all the Jews who lived before Christ and in the time of Christ; the hedge of the vineyard is the law of God given to the Jews; the wine-press, or trough in which the grapes are trodden to squeeze out the juice, signifies the altar, at which the animals brought as sacrifice were slaughtered, and on which blood was poured out as a sign of the redemptive Blood of the Son of God, poured out for the salvation of the world; the tower in the vineyard signifies the Temple in Jerusalem; the vinedressers are the Jewish high priests and elders; the fruit of the vineyard is the fruit of good works, which the Lord expected both from the high priests and scribes themselves, and from the common people, who had been entrusted by God to their guidance; the servants sent by the owner of the vineyard to the vinedressers for the fruit are the prophets of God, whose reproofs the Jews so disliked, and whom they beat, killed, and stoned; the owner’s son is the Only-begotten Son of the heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, whom the high priests, elders, and scribes killed, nailing Him to the cross by the hands of lawless Roman pagans. The cornerstone, or chief stone in the foundation of the building, rejected by the builders, is Jesus Christ, who became the Head of the Church of God and the true Shepherd, Redeemer, Savior, and Visitor of our souls. The taking away of the kingdom of God from the Jews signifies their being deprived of the blessings of the true faith—deprived of their temple, their priesthood, true worship, their own homeland, and every gracious fruit—all of which did indeed happen to them, and continues to this day. Nevertheless, this parable, in some of its parts or words, can and must be applied to us as well: for the Gospel is given for all times and all peoples, and it must be applied, first of all, to us, the clergy—I do not speak of other rulers and teachers of the people—and to the flock entrusted to us by God, to be guided by us toward a virtuous life, toward salvation, and toward the kingdom of heaven. Christ’s parable teaches that shepherds must themselves bring to the Lord, the Chief Shepherd, the fruits of sound teaching and of every virtue, and must serve their flock as a rule of faith, an example of meekness, self-restraint, mercy, freedom from covetousness, sincere goodwill toward all, and care for pleasing God and saving one’s soul; and that they must unceasingly teach those entrusted to them by God for guidance toward faith and a virtuous life, the law of God and Christian virtues, so that they too may bring forth to God the fruits of virtue, and live in a manner pleasing to God, working out their salvation with fear, and awaiting the fulfillment of Christ’s promise concerning His second coming, the resurrection of the dead, the dread Judgment, and eternal life or eternal torment.

It is well known that on a shepherd’s manner of life, on his zeal or negligence in fulfilling his high and holy pastoral duties, faith or little faith, and even unbelief itself, depend very greatly, as does the life and conduct of the flock—and as the shepherd is, so, according to popular saying, is the parish. When a shepherd is instructive and devout, the flock too tends to be devout and God-fearing. And so, beloved brothers and sisters, if we do not wish that fearsome word of the Savior, spoken to the Jewish high priests and elders and to the Jewish people, to be fulfilled upon us as well—if we do not wish the kingdom of God, that is, the gracious help of God assisting us in everything, to be taken from us—if we do not wish to fall into the abyss of unbelief and depravity and every vice, to be deprived of the blessings of community life and of every abundance and contentment, of earthly and heavenly goods, and to fall into poverty and destitution of body and soul, in which so many people languish—let us hasten to bring forth to God the fruits of true repentance, the amendment of our life, unceasing care for the one thing needful, that is, the salvation of our immortal souls, redeemed by the Blood of Christ, and every virtue, according to our own strength. Amen.