An Instruction for the Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost

But the vinedressers… said among themselves: come, let us kill him, and seize his inheritance; and they took him… and killed him. (Mt 21:38-39).

These words are taken from today’s Gospel reading about the man who was the master of a household and the vineyard he had planted, whose stewards were extremely self-serving, negligent, and wicked, and who, instead of caring for the vineyard entrusted to them, so that it might bring forth more fruit, and giving that fruit to the owner of the vineyard, let it fall entirely into ruin and turned it into a wild wasteland—and how wicked, indeed, were they? When the owner sent his servants to them for the fruit, they killed every one of his servants. This parable, in its own time, applied to the Jews, to the Jewish high priests, scribes, and Pharisees, and was fulfilled upon them exactly; but today it may fittingly be applied to the fanatical Muslim Turks. By God’s inscrutable judgments, there was entrusted to them, given into their possession, God’s vineyard—the Slavic and Greek peoples—for the sins of these peoples, no doubt, just as the Russian people too, in ancient times, was given over into bondage to the Tatars. Instead of cultivating God’s vineyard, caring for its well-being, growth, and prosperity, providing it with every good of civil order—just and equal justice for all, safety of person and property, education for every people and estate, freedom of worship, and, finally, trade and industry—the Turks, throughout their entire five hundred years of dominion over Christians, trampled down, and, in our own time, have utterly trampled down, every human right of the Christians under their power; everything belonging to these poor people has become the prey of the arbitrary will and savage passions of the Muslims: there is nowhere for them to find justice or protection; everything is seized from them, plundered from them; they themselves are killed without any mercy. To what end? To wipe these subject peoples from the face of the earth, and to seize their possessions. What, then? Is God’s vineyard truly given over to the unbelieving Turks for its utter ruin? Are the Slavic peoples truly given over to be devoured by these beasts, these followers of the antichrist Mohammed? No: when the measure of justice toward the Orthodox and other Christians under Turkish power, and the measure of God’s long-suffering toward the unbelieving Turks, has been fulfilled, then other times will come, and the old times of tyranny will remain only in the memory of the peoples, and the map of Europe will change; and already, even now, observant and thoughtful people note and say that the Turks are dying out rapidly, from various unfavorable political and moral conditions, while the Slavic peoples are being born and multiplying quickly, as the Hebrews did under the Pharaohs of Egypt. But besides this, Christian Europe—or, better said, the Lord God Himself—will soon put an end to the savagery of the Turks. Let us hear what judgment the Lord pronounces upon the wicked stewards of His vineyard: «therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?» — the Lord asked His hearers. And the very stewards, who were among His hearers, pronounced upon themselves a righteous judgment! They answered: «he will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers, who will render to him the fruits in their seasons». So, then—the most wicked of the Turks and the Circassians the Lord Himself, by His own righteous sentence, will destroy miserably, that is, fearfully and cruelly, and His vineyard, the Christian peoples subject to the Turks, He will hand over to other laborers or possessors, who will render to Him the fruits—that is, the fruits of lawful righteousness, the fruits of a righteous life, the fruits of faith, enlightenment, and civil order, in their seasons: and God’s vineyard, the Slavic and Greek Church, will flourish and grow strong, while of the Turks only a memory will remain in history—and God grant it may be so. Accomplish this, O Lord, and soon, to the righteous joy of all Orthodox Christians! But at this present moment I still dare to invite you, my brothers, to give what help you can to our Slavic brothers, who continue to suffer terribly from Turkish savagery; let the offering be within your means, only let it be a willing offering, from the heart. For «God loves a cheerful giver» (2Cor 9:7). Give, and it will be given to you. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you (Lk 6:38)—that is, God will surely give back to you in abundance. Amen.