13th Sunday of St. Matthew - sermon by Metr. Moses

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Maria
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13th Sunday of St. Matthew - sermon by Metr. Moses

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  • 13th Sunday of the Gospel of Saint Matthew
    The Vineyard Workers

    A Sermon by Metropolitan Moses

    The Lord spake this parable, There was a certain householder, which planted a Vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country (Matt 21:33).

    The Vineyard signifies the gathering of the people of God and the hedge is the separation between the people of God’s Covenant and those without. In the Old Testament times, the hedge was the Law. Since the coming of Christ, the hedge is our Saviour’s teachings given to the Holy Apostles and passed down by their successors, the bishops of the Church. This includes the Holy Scripture and Apostolic Tradition preserved and expressed in the Ecumenical Councils and Canons of the Orthodox Church.

    The husbandmen signify the teachers and leaders of the people. God Who is everywhere present and fills all things observes us as “from a far country” and allows us as rational creatures to exercise our freewill as stewards of all that He has given unto us.

    In today’s parable, the Vineyard bore fruit, so one can surmise that the Vineyard workers laboured with zeal in the beginning. One might ask, what could their motives be for zealous labour? One could speculate and say that they began out of respect, gratefulness, reverence and love for the Householder. Yet, the next question is, how did they fall away? The Holy Fathers have taught us that there is a classic progression in sin. First; distraction and forgetfulness sets in and this leads to error, and later this leads to negligence and lust. The husbandmen slowly fell into spiritual deception and lusted for control of the fruit of the Vineyard.

    In that other place, the garden given to Adam and Eve, our first parents were given dominion and God withdrew, as it were and, alas, through lack of vigilance and distraction our first parents fell prey to the deception of the Evil One. Saint Irenaus explains that the command not to partake was given to Adam and Eve so that they would know that they were subject to their Creator. Truly, they forgot God and His commands hearkened to the error of the evil one and lusted to taste of the forbidden fruit.

    The great error in both cases was that they forgot that nothing actually belonged to them and that their real treasure was their relationship with God. If they were found to be faithful stewards, God would reward them beyond anything they could misappropriate to themselves in opposition to God’s will.

    And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise (Matt 21:34-36)

    The Jews were the People of God and had as their inheritance the promises of God, yet they had in fact mistreated many of the prophets sent unto them and, alas, rejected the Christ Himself, as our Saviour predicted in this parable:

    But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and seize his inheritance. And they laid hold on him, and cast him out of the Vineyard, and slew him (Matt 37-39).

    And they took their Benefactor out of the city and hanged Him on the tree of the Cross, and as a result, the veil of the temple was rent in two (Matt 27:51) and in the year 70 A.D. God allowed the pagan Romans to utterly destroy the Temple and scatter the nation of the Jews throughout the earth. These things were not written for us to become smug or self-assured, for if we are heedless any one of us can fall away. As Saint Paul wrote to the Romans:

    And if some of the branches be broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches… because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness: otherwise you also shall be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. (Romans 11:17-18, 11:20-23).

    Real belief is demonstrated by faithfulness to the order set by God.

    Yet, one may ask, what remedy do we have to prevent the terrible progression of sin, that is: distraction, error, negligence and lust? As the Prophet David said in the Psalms, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and all they that foster this have good understanding” (Psalm 110). Fear of God rooted in poverty of spirit is the foundation of the spiritual life. Our Savior began the Beatitudes with the words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”(Matt 5:3) to show us how to begin our efforts to partake of the Kingdom of God. To practise a reverent awe of God and walk as if in His presence is how we grow in the things of the Spirit.

    As labourers in the Vineyard of Christ we must accept God and the things of God on His terms, not ours. In order for us to be saved, there has to be a synergy, a co-operation with God. We have to respond to God’s call and work out our salvation. Christianity is not a spectator event. Our Saviour said, “If ye love me keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)

    As stewards of God’s Vineyard, every bishop and every priest will have to make greater answer before God. As our Savior said, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom they have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:48)

    Yet, one can say that every Christian household is a small Vineyard wherein the parents serve God as stewards over their children. Within this setting there is a great responsibility to bring up the children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. How can a parent be a good steward of the Lord’s Vineyard within the household setting if that person does not strive for spiritual knowledge? To raise a Christian child is a great undertaking. In this context I repeat our Savior’s words, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom they have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:48)

    Let us resolve to work together and strive to come to greater knowledge of God both by our spiritual reading and our experience in the spiritual life through our prayers and efforts to conform ourselves to the mind of the Church, that is, to the mind of Christ. Let us also resolve to work together to provide for our children, the next generation, during this era of confusion and spiritual darkness. I exhort you all to find a way for your children to participate in our Church School in whatever way you can so that we can assist you in your efforts.

    Every day we can resolve to make a new beginning and respond to the benefactions of the Great Householder Who provides all things for us out of His love for man. Let us fear God in poverty of heart, worshipping Him in spirit and in truth and remember Him as we labour in His Vineyard and not let our hearts stray from His will. Amen

Courtesy of Fr. Panagiotes Carres' yahoo group

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

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