In parabolam vineae

Homily 17. On the Parable of the Vineyard. The kingdom of heaven was likened to a man, a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. You have heard, beloved, the evangelical parable of the Lord; hear also the interpretation, which we will give to the best of our ability. The householder of the great house, that is, the master God; for the house is the world; and its master is God, who created it; his vineyard is human nature; the laborers of the vineyard are all the saints who minister to the salvation of men; the first hour is the time of those pious ones around Abel, Enoch, and Noah; for these were the first pious ones, these were the first laborers of the vineyard. For Noah planted a vineyard; understand this spiritually; for the words are spiritual. These labored until the third hour; after the third hour is the time of those around Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for these also were laborers for our salvation, three in number; for this reason they labored until the sixth hour; from the sixth hour, the middle of the day, when the sun shines more intensely upon the inhabited world, is the time of the law; because truly our God illuminated humanity through the commandments of the law, the true light.

For the Lord’s commandment is clear, illuminating the eyes. And again: Your ordinances are light. From the sixth hour, the midpoint of the day; for when the times from the beginning of creation and until the consummation had reached their middle, then Moses and Aaron were sent at midday. And indeed, the worship according to the law lasted until the eighth; the ninth hour is the time of the spirit-bearing prophets; for they too, as good laborers, were sent by the householder to work the vineyard of our soul until the tenth. The eleventh hour is the advent of the Only-begotten; for at the end of the times, at the consummation of the ages, the Son of God, God the Word, came among us; for just as from the eleventh to the twelfth there is one other final hour, so from the advent of Christ until the consummation there is one other hour. Hear John saying: Little children, it is the final hour. You see that at the eleventh hour the master of the vineyard went out, found idle men, and hired them. Who are these idle men? We who are from the nations; for we were idle from knowledge of God, idle from good works. And he says to them: Why have you stood here idle the whole day? He signified the time from the beginning of the creation of the world until his advent; for until then the nations were idle, not knowing God. For they say: No one hired us. The nations are well-disposed; for no one hired them—neither laws nor prophets; those were sent to Israel, not to the nations. Therefore they rightly say: No one hired us. But the householder is good: Go also you, he says, to work in the vineyard, and whatever is just, I will give you.

The idle have then become workers; for now this formerly idle Church works. The chorus of apostles, martyrs, ascetics, monks, holy virgins, the continent, and those in chaste marriage works; for this Church has worthily received the one denarius. For one who works quickly can in a single hour produce a work as if he had been working from morning. The thief heard in one hour: "Today you will be with me in paradise." But hear what those men say: "We who bore the burden and the heat of the day." They speak truly; for they did not bear the burden of the yoke of the law under the law, but they also became equal to these because of the work. "Companion," he says, "I do not wrong you." The judge of righteousness does not wrong. But that I wish to grant to this man as also to you, do not think it is favoritism, nor that the reward is given as a favor, but understand it thus: since whatever we do, however we work, we do nothing worthy; for all human righteousness is like a worn-out rag. He called the whole "grace," as Paul says: "We are justified freely by his grace, and not from works," so that no one may boast. The gift is from God, not because we do not work, but because we do nothing worthy. "For whenever," he says, "you do all these things, say that we are useless servants; we have done what we ought to do." Indeed, you give bread to the poor and inherit the kingdom of heaven; you see the "I wish to grant." And the phrase: "Is your eye evil because I am good?" He did not say that the saints are evil, but: "Are you perhaps evil because I am good?

Truly, then, good from good; not according to the work is the reward, for the work is small, but the reward is great. You gave a cup of water to one who was thirsty, and you receive what no eye has seen, nor ear has heard. You see that he is good. And beginning from the last to the first, since the first will be last. And I will call my people, my people. And again, When the fullness of the nations enters, then all Israel will be saved, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom are glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.