In today’s Holy Gospel we heard the parable of the owner of a vineyard. The owner has equipped this vineyard with all that is necessary to produce fruit and to protect its healthy production. He rents out the vineyard to some cultivators to whom he entrusts its care and stewardship. Again and again he sends messengers to collect the rent and over and over again these messengers are ignored, ridiculed, even stoned and beaten. Finally, he sends his own son – expecting that they will respect him. Seeing the son of the owner, the wicked cultivators conspire to kill him in order to receive his inheritance.

The initial interpretation of this parable is obvious… Jesus is speaking directly and referring to the nation of Israel – that vineyard of the Lord which had been so well equipped by the promises and laws of God with all that is necessary to bring forth spiritual fruit. The many messengers sent to the vineyard are none other than the prophets of the Old Testament – the long succession of holy men and women who called the nation of Israel back to repentance and the ways of God and who were again and again ignored, rejected, despised, and killed. And the son is, of course, our Lord Jesus Christ – the Son of God Who was sent to the vineyard to speak directly, to show by living example, and to intercede for the people of God. This parable was spoken by Jesus on Tuesday of Holy Week just before His crucifixion. It was designed to awaken the Pharisees, the scribes and the priests to the terrible sins they had committed in the past against the prophets and the great sin they were about to commit against God’s own Son. It is a powerful parable and a clear forewarning of what was to come.

But let us bring this Gospel passage closer to home… who else might this parable be speaking to? Surely it is speaking to the holy Orthodox Church of Christ. The New Testament Church is the new Israel and woe to us if we make the same mistake as our forefathers – in our Orthodox Faith, we have been even better equipped with all of the sacraments and grace of God, we have everything necessary for our salvation in the Holy Church entrusted to us by our Lord. And yet, let us examine ourselves and ask – how do we behave as stewards of this rich vineyard of our faith? Do we heed the teachings of the holy fathers – those messengers given to us in every generation, sent to wake us up from our spiritual drowsiness? Do we take the blessings and sacraments of the Church for granted? Do we arrive late for services, not perceiving the Great Blessing that takes place here upon the altar where our Lord Jesus Christ offers Himself in His Body and Blood? We must treasure our faith and we must do our utmost to understand it, uphold it, and be transformed by it.

And now let’s bring our theme of the parable of vineyard even closer in… as always, let us examine the teachings of the Holy Gospel in light of our own soul. This vineyard also represents our very soul… given to us by God, equipped with the necessary means to bring forth spiritual fruit. How do we respond to the promptings of God? Do we chase away the call of our conscience, do we throw the stones of our frustration and our negligence at the promptings of God’s call to our soul? And when God sends His very Son to us, our Lord Jesus Christ… knocking at the door of our heart, do we receive Him and honor Him as we should? Let us reflect on these things and ask ourselves – are we alert and aware to the many promptings of God that come to us throughout the day in the people that we meet, in the situations that we encounter, in the challenges and sufferings that we endure?

Certainly one of the arenas of contest and opportunity to practice virtue is in the married life and in the life of the family. Today we celebrate the memories of Sts Peter and Febronia… righteous ones who exemplified the Christian virtues in their charity to their people and who shared that yolk of marriage with the correct understanding that this was a life of service and self-sacrificing love to one another. This Sunday in September has been dedicated to their memories as a special day celebrating the married and family life.

We must make no mistake… family life is certainly one of the vineyards in which Christ places us to bring forth the fruit of Christian virtue by demonstrating patience with one another, self-sacrificing love for one another, and concern for one another that we may struggle together to help each other obtain the Kingdom of Heaven.

Marriage and family life can be extremely difficult. One of the most pernicious mentalities which is prevalent today is the self-absorption that tempts us all. We are encouraged toward self-fulfillment, seeking that which pleases us, and – sadly – looking upon those whom we encounter and even those who are closest to us as supporting actors in the great drama of our life in which we take the spotlight and center stage. I don’t know how many times I have heard married couples complain that the source of their marriage troubles was because their spouse was ‘not meeting their needs’.

Now, granted… each situation must be taken individually… life is complex and there are circumstances that may require specific remedies… but in general, one can say that this issue of having one’s needs met is completely upside down. Our focus should be on seeing to it that we are meeting the needs of our spouse. It is a life not of self-seeking fulfillment, but a life of self-sacrificing and generous love.

The same goes for other aspects of the family life… children must learn to honor and obey their parents, they must learn to share and tolerate with patience the annoyances of their siblings. Family life offers us a spiritual arena in which we are the closest proximity to other people. Christ called us to love our neighbor… specifically ‘our neighbor’, because it is in these close encounters with real flesh and blood where we are put to the test. It is much easier to love an abstract concept like ‘humanity’… but just try to endure with patience that spouse or brother or sister who is right in front of you – and you will experience the cross of self-sacrificing love!

But this what the Christian life is all about! It is not and must not remain on the shelf as a religious philosophy, it must not remain on the pages of our prayer book or simply upon our tongue… the call of Christ is that we bring forth fruit in the vineyard of our life. And that fruit of the Spirit, as Apostle Paul tells us, is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Through the prayers of the venerable Saints Peter and Febronia, may god grant us to bring forward this fruit!