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The thirteenth Sunday after the Feast of The Holy Trinity.
Glory to Jesus Christ, dear brothers and sisters!
Today, thanks God, we have served one more Liturgy with the gratitude to God that we have sanctified ourselves, cleaned up from all vanity and filth. We have been filled up with God's energy to live in this difficult world and to gain the victory over this world- its falsehood against truth. To gain the victory with patience, love, with which God fills us every time, when we open our hearts and trust sincerely in God. Because we know that God will not fill our hearts with poison, but only with forgiveness, love - that gifts which we need to redeem.
Today we have heard the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew, XXI: 33-42), when the Lord told about the tenants to whom the master trusted to cultivate the grapes. It means that Lord trusted clergy and chief priests, at that time they were Jews, to take care about people and send the Gods' word. But Gods' Word has to give results- the salvation of the souls. And He sent His servants to gather the grapes, that they bring the grapes or grape juice. "When the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce". When the servants came to the tenants, who were hired to grow grapes, the tenants did not want to give back grapes, despite the fact that they were paid salaries. "The vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third". And it is true that Jews could stone a person covering with righteousness, as if they protected God. So, they did wrong things. God sent seers and they killed them too.
Next, God sent more His people from the Heavens- high souls, that people on the Earth could be redeemed. So, master sent more servants, that they could bring this crop. And these were killed too. Then the master decided to send his son. It means that God decided to send His Son. Jesus, telling this story, at the same time was telling about Himself. The master said: "They will respect my son", they will not dare kill him. But they found out that he is a heir, that he would inherit all these huge vineyard and they did not want to give him anything. They probably belied him, disturbed people against him and finally they killed him.
And the same thing has done with Jesus. He was crucified. This world does not want the truth, because of those servants who should serve the truth.
"Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?" - asked Jesus. And the Jews answered: ""He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons", that is, He will take away vineyard from them, kill them and will give it to others, And Jesus said: "I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven"(Matthew, VIII:11). That is, remember, God will take His vineyard from you. And a lot from you will not join Abraham and other Saints. Many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
It is clear that they became embittered on Jesus at this moment and decided that it was time to do something with Him - to kill Him. But Jesus said to them: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone", that is, the cornerstone (the base of knowledge, the truth) was neglected by the builders. And this cornerstone must be the base of the corner of every building; every building should have its cornerstone. If there is none, the building will fall down. And you have neglected it; that is why all yours will fall down.
And actually we see that Judaic Kingdom fell down in 30 years after crucifixion of Jesus Christ. And we see that they do not have the place where to sacrifice. They are dispersed over the world. And those who are in the Jerusalem they are not allowed to come to the place of sacrifice. They are not allowed to rebuild the temples and to sacrifice. And they have not done it till now. And God do not receive it till nowadays. That is why there are Muslims and other religions, which do not allow to enter the people, whom God left.
And here is the same. It is repeated in Ukraine. They are in frocks, they should be the tenants, they should bring the crop to God - to save souls, but they only create hostility between religions, sow the seeds of dissension to neighbors, to brothers.
And today we have been reminded such lesson of John, which we have read in the Apostle, where he said about neighbor. He said: "for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot[a] love God whom he has not seen" (1 John, IV:20).
Who is your neighbor? The neighbor is not the passerby, is not your brother. Neighbor is a person who is in one spirit with you, who loves God as you love, who sincerely help you in difficult situations and you help him. If you do not love the person who loves God and sincerely supports you, it means that you do not God. Jesus taught: your neighbors are God's children, whom God loves and He is glad of them. And your enemies could be your relatives, even brother or sister?
Jesus told the parable of a Samaritan (Luke, X: 30-37), who helped a Jew, who returned home with big money and someone beat him. Maybe this Jew had a brother, who were lazy, drunkard and who did not want to work and knew that his brother would return with money. And he said his fellows to go, to lie in ambush, to hit him, to take money and to run. So they did so: took money, hit him and he was bleeding to death.
And the priest, who taught God's word, passed by. He looked around - nobody was there. And he passed him by on the other side.
Was he a neighbor to this man? No. But they had one blood, he was also Jew.
And the Levite, who also served near God's altar, who also was a Jew. He looked around - nobody was there. So he passed by.
And the Samaritan journeyed, whom Jews hated. To be Samaritan was like to have bad blood; it meant that Jew's blood was mixed with other blood. So all Jews who were born in Ukraine or Russia are Samaritans. They are called so.
So, Samaritan journeyed, whom the Jews hated. What did he do? Did he pass by, because nobody was there? Nobody was there, but he did not pass by. "He bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back".
Was this Samaritan related with that Jew, who maybe one day laughed at him? No relation. But he helped him and wanted to help more, because his heart was full of God's love. He was a neighbor, he was the God's. If he is God's, so he is neighbor. Do you understand? That is how we should understand who your neighbor is. It is very few neighbors, very few real friends; it is very difficult to find them. If you have found them, but you do not love them, it means you do not love God. You do not have connection with God. That is how you can understand people, understand the Gospel and use it in your Earth life.
Let God help us to love and appreciate our neighbors. Let He help us to redeem ourselves and help us to redeem others. Let God help us to find neighbors and bring them in the family. The family of God's children, where we will glorify God in the Holy Orthodox Ukrainian Church, which is not dependent on the Rome, or Moscow. It is only dependent on God. That is Church Canonical, a blessed one. Let's try to work, serve and redeem yourself and each other.
Glory to Jesus Christ!
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Apostle (1 Corinthians, 16:13-24):
16
13 Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be
strong.
14 Let all that you do be done in love.
15 Now I urge you, brethren (you know the household of
Stephanas, that they were the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have
devoted themselves for ministry to the saints),
16 that you also be in subjection to such men and to everyone
who helps in the work and labors.
17 I rejoice over the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and
Achaicus, because they have supplied what was lacking on your part.
18 For they have refreshed my spirit and yours.
Therefore acknowledge
such men.
19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you
heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.
20 All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy
kiss.
21 The greeting is in my own hand--Paul.
22 If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed.
Maranatha.
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Gospel (Ìatthew, 21:33-42):
21
33 "Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who PLANTED
A VINEYARD AND PUT A WALL AROUND IT AND DUG A WINE PRESS IN IT, AND BUILT A
TOWER, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey.
34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the
vine-growers to receive his produce.
35 The vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed
another, and stoned a third.
36 Again he sent another group of slaves larger than the
first; and they did the same thing to them.
37 But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will
respect my son.'
38 But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among
themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his
inheritance.'
39 They took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed
him.
40 Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will
he do to those vine-growers?"
41 They *said to Him, "He will bring those wretches to a
wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will
pay him the proceeds at the *proper* seasons."
42 Jesus *said to them, "Did you never read in the
Scriptures, 'THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER *stone*; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT
IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES'?
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