Preparing for Lent: Understanding Salvation through the Vineyard Parable
Introduction to Septuagesima
Dear faithful, we have heard in this day of septuagesima it's the this sort of intermediate season of the church prepares us for Lent for the season of Lent and is well put this um parable we have heard in the Gospel of today this Gospel of the vineyard.
The Parable of the Vineyard
There is this the owner of the vineyard who hires people to work in his vineyard the owner of the vineyard of course is our Lord. The owner of the vineyard, this vineyard is according to the church fathers, it's on one side the church itself and also each of our souls. This is well put because you know in order to save our souls there must work must be done in our souls.
The Work of Salvation
Our souls must be worked upon, we have to develop the virtues, we have to get rid of the vices. It's well compared then to this vineyard and the laborers who work also represent us who have to work both in the church and also of course in our own salvation. This work of our salvation thus God makes it depend upon us, this work of our salvation and this work is of course a capital one.
Different Roles Within the Church
It's very well said that our Lord says that everybody is a laborer in this vineyard. It's true that within the church each of us has a different job, a different work. There are people who are doctors, there are people who are artisans who work in different crafts, the people who are engineers, even the church accepts lawyers. But all of us in reality have one work, one sole work which is the work of our salvation, which is the principal work of all of us as Catholics.
The Desire for Salvation
This is why the owner of the vineyard hires everybody to the same job. However, we can see that although our salvation is the principal work for us as Catholics, one could say that there is no Catholic who would say that he doesn't have a job. He doesn't have a job, he does not want to be saved.
Saintly Insights on Salvation
Saint Alfonso says that if you ask any of the souls condemned in hell, all of them had a desire to be saved, had a desire to be happy and did not think he was going to lose that. Nonetheless, there are so few Catholics who truly want to be saved, we all want to be saved but there are so few of us who really want to be saved.
Three Groups of Catholics
Saint John Chrysostom compares us to those workers who are sent out to do an errand and instead of going to the errand, we stay sort of around the plaza doing other things, getting into other businesses, and everything except for this business that we are have been sent to do on this errand.
The First Group: Indifference
Saint Anthony Marie Claret says that these people who do not go upon this errand that we could divide them into three groups of people of Catholics. He says the first group are those who would like their salvation but they do nothing at all for their salvation, they do not even think of it.
The Second Group: Lack of Sacrifice
The second group of people, St. Anthony says, are those people who do think of their salvation, ok it's a little better, but they are not prepared to do anything that will actually lead them to their salvation. They are not ready to do the sacrifices that mean that are implied into being saved.
The Third Group: Procrastination
The third group of people St. Anthony Maria Claret mentions are those who do think of their salvation, they do want to do what is necessary for their salvation but not to the point of what salvation is worth. They don't put it as a priority their salvation.
The Urgency of Salvation
We can say that these of course would like to be saved but they do not really want to be saved simply because they don't want to be saved right now. They want to be saved, they would want to be saved afterwards but not now, now their will is not to be saved so they don't want to be saved, those do not want to be saved.
The Example of Saint Expedito
Here we have the beautiful life of a saint, there's a lot of devotion to him in Argentina, Saint Expedito. Saint Expedit, I suppose Expeditus, I suppose in English, was a Roman soldier, who a catechumen, he was preparing to be baptized.
Overcoming Obstacles to Salvation
Saint Bernard says that seventy is made with ten and with seven. Ten means the ten commandments that we have to follow in order to get to our homeland, to the heaven, we must follow the ten commandments.
Conclusion: Preparing for Lent
So in this day, dear faithful, the church prepares us for Lent. How does it prepare us? Showing, presenting us the matter of our salvation. Are we one of these people who would like to be saved but do not want to be saved? Are we putting our salvation in second, third, fourth place, and what in what aspect of our lives are we putting it in this place?
Final Reflection
We have these weeks to think about this, to meditate in our souls seeing where am I putting my salvation, what am I putting before my salvation, and I have to push that away of course. I have to put that salvation in first, in first place. We will ask our Lady for this great grace so that she may illuminate our hearts that we may be able to truly have a holy Lent and be able to put the work of our salvation in its place. Ave Maria Purissima!