Theological Foundations new file

116 Theological Foundations field” (1 Cor 3, 9) and the chosen vineyard planted by the heavenly farmer. The author further elaborates on such a formulation of this truth as he comments on the following image from the Gospel: “For the king- dom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard” (Mt 20, 1). The householder is Christ, the vineyard is the Church, the vines are the souls of the faithful, the laborers are the clergy — both diocesan and religious. Christ’s vineyard was established and arranged by the Householder and the Apostles and it was watered by the blood of the martyrs. The lilies of the virgins and other flowers of virtues add beauty to the Church — the beauty that delights the whole world. The religious, in particular, were called to work in this vineyard and each and every one of them ought to dedicate himself to this work with all his strength — in the service of love. 2 In the Church — the Lord’s vineyard — all workers have duties assigned to them. “Imagine that you, too, were assigned to work in a cer- tain vineyard where many people are busy working: one is digging in the soil, the other is cleaning up sprouts, another is taking care of the vines, yet another is watering the vineyard. Notice that such, too, is the vine- yard of the Heavenly Lord, the orthodox Church, in which countless workers continue to labor and bathe in sweat. One teaches, another is occupied with some other activity. One enriches the field of the souls of the faithful with the Word of God, another cleanses them from the dirt of sins by administering the sacrament of Penance. No one rests, all take turns working and through the various works of love strive for and care about only one goal — that the Lord’s Vineyard might bear abundant fruit, that it might delight the Lord.” 3 Another parable which Father Stanislaus uses to represent the Church is that of a sheepfold — an image that was also referred to by Vatican II, with an emphasis on the role of Christ as the gate and the Shepherd (cf. KK 6). In Father Papczynski’s opinion, a religious order and every reli- gious community is a sheepfold. Christ’s teaching is the gate to the sheepfold. Those who enter the Church, a religious order or some other community through this gate will be saved. To enter through this gate is