The kingdom of heaven is said to be like a householder who hired workmen to cultivate his vineyard. Who better can we take to be the
householder than our Creator, who rules over those he created, and governs his elect in the world in the same way as a master does those
subject to him in his house? He has a vineyard, that is to say the universal Church, which has brought forth many saints as so many branches,
from righteous Abel up to the last of the elect who will be born at the end of the world.
The householder hired workmen to cultivate his vineyard, in the morning, and at the third, sixth, ninth and eleventh hours, since preachers
do not cease to preach for the instruction of the faithful from the beginning of this world up to its end. The morning indeed was from Adam
to the time of Noah, the third hour from the time of Noah to the time of Abraham, the sixth from the time of Abraham to the time of Moses,
the ninth from the time of Moses to the coming of the Lord; and the eleventh is from the coming of the Lord to the end of the world.
In this period the holy apostles, who received a full reward even though they came late, have been sent as preachers.
At no time, then, did the Lord cease sending his people workmen to instruct them, to cultivate his vineyard, as it were?
When he first cultivated his people through the patriarchs, and later through the teachers of the law, and then through the prophets,
and at last through the apostles, he labored at the cultivation of his vineyard as if by his workmen. Everyone, though,
who had the right faith with good works, in whatever capacity or measure, was a workman in his vineyard.
主葡萄园的工人
据说天国就像一个雇佣工人耕种葡萄园的户主。有谁能比我们的造物主更适合做户主呢？造物主统治着他所创造的人，
统治着他在世界上的选民， 就像主人在他家里服从他一样？他有一个葡萄园，也就是普世教会，从正义的亚伯到最后
一位将在世界末日出生的选民，它产生了许多圣徒和许多分支。 家主雇佣工人在早上和第三、六、九、
十一点钟耕种他的葡萄园，因为传教士从这个世界的开始到结束，都不会停止为信众的教导而传道。
早晨确实是从亚当到挪亚的时候，从挪亚到亚伯拉罕的第三个小时，从亚伯拉罕到摩西的第六个小时，
从摩西到基督降临的第九个小时主; 第十一个是从主降临到世界末日。在此期间，即使迟到也得到了全部奖赏的圣使徒被派去传道。
那么，主从来没有停止派遣他的子民工人来指导他们，种植他的葡萄园吗？当他首先通过族长培养他的子民时，
后来通过法律教师， 然后通过先知，最后通过使徒，他就像他的工人一样努力耕种他的葡萄园。然而，每个人只要对善行有正确的信心，
无论以何种身份或尺度， 都是他葡萄园里的工人。