Word to the Wise
Tuesday, October 25, 2016 - Tuesday in the 30th Week in Ordinary Time
[Eph 5:21-33 and Luke 13:18-21]"What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? it is like the mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the 'birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.'" Again he said, "To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened." [Luke]
I like to garden and I like to bake. But, unlike the church at the time of the composition of the Gospel of Luke, I am not under persecution. However, when I began to compose these daily reflections back in August 2003, I had no idea they would wind up being read all over the world! I was encouraged by dear friends who provided my website (<www.rbwords.com>. Luke is trying to encourage a community that was facing persecution from the Roman Empire as well as local Jewish and pagan religious authorities. The overwhelming odds are represented in the dual parable of the tiny seed and the tiny yeast in an immense amount of flour (three measures of flour are roughly 190 cups!). It is likely that the baker saved some leavened dough from a previous batch. Those little jars or envelopes of yeast didn't exist back then!
Some of the biggest televangelist operations began with selling bibles from the trunk of a car. The incredible shrine at Lourdes began with a single young woman who reported her own vision. We may not aspire to such big success, but our own faith, shared with one or two others, can be the yeast that lifts a huge amount of flour, or results in a mighty oak! The hardest part is getting the courage to share our faith. I think Jesus would have approved the proverb: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Can we plant that seed and/or sprinkle and mix that bit of yeast? AMEN
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