SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A) 17 July 2011
LIKE LEAVEN
Matthew 13, 24-43
José Antonio Pagola translated by Rev. Fr. Valentine de Souza SJ
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| Rev.Fr.Valentine de Souza SJ |
With unheard of boldness Jesus surprised everyone by proclaiming something no prophet ever dared say: “God is already here with his creative power for justice opening up a way in the world to make life for his children more humane and happy.” It is necessary that we change. We have to learn to live believing in this Good News: the Kingdom of God is coming.
Jesus spoke with passion. Many were drawn to his message. Others had many doubts. Wasn’t it all some sort of madness? Where could one see the power of God changing the world? Who could rock the powerful Roman Empire?
One day Jesus told a very short parable. It is so brief and simple that very often it has remained unnoticed by Christians. This is what it says:
The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.
Those simple people knew what Jesus was speaking to them about. All of them had seen their mothers prepare bread in the courtyards of their houses. They knew that the leaven remained “hidden”, but not inactive. In a quiet, hidden manner it keeps fermenting everything from within. In the same way God is acting within life.
God does not impose himself from the outside, but transforms people from within. He does not dominate with his power but attracts with love towards good. He does not bring pressure on the freedom of anyone but offers himself to make our lives happier. We too must act in the same way to open up paths to his kingdom.
We are at a new juncture in the Church. Christians have to learn to live as a minority within a plural, secularized society. In many places, the future of Christianity will depend largely on the birth of small groups of believers who are attracted by the Gospel and unite around the person of Jesus.
Slowly we will learn to live the faith in a quiet manner, without much noise or staging grand shows. We will no longer look so much for power or prestige. We will not waste our energies in image-building performances. We will seek what is essential. We will walk in the truth of Jesus.
Following his wishes, we will try to live like the “leaven” of a healthy life in the midst of society and like a little “salt” which gets diluted unnoticed to give an evangelical flavor to modern life. We will transmit all about us the lifestyle of Jesus and radiate the inspiring and transforming power of his Gospel. We will spend our lives doing good, as Jesus did.
Insert the leaven of the Gospel in the world
Source: URL of José Antonio Pagola's Buenas Noticias Web site
Website for Spanish original and translations: www.eclesalia.net
Jose Antonio Pagola, vgentza@euskalnet.net , San Sebastian, Guipuzcoa, Spain.
English Transation by (Valentine) Vally de Souza S.J. vallydesouza@jesuits.net, Mandal, Gujarat , India.
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In Anekal (Karnataka), 100 Abvp militants created unrest in St Joseph's PU College, demanding the arrest of the president, Jesuit Fr. Melwin Mendonca S.J. The President of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) recalls the cases of Nirmala Convent School (Chhattisgarh) and St Joseph's PU College (Karnataka), where ultra-nationalists created turmoil at the end of January. For Sajan George, the attacks show "the protection guaranteed the extremists" - While Fr. Valentine de Souza Sj is sleeping well.
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