Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Leavening the world

WE have to be more aware of this aspect of our Christian
life. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, whatever may be our
status, we have the duty to infuse the Christian spirit to everything
that we handle. We have to be a leaven for the world.
  
            Christ himself said so in no uncertain terms: “The kingdom
of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of
flour until it was all leavened.” (Mt 13,33) Yes, the kingdom of
heaven already starts here and should be on its way to its definitive
state through our leavening presence and action.
  
            We just have to make sure that we make ourselves genuine
Christian leaven. That’s because Christ himself warned us of some
false leaven. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of
Herod," he said. (Mk 8,15) This false leaven can refer to things like
hypocrisy, self-righteousness, or any worldly spirit that is not from
God.
  
            This duty to be a leaven for the world is actually very
doable, because what is needed first of all is the intention to do so.
We may not be doing something with big public significance or some
external manifestation, but with the little ordinary things that we do
everyday and done with faith and love for God and for others, we can
already effectively leaven the world.

             In short, we can be active Christian leaven if we unite
ourselves with Christ always, if we unite whatever we are doing, no
matter how technical, mundane, and of low worldly value, with the
continuing redemptive work of Christ. We can always do this uniting
business, since all we have to do is to will it.
  
            We should not take for granted the great leavening power
of the little things that we do everyday. We may not see the direct
connection between these little things and the sanctification of
everyone in the world, but for sure the amount of faith and love with
which we do these things have great sanctifying effects on everyone.

             It will be Christ, more than us, who would do the job.
Ours is simply to cooperate with him, since Christ works through human
and natural means, without detracting from the supernatural means that
he can always do.
  
            On our part, what is needed is heroic fidelity to Christ
which is usually lived in the performance of our usual work and
duties. In fact, we have to understand heroism mainly in this regard,
for very few and far between would be the occasions where we can live
heroism in the extraordinary events and circumstances of our life.
  
            If we understand this point very well, then we would also
realize that our own sanctification, which will always require some
heroism, can be achieved through the faithful and loving performance
of our ordinary duties of everyday.
  
            This is what would truly comprise as leavening the world.
By doing with heroic faith and love for God and others the ordinary
little things of the day, we can attain our ultimate, supernatural and
eternal goal in life!


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