“At eighty-two, my sister-in-law still bakes several loaves of bread every week. I marvel at how she kneads a lump of sticky dough with flour until it’s smooth, then puts it in a pan to sit quietly so it can increase in size. The interaction of ingredients and yeast causes a little miracle to materialize as the dough rises. What pleasure when the delicious loaves of bread are taken out of the oven. No wonder Jesus chose the metaphor of yeast when he spoke about the kingdom of God. Whether using the image of yeast or a tiny mustard seed growing into a tree, he urged his listeners to trust in their ability to be instruments of bringing about greater love through their ordinary deeds.
“The kingdom of God (the realm of love) grows by seemingly small and insignificant endeavors like tiny granules of yeast activating an astounding transformation. Just as the yeast’s hidden power to raise bread dough, or a mustard seed’s capability of growing into a large tree, so also our hardly noticeable loving actions of each day can motivate surprising transformation. Let us remember that we most often contribute to the realm of love not by grandiose gestures but by those tedious or unacknowledged efforts to be kind, forgiving, patient, and faithful to our commitments.”
