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Today we celebrate the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In our selection from the Gospel of Matthew, we encounter three parables that Jesus taught about the kingdom of heaven: the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat; the Parable of the Mustard Seed; and the Parable of the Yeast.
Today, let’s look at the smallest of the parables, one that is often ignored by readers and preachers alike. We read:
“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened” (Mt 13: 33).
Yeast is a living substance when added to flour causes the flour to expand when baked. Although one doesn’t see or taste yeast in the finished product, one knows it has done its work by the beautiful loaf of bread.
Missionary work is much like that. Often, missionaries work very hard but don’t see much results. I think of St. Peter Chanel, for example, who worked very hard on a Pacific island. By the time of his martyrdom by the king, he had almost no converts. However, shortly after his death, almost the whole island became Catholic.
Though St. Peter Chanel did his work on a remote Pacific island, we can all learn from him. We never know how our actions, or failure to act, is affecting others. A smile, a friendly word, or a cheery greeting can make all the difference to others, and that is what the missionary spirit is all about – spreading the love of Christ to others.
