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 every day 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!