crushed and broken
"To what shall I compare the reign of God? It is like yeast which a woman took to knead into three measures of flour until the whole mass of dough began to rise." —Luke 13:20-21
How does God's kingdom come, and how is His will done? Jesus tells us in today's Gospel that the wheat flour is permeated by the crushed and broken yeast spread throughout the whole batch. That's how His kingdom comes. Our faith must permeate the whole batch of our lives, not just compartments of our life here and there. Our Christianity must be alive and continuously operating at home, at work, in the grocery store, and in the most thorny, complicated areas of life. The Lord sends us daily opportunities to be salt, light, and yeast in the world (see Mt 5:13-16).
The wheat and grapes used to make the bread and wine for the Eucharist are also crushed and broken (see Jn 12:24). In their brokenness, they become the bread and wine, which, when consecrated, become the Body, Blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ (see 1 Cor 11:23ff). Likewise, the most crushing and perplexing of crosses form us into faithful Christians.
Let Jesus take control of your life. Then let other people in, to see what God can do when you allow Him to take those crushing blows of life and turn them to good (Rm 8:28). Jesus "kneads" us because he "needs" us to be His living witnesses in the world now.
Prayer: Father, strengthen me into surrendering everything to You.
Promise: "Christ loved the Church. He gave Himself up for her to make her holy." —Eph 5:25-26
Praise: Teresa and her husband joyfully surrender to the authority of the Church in her teachings on artificial birth control.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, May 10, 2012
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