In today’s Gospel reading, we hear Jesus speak about the power of a little bit of yeast to leaven a large amount of flour: “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.”

In Jesus’ time and place, people made their own bread and, for that matter, had their own sheep. So when he spoke about such down-to-earth matters as bread-making and sheep-raising in his parables, he was speaking to the people about their everyday life. Most — if not all — of us do not make our own bread, nor do we raise sheep in the backyard. Therefore, we need to use a bit of imagination for the message to have its full effect.

So although we simply go to the local grocery store and buy a loaf of bread, let us remember that it is the little bit of yeast that enables a great deal of flour to rise. Similarly within the Kingdom of Heaven, a little bit of yeast will go a long way. Therefore, let us be that little bit of yeast that goes out into the world to transform it for the better.

Let us end with the opening prayer for the Mass for the Laity, which conveys this idea directly. “God our Father, you send the power of the Gospel into the world as a life-giving leaven. Fill with the Spirit of Chirst those whom you call to live in the midst of the world and its concerns; help them by their work on earth to build up your eternal kingdom.”