July 26, 2021
Monday for the Seventeenth Week for Ordinary Time
Readings for Today
Saint Joachim and Saint Anne—Memorial
Listen for English
He tell dem another parable. “The Kingdom of heaven be like yeast wey one woman take mix with three measure of wheat flour until the whole dough rise.” Matthew 13:33
Yeast get power. Even though na only about 1% of one loaf of bread e often be, e dey make the loaf big pass double of how e be before. E still dey do another wonderful thing: as the dough dey rise, e dey make am soft and easy to bend. Without yeast, the dough go remain hard and e go small well-well. The dough no go become the bread wey e suppose become.
The Fathers of the Church give plenty explanations for this short parable wey be only one sentence. Some talk say the three measure of flour represent the spirit, soul and body wey the Gospel enter. Others talk say the three measure of flour represent either three different kind of people or three level of how our life dey bear fruit. Some understand the yeast as the message of the Gospel inside the Scriptures, while others understand am as love for God and neighbour wey must spread enter every part of our life and the whole world. Truly, the parables of Jesus, together with every teaching inside the Scriptures, get different level of understanding and meaning wey all correct and agree with one another. One of the most important questions wey we suppose think deeply about na this: Wetin God want tell you through this parable?
If you see yourself as the three measure of flour, and the yeast as God, His holy Word and His gentle but clear Voice wey dey speak to you, which clear ways you dey see your life dey rise directly because of this? How you dey see yourself dey become the person wey you suppose be because God don enter your life? And you dey see say this effect truly dey change you and even dey multiply more and more?
Sometimes, the Word of God dey get only small effect for our life, or e no dey get any effect at all. This one no be the fault of the Word of God; instead, na because we no dey allow God do His work wey dey change us. For yeast to work, the dough must rest without disturbance for some time. Na so e still be for our life: for God to do His work, we must allow Am work gently and with power. This process need make we take everything wey God dey tell us deep into our heart. Then, with prayer, we must allow wetin He dey do work inside us, and we must allow the change happen slowly and surely, according to His divine plan.
Sometimes, we fit still lose patience with the way God dey work. Again, yeast need time to work. If we no get patience with God’s grace, e fit be like when person take dough dey knead am again and again before the yeast even get chance to work. But if we get patience as we dey pray, and we allow God do His work for our life according to His will and for His own time, then small-small we go experience the change wey He start.
Today, think deeply about this short parable wey get power. See yourself as that dough, and see God and the work wey He dey do for your life as the yeast. As you keep this picture for your mind in prayer, allow God show you how He want work inside you and how He want change you. Pray for patience. Trust say if you receive His Word wey dey change person into your soul, He go do wetin He want do. And trust say if this one happen, you go truly become the person wey God want make you be.
My Lord wey dey change me, You want enter deep into my life and reach every part of who I be. You want change me small-small, to make me become the person wey You want make I be. Abeg, help me pay attention to everything wey You want do inside me, and help me wait with patience for the change wey You don already start. Jesus, na You I trust.
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Meditations on Scripture for Ordinary Time
