Wesolych Swiat Wielkanocnych, Alleluja! Just had to add a little Polish heritage. I pray that your Easter Sunday brought you Hope, Joy, Laughter, Peace, and some Easter eggs...oh yes, and chocolate. Bona Pasqua and Feliz Pascua!
Now down to the task at hand. I was fortunate to spend the Tridium on retreat at Cormaria Retreat House. Having finished several Parish retreats, it was a prayerful way to look back on my Lenten experience and prepare for Easter. There are so many rich readings during this time, and although we have heard them before. Hopefully, we are in a different place in our spiritual development and hear something ‘new’. Well, this is exactly what happened to me. One of the readings on Easter Sunday struck a chord. “Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough.” 1 Corinthians 5:6–7
Yeast is small, yet it has the power to transform everything. Isn’t that the way it is with our lives? Small things shape who we become. Small choices, quiet habits, hidden attitudes, a resentment left unattended, an unnecessary compromise, or a small act of kindness can influence the choices our hearts make. After this Lenten season in which we tried to nurture the attitude of Jesus and live our whole life as Lent, how did you do? What is your yeast like, old and tired, or Fresh and full of life?
Was your Lent a time of renewal, or did it become stale and the same old same old? Lent is a time of letting go and removing some of the things that keep us from deepening our relationship with God, the old yeast. As we empty ourselves, God fills us with grace to become the fresh batch of yeast. What a great image of renewal, of transformation that is constantly going on in our lives. What is in the past stays in the past, and we continue to be graced by God’s working in us at this very moment. Easter reminds us that we are already redeemed, forgiven, and beloved. To be faithful to our call, we need to learn to live what God has already done for us. These are NOW moments.
You have heard it said, ‘No one is an island,’ and so it is with the fresh batch of yeast; it affects ALL the dough. How we speak, treat others, show respect to all, forgive, love, and care for this earth, influences our families, all those we work with, those we meet on our life’s journey, and our world. As we become renewed ‘fresh yeast’, we become a simple, quiet witness to others without saying a word.
This week, spend some time clearing out the ‘old yeast’, look deep into your heart, and see how God is calling you to be a ‘fresh batch of yeast’. What are the small things that shape your life? Pray for the courage to let go of what holds you back from being the best version of yourself. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Till next week,
Sister Theresita
