Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) - Transformed by God’s Word
About this episode
This episode reflects on the transformative power of God's Word as illustrated by the parable of the yeast in the Gospel of Matthew.
Read Online Transformed by God’s Word He spoke to them another parable. “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.” Matthew 13:33 Yeast is small—invisible once it is worked into the dough. And yet, its influence is pervasive and powerful. This simple image—yeast worked into three measures of flour, causing it to slowly rise—reveals that the Kingdom of Heaven is built quietly, almost imperceptibly, from within. Like leaven silently transforming dough from the inside, so too does God’s grace operate—hidden yet active—in the heart, in the Church, and in the world. Patiently watching dough rise can be a small wonder, especially for children. In this brief parable, the yeast symbolizes the Word of God, and the wheat flour, the human soul. When God’s Word is welcomed by faith, it possesses the power to transform the entire soul. Just as yeast elevates and expands flour into bread, so God’s Word elevates human nature and conforms it to Himself. How awe-inspiring it is to behold the gradual transformation of a soul animated by divine grace! Saint Augustine offers several interpretations of the…
Topics covered
- God's Word
- transformation
- spiritual growth
- faith
- parables
- Kingdom of Heaven
Keywords
- yeast
- Kingdom of Heaven
- transformation
- God's grace
- spirituality
- Saint Augustine
- parables
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Matthew 13:33, Matthew 22:37, Matthew 13:23
More episodes of Catholic Daily Reflections
- July 22, Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene - A Model of Holy Love and Desire
- Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Familial Kinship in the Kingdom
- Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time - The Certitude of Faith
- Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time - The Quiet Strength of Meekness
- Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Loving Beyond Legalism
- Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time - The Heavy Burdens of Life
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