REFLECTION:

Have you ever opened your refrigerator and found a container of leftovers that you completely forgot was in there?

You pick it up and try to remember, “When did I eat this?” Then you look at it. You smell it. Sometimes you even ask someone else, “Do you think this is still good?” As if somehow their nose has a different expiration date than yours!

And once you realize it has gone bad, you don’t put it back in the refrigerator and say, “Maybe next week it will be better.” You throw it out. Because we know that when something has spoiled, ignoring it doesn’t make it fresh again.

I think Saint Paul would understand that.

In today’s first reading, Paul is dealing with something that has gone bad within the Christian community in Corinth. There is serious wrongdoing taking place, but what seems to concern Paul just as much is that the community has become comfortable with it. They know something isn’t right, but they have allowed it to remain.

That is why Paul says, “Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?”

Paul understands something very important about our lives: little things have a way of spreading. A little gossip. A little negativity. A little dishonesty. A little resentment. A little disrespect. A little habit that we know isn't good for us. And sometimes we tell ourselves, “It’s not a big deal.” Maybe not today. But Paul’s question is: What happens if we keep allowing it to stay?

Think about those leftovers. They didn’t become bad all at once. Slowly, over time, something changed.

The same can happen in our hearts and in our communities. Something small that we continually tolerate can eventually become normal. And once something becomes normal, we may stop noticing that there is anything wrong with it.

That is why Paul says, “Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough.”

I love that Paul doesn’t simply tell them, “Get rid of the bad stuff.” He reminds them of what they are called to become. And perhaps that gives us a simple question for today: What is sitting in the refrigerator of my heart that I know I should have thrown out a long time ago?

Maybe it is a resentment we keep holding onto. Maybe it is gossip that we keep participating in. Maybe it is a negative attitude that has slowly become part of who we are. Maybe it is a habit we keep excusing by saying, “That’s just how I am.” Paul tells us: Clear it out.

And we don’t have to change everything overnight. Start with one thing. Have one conversation. Make one apology. Stop one piece of gossip. Forgive one person. Change one habit. Give God a little more time in prayer. Because Paul’s image works in the other direction too.

If a little negativity can spread, so can goodness.

A little kindness can spread. A little patience can spread. A little forgiveness can spread. A little joy can spread. One person deciding to do what is right can slowly begin to change an entire family, parish, school, or workplace.

So maybe today, when we go home and open the refrigerator, we can do two things. First, check the leftovers. And second, ask ourselves: What is the “old yeast” in my life that God is asking me to clear out? And what do I want to spread instead?



Because a little yeast really does change the whole batch.