Homily: February 18, 2025, Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time (Leaven)

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 Jesus enjoined them, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

What is ‘the leaven of the Pharisees’ and ‘the leaven of Herod’?

In this passage, Jesus must have been trying to teach His disciples something very important, but they were all thinking about food, specifically about bread, such that they didn’t understand what He was teaching.

Who can blame them? Like all of us, they too had practical concerns, they were worried about the lack of food on the journey. But Jesus was trying to warn them of something more worrying, something which will not just keep them hungry, but will also destroy life.

Recently, during my vacation with my sister, I listened to a Bible podcast she was following. Coincidentally, that episode was discussing the significance of the unleavened bread in the Old Testament.

Why did God command the Israelites in Egypt to eat unleavened bread for their Passover feast?

1. Because they had to eat in haste, to finish their meal fast. The Israelites had to escape Egypt quickly thus they could not wait for the dough to rise.

2. Because unleavened bread signifies purity. Yeast when added to the dough produces carbon dioxide gas, causing the bread to bloat and rise. Leavened bread represents sin and corruption.

The unleavened bread of Passover was God’s message for the people to leave the place of slavery quickly and to leave behind all sin and impurity of that life. God called His people forward to be pure and clean, to be free from sin.

In the first reading, we see how the sin which began from Adam and Eve had spread all over earth by the time of Noah. It spread through humanity like leaven spreading through dough.

Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, they were unfaithful religious leaders who burdened the people with their hypocrisy and legalism. Their pretentious religiosity can contaminate and spread through the community.

The leaven of Herod, who was a corrupt and devious king who abused his power for selfish pleasure and sinful living. His evil ways misled his people and oppressed his subjects throughout the nation.

A small dash of black will turn the glass of water grey. A tiny amount of leaven is all it takes to ferment and raise the dough. One sin can lead the whole community into hell.

And one crucifixion can save the whole world from eternal damnation. One resurrection can raise everyone to eternal life.

Let us heed the warning of Jesus, beware and stay away from sin. Keep faithful to Jesus and close to His cross.

Amen.


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