Permeation

“The world is an evil place, Elliot,” says a character on a slightly dystopian tv show. “Not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”

If that sounds familiar, it’s because of something attributed to Edmund Burke from long before our time: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

What matters, writes an old friend, is faith expressed in love.

That same old friend, St. Paul, also wrote, Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand!

It only takes a tiny amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread. All of that and more is our New Testaments in Galatians 5.

St. Paul, knew that Christ Jesus had taught this: The kingdom of heaven is like yeast mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough to make bread. (Matthew 13:33)

You and I are not invited by our Lord to simply “look on and do nothing.”

Instead, we are called to take (our) stand and be mixed into and all through the dough of the world and culture around us and be faith expressed in love.

The alternative? Christ Jesus was not subtle in Matthew 25:41-43—

You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell.

And why? Because

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.

It’s Monday. Looking ahead to all of this week, are we about the business of being examples of how “The world is an evil place” or are we going to permeate an entire loaf of bread with the love of Christ?