Sometimes the holiest thing you can do is stop kneading the dough and let God work in the silence.
This Sunday’s readings remind us that God’s Kingdom often grows in ways we cannot immediately see. In the Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to wheat growing beside weeds, a tiny mustard seed becoming a sheltering plant, and yeast quietly leavening an entire batch of dough (Matthew 13:24–43).
Fr. Johnathan Meyer focuses on that final image: the Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast.
Anyone who has made homemade pizza knows that dough requires some effort. You combine the ingredients, knead everything together, and create the proper environment. Then comes the difficult part: you have to leave it alone. The dough rises only when it is allowed to rest.
Our spiritual lives work much the same way.
We can become so focused on doing good things, working, serving, volunteering, driving children to activities, and checking every box, that we forget we were also created for prayer, worship, and intimacy with God. Fr. Meyer explains that contemplative prayer is not reserved for monks, nuns, or unusually quiet people. It is an invitation for every Christian.
God exercises power with mercy and patience, allowing sinners time to repent (Wisdom 12).
When we cannot find the right words, the Holy Spirit prays within us (Romans 8:26–27).
God can transform the smallest offering, a mustard seed, a little yeast, or thirty quiet seconds, into abundant spiritual fruit.
Silence is not wasted time. Sometimes, when nothing appears to be happening, God is doing His deepest work.
You may not have an hour of uninterrupted silence available today. Begin gradually. Sit in the car for five minutes before your next appointment. Visit an open church. Put the phone away and quietly hold your child. Give the Lord one small margin in your day and trust Him with the rising.
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