Easter Sunday
April 21, 2019
Acts 10:34A, 37-43; 1 Corinthians 5:6B-8; John 20:1-9
“Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?” 1 Corinthians 5:6
It is the small, nearly imperceptible things – a glance, a grin, a wink, a slight nod of the head by another – that can help us, when we are feeling isolated or embattled, feel fortified and supported. So, too, can a single word spoken in kindness change the direction of a heated argument.
Striving to find some common ground with another – even if only to concede agreement on a small point – can transform enmity into engagement.
Just as death is transformed into resurrection, so too can a word of support, or a simple acknowledgment of the presence or value of another, resurrect one’s spirits, self-confidence, and self-image.
It doesn’t take much. We all have in us the “little yeast” that can daily lighten others’ lives and loads.
Recall a time when a word or action by another lifted your load. Remember a time when you directed a word or action to another, with the same intent. Look for an opportunity today, and every day, to help someone else rise.
Reflection authored by Mary T. Yelenick from Pax Christi USA’s most recent reflection booklet, “Lose Your Life to Save It: Reflections for Lent 2019”