Just A Little Yeast Can Heal Our Broken World

Tulio Huggins

Today’s post is from Tulio Huggins, a theology student and writer.

Today’s liturgical readings for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time can be found by clicking here.

“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”

I took up baking as a pandemic activity. At night, I’d add the flour, yeast, salt, and water to a bowl– the simple ingredients combined to create the dough. If I played my cards right, I’d come back in a couple hours, when everyone was asleep, with the bread dough doubled in size, pressing up against the saran wrap. Into the oven it would go, filling the kitchen with the familiar smell of baking bread.

I’m often astounded by what a small amount of  yeast is needed for bread. Just a teaspoon or two will cause the inert flour to spring to life, a tiny ecosystem in the kitchen. Any baker will know the feeling of surprise after throwing extra dough in the trash can, and then returning to see the dough has continued to rise.

I guess that’s why Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to yeast in bread in today’s gospel reading. Three measures of wheat isn’t a small amount. One measure of wheat in biblical times was about six gallons, so three measures would be eighteen gallons worth of flour. This woman, perhaps a professional baker, was making a HUGE batch of bread. And yet, just a little bit of yeast was enough to leaven gallons and gallons of flour. Dozens of people could be fed with just that little bit of yeast.

As LGBTQ Catholics, we sometimes feel our very presence can be a struggle or a battle. A struggle against shame, a battle against ignorance and hate, both outside and inside of the church. A rise of authoritarianism across various countries has curtailed LGBTQ rights, and it seems queer folks are constantly being used as scapegoats for the problems in our society. 

And in the Church, though we are seeing progress in truly being a church for “todos, todos, todos,” there is still so much work to be done. Even in my own walk with God, I’m tempted to not bring my full self to Him, portioning off sections of myself to be presentable to the Divine.

And yet the beautiful story is that the kingdom of heaven has come to us in Christ. As members of the Universal Church, we are united to the mystical body of Christ and can never be separated from Him and His Love. Even as we stand  at the peripheries, the Kingdom of Heaven is with us. 

But it doesn’t  end there. The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast. When we allow ourselves to reflect the Love of Christ, He can work through us, in the midst of all our imperfections. Christ can be the yeast in our lives, leavening the spaces and stories we inhabit. Our presence as queer people is holy. 

In our communities, we are a unique reflection of Christ–little Christs who can reflect His love to others. To the broader queer community, we can be the bridge to the Church, and help undo the harm the Church has caused to queer folks. To the Church, we show that God’s love can’t be stopped. Through our adoption as children of God, we have the Spirit in us, Who intercedes for us with “inexpressible groanings,” as St. Paul tells us in today’s second reading.

God is there for His children who are cast aside: the gay teenager, crying into her pillow as she fears God will hate her because she’s gay; the trans cradle catholic who fears for her life amidst rising transphobia and questions if the church will hear her cries; the closeted priest, who wants to be honest with himself but fears reprimand from his superiors. 

Christ the Yeast, in the midst of insurmountable odds, will leaven our lives. As queer Catholics, we have that hope in Him.

–Tulio Huggins, July 19, 2026