The Easter Bread Recipe You Didn't Know Was In The Bible

Editor's Note: No, I'm not talking about the barley read recipe found in Ezekiel. (But if you make it, let me know how it tastes). I'm talking about a recipe for what I am calling "The Easter Soul Bread of Truth."

Read on.

"Live in sincerity and truth."

Easier said than done for some of us.

I am not a blunt person. I don't tell it like it is. I say critical things gently, if at all, and always couched by positive and affirming statements. Now, I am attracted to people who just say whatever is on their mind (in fact I have noticed that many of my close friends are just that way) but I could never be them.

Honestly, you could say that instead of stepping on people's toes, I go out of my way to walk around people's toes, and often try to help them find a better shoe so that their toes are as comfortable as possible.

But those tendencies of mine are not always the most compatible with being a follower of Christ.

And I discovered that again this Lent. So, I decided to work on being more open and honest in my communication with others.

But Lent is over...

And then I looked up the readings for Mass on Easter, and was struck by the second reading. (Note that there are two options for the second reading today, one is from Colossians, and one is from Corinthians...so your priest might not pick this second reading...just be forewarned)

"Brothers and sisters:

Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?

Clear out the old yeast,

so that you may become a fresh batch of dough,

inasmuch as you are unleavened.

For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.

Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,

not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,

but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Corinthians 5: 6-8)

Oh boy. How should we celebrate this Easter? By living our lives in sincerity and truth. Ding, ding, ding! So not only was that something to work on during Lent, now I'm being told that it is a way to live in celebration of Easter. (And the Easter season is even longer than Lent...so...)

How about you? Are there any areas in your life that could use some leavening with sincerity and truth? Are you the king or queen of white lies? Is there a conversation you have been putting off because it is going to be difficult? Is there a habit you keep hidden and don't want to break? Is there something in your life that is incongruous with following Christ, but you don't want to address it because it will take too much work, be hard, etc? Or do you not even have the motivation or desire to see if there is anything that you should work on?

Christ came to set us free from the secret plotting and greed of Judas, from the fear of what others might think and cowardice of Peter, from the shame of the woman caught in adultery, from the indifference of Simon the Cyrene, and the fear of losing our friends or our job or our social status to do the right thing like Pontius Pilot. He came to heal us like he healed so many sick people in the Gospels, and he came to bring our souls new life by forgiving us our sins.

And Easter has just begun.

Throughout Lent, we have all tried (with varying degrees of success) to leaven our lives with new yeast. To break bad habits, and to form better ones. Whether we feel like we succeeded or failed, Christ is offering us a chance to renew our lives again in his Resurrection. He is offering us freedom and hope to continue following him this Easter season, strengthened and freshly resolved.

Throw out the old yeast that has been sitting in the refrigerator of your soul for far too long. Even a little bit of that old yeast will sour the whole loaf. Replace it with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth the Easter Soul Bread of Truth to celebrate this great and wondrous feast!

He is risen!

Alleluia.