If the leaven is removed from the dough, it hardens and decays. When we are no longer light, salt and leaven, we become an inert, solid entity, a dead weight for ourselves and our society. The Gospel words we have quoted contain a great message of joy for the Christians in the East. The sociological fact which weighs upon our psychology, the way in which we look upon the other, and the other looks upon us, is trans- formed into an element of witness and mission lived in joy and faith. The light in the house might be weak, but it gives light to the whole house.
Salt is a minor element in food, but it flavours all of it.
The leaven is a tiny proportion of the dough, but it causes it to rise, preparing it to become bread. She does not depend on statistics but on the awareness which her sons and daughters have of their own vocation and mission. The time has come for us to transform this quantitative factor into a qualitative element. Spiritual energy must take the place of the weight of numbers. The first Christians who came to life in our countries were but a small minority, but they were marked by the vitality of the new man, by their enthusiasm and joy.