Compare the Jewish Passover to the Mass - leaven

Leaven

Scripture frequently refers to "leaven".


Exodus 12:15
Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

Jesus also says:

Matthew 16:6
Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.


1 Corinthians 5:7
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

Obviously, neither Jesus nor St. Paul are speaking about yeast.  So, what are they talking about?

This will be a series comparing various aspects of Jewish  Practice and Theology to the Catholic doctrine which followed.

The first thing I would like to mention is the "leaven".

In the Old Testament, God established the feast of the Passover and most of us are familiar with the scene.  The Hebrew people were to sacrifice a lamb and put the blood on their doorposts.  Then they were to eat the flesh with unleavened bread.

What is not commonly known is that the feast of the Passover is also called the feast of Unleavened Bread.  Not simply because the Passover lamb is eaten with unleavened bread, but because only unleavened bread may be eaten during that seven day period.

Still further, the day before the Feast, a faithful Jew must search his home for any yeast product or even any mold on the walls or floors and removing it from the house.

What is the "leaven"?

We eat leavened or yeast bread all the time and there is nothing wrong with it.  So, why does God want leavening cast out of people's houses during the Feast of the Passover?

In my opinion, leavening is a symbol of sin.  Not that there is anything wrong with leaven.  We use it all the time to make bread.  So did the ancient Jews.  But its capacity to rapidly change the nature of a substance symbolizes sins' ability to change a human nature.

Therefore, casting out leaven is symbolic of repentance or casting out of sin.  This is why St. Paul says:

1 Corinthians 5:7
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

Examination of conscience

Therefore, then, the Catholic Church urges us to do an examination of conscience before we approach the Altar of God in the Mass.  And if we find any leaven or sin, we are to cast it out and repent before God promising to do our best never to do it again:

1454 The reception of this sacrament ought to be prepared for by an examination of conscience made in the light of the Word of God. The passages best suited to this can be found in the Ten Commandments, the moral catechesis of the Gospels and the apostolic Letters, such as the Sermon on the Mount and the apostolic teachings.


In conclusion, the Old Testament practice of seeking for and casting out leaven before the celebrating of the Passover is the equivalent and prefiguring of our examination of conscience and repentance of sin before receiving the Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

Sincerely,

De Maria