Daily Bread

Bread. It is such a staple that we hardly think about it. But here, bread is holy. Like when I was an altar boy, you don’t mess with bread. When the round loaf of bread (hobz) is broken or torn it is with a “bismillah” or “in the name of God” recognizing God as provider of our daily bread.

Sometimes we buy too much bread or it starts to go bad. Throwing bread away is not an option. So if you do not eat all the bread, you gather it and put it into a clear plastic bag separate from your regular trash. Someone is going to eat that bread. With the economy the way it is, that there are so many without jobs. Their source of nourishment can be this ‘thrown away’ bread. Sometimes we see bread on the window sills for the same reason. If someone does not eat it, the cats or the birds will. Bread is a holy thing here.

In the 6th chapter of John, there is an account of Jesus the Christ, feeding five thousand* with 5 barley loaves and 2 fish. You know the story. You see THE Bread of Life sharing bread with so many in what is a miraculous provision. He gave them their daily bread. He provided for their nourishment.

So after all the people were satisfied with the bread and the fish from Jesus, and the boy who brought the original loaves, Jesus gives his followers an interesting direction. “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” And it says that they gathered 12 baskets full of the barley bread. So I am sure that there are many theological applications to be made here…I’ll make one. Our daily bread is from God. Savor it, gather it, distribute it to those who need it, in the name of God.

*Probably over 10,000 as 5000 refers to the men.