Bread

Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples and the disciples gave them to the crowd (Matthew 14:19).

            Some time ago, I was on a mission trip to Peru. After spending most of a morning doing physical labour, our hosts invited us for lunch. As they placed the food on the table, I realized I was in trouble. The lunch consisted of: roasted llama, some noodles which were half cooked and local vegetables. I have always had to watch what I eat for health reasons and was afraid I might become sick if the meal did not agree with me. Then, the woman who was serving us brought out several loaves of fresh bread. I was saved. Although I did try some of the other items on the table by filling up on bread, I had the strength to keep working all afternoon.

            In this text from Matthew, Jesus feeds a crowd of five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish. By doing so, he uses bread as a means to develop the relationship between God and His people.

            Within the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament, bread was considered a basic food but also a way to communicate important ideas. When Abraham offered bread to his heavenly visitors, a relationship was created between them. Laban and Jacob sealed their covenant with each other by eating bread together. After the covenant was sealed between God and Israel, Moses and the elders ate bread with God on Mount Sinai which marked their acceptance into God’s family. The bread placed in front of the Holy of Holies and changed each Sabbath reminded the Israelites of God’s providence and their covenant with him. In the Psalms, the betrayal of a friendship, which was represented by the sharing of bread, was lamented. Clearly, bread was associated with many of the important events which occurred in the history of the Jewish people.

            Matthew’s account of the miracle of the loaves and fishes continues this connection. The reaction of the disciples to the large crowd of hungry people was reasonable: send them away so they can buy food. Yet, Jesus recognized a chance to satisfy their physical and spiritual hunger. As God’s love for the Israelites was demonstrated when they were fed with manna in the desert, so Christ’s actions fulfilled the same needs. By taking the loaves, looking up to heaven, blessing, breaking and distributing them to his disciples, Jesus indicated the miracle was more than just a humanitarian gesture. It developed a relationship between God and the crowd as well as among the members of the group. He used these same actions with bread at the Last Supper to institute the Eucharist, which made him present to his disciples after his Passion. Jesus saw bread as the medium through which a deeper bond between God and his people could be established.

            Christ’s feeding of the crowd with bread and fish foreshadowed how the Eucharist would become a recognized sign of unity within the Church. At the beginning of every Mass a group of individuals assembles to express their faith. Each person brings to the celebration their own joys and struggles. These individuals may belong to different economic classes, ethnic backgrounds or language groups. Although the specific needs of each person may vary a great deal, they are united by a common hunger for God. They also live within the same physical environment given to them by God. The Eucharist communicates God’s love for all of them and how they are called to care for one another. Furthermore, the Eucharist is being celebrated somewhere in the world at almost every moment of the day. It can be offered in any language or culture. Since the time of the Last Supper, it has been celebrated continuously. For these reasons, it is the ultimate sign of the universal nature of the Church and its mission. It unites all Catholics into a community which is fed by Christ.

            Participating in the sign of peace at Mass is one way we can express our understanding of the unity which comes from sharing the Eucharist. Although we gain little physical strength from consuming the host, the spiritual power it brings is great. The Sacramental graces we receive join our efforts with those of Jesus and the rest of the Church and reinforce our resolve to live as his disciples. By exchanging the sign of peace with our neighbors before receiving the Eucharist, we reveal our desire to promote harmony within the faith community which intensifies our personal and communal witness to our beliefs in the world. As we all share a common need for food such as bread, so we have one for God and each other which is satisfied by the Eucharist. Through our participation in the Sign of Peace, we show our understanding of how we are fed by it.

            As a sign of hospitality, the meal I shared with that family in Peru indicated their desire to form a deeper relationship with me. Since it is the closest thing to a universal food, the bread we shared crossed whatever cultural boundaries might have separated us. The Eucharist achieves the same result. Our attitude towards it should reflect its ability to bring us closer to God.

 

August 2, 2020