When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. (Luke 24:28-31, NIV)
Jesus was not recognized by his Emmaus companions until he broke and shared bread with them. On the road their eyes may have been clouded by fear and grief -- or perhaps in the act of walking, they simply did not look at him directly. But as he took the bread and gave thanks, then broke and shared it with them, they immediately knew him. And everything he had said to them on the journey made sense.
There is something intimate and unifying when we share a meal together. We pause in our busy lives and become present to one another. We come to the table with our mutual hunger. We see one another. We feed one another with what we have been given, including our presence. I particularly love potluck dinners when each person brings something to share. We all have something to give.
If our human sharing of a meal can be a powerful encounter, how much more transforming to receive the bread Christ offers. After the feeding of the five thousand, people still asked Jesus for a sign that he had been sent by God and he replied: "The bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world... I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry." (John 6: 33,35)
When we live as God's Beloved, and partake in the Bread of Life, we are filled with His Life and Love and become more and more able to be bread for others. Nouwen writes:
"As the Beloved Children of God, we are called to become bread for each other – bread for the world… When we realize that God has chosen us from all eternity, sent us into the world as the blessed ones, handed us over to suffering, can’t we then trust that our little lives will multiply themselves and be able to fulfill the needs of countless people."
Suggested Prayer Practice: Praying with Bread
(You can adapt this prayer practice in any way that is most meaningful for you. It's not meant to replace a Eucharist service, but is a way to share together our needs for blessing & prayer)
1) You might buy bread or rolls specifically for this prayer or use bread you already have. Place it in a basket or on a plate.
2) Light a candle and ask for Christ's presence to be with you. You could play soft background music such as the Taize song: "Confitemini Domino" (Come and fill our hearts with your peace, You O Lord are holy.) https://youtu.be/khXIGwIhpYE
3) Give thanks for the bread and for those who brought it to your table.
4) If you are with others:
Take some silence to consider the places in your life and the world that need to be filled with God's love and peace.
Pass the basket of bread around the table, taking turns to break off pieces and name places and situations that need blessing. As you name a person or situation, you might say together "May the peace of Christ be with you."
Then eat. Take the prayer into your very being.
You could also share and eat the bread in silence, holding the needs for blessing within (perhaps listening to the Taize music).
5) If you are praying alone:
As you tear off each piece of bread, take time to allow God to bring to your mind, a person or situation that needs blessing. Don't forget to bless yourself and places in you that need nourishment and blessing.
6) End with a brief prayer of thanksgiving or a prayer such as this prayer from pray-as-you-go.org)
You have given all to me
To you Lord I return it
Everything is yours
Do with it what you will
Give me only your love and your grace
That is enough for me.
The Final Word is Love “The final word is love... We cannot love God unless we love each other, and to love we must know each other. We know God in the breaking of bread, and we are not alone any more. Heaven is a banquet and life is a banquet, too, even with a crust, where there is companionship." (Dorothy Day)
May our presence and love, established and rooted in God's love for us
bless others, feed others, and reveal Christ to the world.
Song: Let Us Be Known (The Porter's Gate)
Every little act of faithfulness, every gesture of love, every word of forgiveness, every little bit of joy and peace will multiply and multiply as long as there are people to receive it… and that – even then – there will be leftovers!" (Henri Nouwen)
Resources:
Nouwen, Henri, Life of the Beloved, Crossroads Publishing, New York, NY, 1992.
Day, Dorothy, The Catholic Worker, May 1980 (shared on inwardoutward.org, April 8, 2022)
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