GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD

During the fourth week of the Great Lent, we continue the simple explanation of the Lord’s Prayer and say, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

This petition may raise questions about how spiritual requests for the sanctification of God’s name and the fulfillment of His Will on the earth as it is in heaven could be followed by a material request. As much as it opens the door for questions, it also opens a most beautiful dimension of God’s care and love. Let us now dive into the depth of biblical wisdom, which provides us with both the appetizer and the main course of the meal to feed our hunger.

Give us this day our daily bread. In the Garden of Eden, God provided for our Fore- parents to freely eat of every tree of the garden, except for one (Gen 2.15). Later, after leading His people out of slavery from Egypt, God provided them with daily bread, manna, which came down from Heaven, as well as with quail (Ex 16.4, 13). In the New Testament, our Lord Jesus Christ, following His day long preaching in the wilderness, satisfied the hunger of more than 5,000 people with bread and fish (Mt 14.15-21).

It is true that at the dawn of His earthly mission our Lord Jesus highlighted the importance of our Daily Bread. Later, He declared: “I am the Bread of Life” (Jn 6.35). What a pedagogical process of teaching! In the early stage, He addressed the audience with the primitive, literal knowledge of the bread, and later with the advanced understanding and dimension of the same word, as the source of our true and eternal sustenance. Indeed, Jesus is the sole nourishment of our souls. For all those who believe in Him and are nourished with His word, their satisfaction is far beyond any description, as the Psalmist describes: “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey in my mouth” (Ps 119.103). 

These biblical references testify that the Good Lord takes care of the sustenance of His beloved children as does for the rest of His creatures. And now, let us penetrate the depth of this petition, which is more fascinating than its literal meaning.

This may sound poetical, yet as each element of the Creation exposed to the shining sun receives its essentials, likewise, all those who come to the Creator, according to their need, be it physical, mental or spiritual, they find what they are looking for. An overview of the Gospels shows that the Lord fulfilled all the expectations of those who came to Him. He unveiled the Mystery of life to Nicodemus (Jn 3.1-21), He healed different types of inflictions, He increased faith when Apostles, He granted life to Lazarus. He forgave the sins of the paralyzed as well of those who crucified Him. In short, from the Apostles up to the generation of His Next Coming, all those who are weary and laden and come to Him, receive not temporary but eternal life, peace, joy, relief, comfort, etc. (cf. Mt 11.28-30). 

Therefore, let us not ignore the hunger of our souls. Let us not be ashamed of asking for our daily bread from the Living Bread, who was born in Bethlehem, which literally means “the house of bread.” It is true that begging from humans for living is degrading, but our Lord Jesus Himself taught us, “Ask and it shall be given” (Mt 7.7), therefore let us humbly present our daily needs pleasant to His will, to be refreshed and energized every day and to complete our life on earth, and to attain His eternal blessings. 

ARCHBISHOP ANOUSHAVAN
Prelate