Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
One
Asking God for Good Things
In the Our Father, it’s not till the second half that we ask for something for ourselves. But why, at the end of the day, should we ask God for anything? He knows what we need before we ask so why bother asking? Well, there are two reasons.
When we ask God for something, we remember that everything, everything good comes from Him. Asking God for things reminds us of our reliance, our dependence on Him, for everything. And that’s the most basic truth there is. If we don’t keep that in mind, we won’t be able to understand anything, ever.
But secondly, because asking for things makes us appreciate them more when we get them. Sometimes kids get stuff from their parents, food, shelter, care, so automatically, that they don’t even notice it. But when you ask, you do notice. You have to notice enough to be able to formulate a request.
And since maybe the greatest source of all unnecessary unhappiness of all is taking our blessings for granted, asking God for gifts is one of the greatest ways for us to stay happy.
Okay, that’s why we ask. What should we ask for? What does “our daily bread” represent?
Two
Material Necessities
Bread isn’t just a metaphor. It’s also an actual, concrete thing. It’s food, and it’s good food. Christ wants us to ask for and appreciate all the ways God tends to our material needs.
Do you have food? That’s a gift from your Father. Do you have some physical abilities intact? That’s a gift from your Father. Do you have a roof over your head? Some basic clothing? That’s a gift from your Father. Do you have a ton of other stuff, like a steady job, a car, a TV, a phone, grocery stores where you go and buy carloads of food, and coffee joints where you go order elaborate, indulgent drinks? All gifts from your Father who is in Heaven.
We have so much. And it’s all from Him. And yet, we are still, unbelievably, anxious about so much. We still have the outrageous nerve to spend a lot of time worrying about the future.
Jesus tells us not to. That’s why the prayer says, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Not give us a stockpile. Not give us a stable economy for the long term. Not give us ample and secure retirements.
If we have, this day, what we need materially, if we have, this day, enough bread for one day, we should be at peace. We should be grateful. Because our prayer has already been answered.
Three
Spiritual Insight
When Satan was tempting Jesus with physical bread, Jesus refuted Him with the Scripture, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
We need more than physical bread to live. We need truth. And this is the second gift we ask for in the Our Father. We don’t just ask for physical bread. We ask for the word that comes from the mouth of God. We need the truth of Christ, the truth of the Scriptures, the truth of His Church.
To live well, we need to know how to live well. That means we need the timeless truths of our faith. But we also need fresh insight every day. Like Solomon, we ask God for wisdom, so that we can fulfill the obligations of our state in life. We ask the Lord for help in making the right decisions, so that we are fulfilling His will.
We all think, “What should I do? What should I do?” at work, at home, or even as why try to chart the course of our life. So we say, “Father, give us our daily bread. Give me enough prudence for today, so that I can do well whatever it is you’ve given me to do. And tomorrow, I’ll ask you for more insight. You are my eyes, Lord. Help me to see today.”
Four
God Himself
Bread. We ask Our Father for bread. But He told the Jews not to seek the bread that perishes, but the Bread that comes down from Heaven, the Bread that gives eternal life. And then He told them that He was that Bread and that they would eat Him, and so have eternal life.
God Himself is the Bread we ask for. We say, “Lord, this day, bring me closer to you.” The primary form that takes is in the Holy Eucharist.
God does offer that bread, the bread of His Son’s Body and Blood, Soul, and Divinity, every day, probably at a parish near you.
Can you make the most of it? Can you make it to daily mass? If not all the time, sometimes? Can you, at least, make it to the Church to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament?
Everything we want, everything we ultimately need is God. God is present in the Eucharist. He gives us that bread every day.
He’s answered our petition for bread to the fullest degree possible. So if we’re going to ask, and He’s already given, why would we not make the greatest effort to receive? The Eucharist is there. Our Daily Bread is there. What are we going to do about it?
Five
Generosity towards Others
As we said, asking God for Our Daily Bread isn’t so much a reminder to God to give to us, as it is a reminder to ourselves that everything we have is from Him. He has been generous with us. But His generosity with us does come with a string attached. It does impose an obligation.
He will be generous with us but we have to be generous with others. So if our material needs have been met, and actually, far surpassed, are we sharing the wealth? Are we sharing our bread? Are we giving money to the poor? Are we sharing our bread? Are we inviting people to share our table? Are we practicing regular hospitality?
He’s given us insight and inspiration to get done what we need to. Are we spending time listening to other people and so helping them get through whatever challenges they’re facing?
He’s given us the truth of the faith and the supreme, ultimate gift of the Eucharist. Are we sharing our faith and inviting people to come back to the sacraments?
Give us this day our daily Bread and give us the generosity of spirit to share with others all you have bestowed on us. Amen.