Genesis 14:18-20
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Luke 9:11-17
As I looked at the readings for today I noticed that there was one word which appeared in all three texts: bread (loaf).
In the first reading from Genesis we meet the enigmatic figure of Melchizedek. He is a ‘walk on’ biblical character, disappearing as quickly as he comes. Of note on today’s feast is that Melchizedek comes bearing bread and wine, staples of Middle Eastern life.
In 1 Corinthians we have the earliest account of the celebration of the Eucharist;
‘…the Lord Jesus took some bread (a loaf), and thanked God for it and broke it’
The Gospel is Luke’s account of the feeding of the 5,000 where ‘five loaves and two fish’ are enough to satisfy the crowds.
In each text God uses the ordinary food of bread to communicate the sacred. In our complex and varied food culture today we have perhaps lost the sense of bread being the ‘staff of life’. Many other food stuffs compete. Making the link between the meals we share and the Eucharist we celebrate has become harder. The small, ready-made wafer we receive when we celebrate the Eucharist bears scarcely any resemblance to bread.
What we celebrate today is the mystery of our redemption. God sends his Son in flesh and blood and through his broken body he gives life to the world. The key for me is in the breaking. Through what is broken and shared in the Eucharist, we too share in the Paschal mystery.
Each time we celebrate the Eucharist we give thanks to the Father that in the life and death of his Son we are promised new life.
Take time today before you eat each meal to give thanks to God.