The Bread of Life, Not Stones

 Bread for the journey, food for the way,

Cup of God's blessing, tomorrow today.

                              More Voices 202

\ Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone?  Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake?  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

                                                 Matthew 7: 9-11

On Saturday morning we went on a beautiful cycle along the Bay of Quinte then up the Moira River to the 401 highway. On the way back we stopped at a rather hidden building at the back of a lot along an obscure side street. We'd seen that a new bakery, Small Scale Bread,  was opening in Belleville that morning, so we timed our ride to arrive there about ten minutes before opening time at 8:00 AM. We were not the first in line, it turned out, and the proprietors were a little late in getting started. By the time we left the line of eager customers was about 30 strong. 

People love the notion of getting in on a good thing and word of mouth will make a difference in the days ahead. The baked goods we purchased were delicious, and the loaf of bread was "artisanal", a term which was thrown around everywhere for a while. Is is crusty and there is a sense that it is made of grains, not puffed air.

Little wonder that Jesus described himself as the Bread of Life, especially in a culture where bread was the "staff of life." Bread is an essential component to one of our Christian sacraments and as I've noted before, Ruth, my wife, has baked communion bread for years and cut it in portions large enough that the recipients are aware of its taste and texture. It is our hope the Gospel of Jesus, Bread of Life, will be the "good thing" which attracts those who hunger and thirst for meaning. 

In this past week we have been reminded again that Christians in this country were involved in giving stones rather than bread through the Residential School system. Not only were innocent Indigenous children taken from their families, thousands of them died from abuse and neglect. This was a tremendous betrayal of these children, their families, and of the Christ of love.

Bread from a bakery is often far more flavourful than bread from a grocery store because of the ingredients. It also grows stale comparatively quickly because of the lack of  preservatives. We have the opportunity to return to a "fresh baked" Gospel, based on justice and compassion. It will require contrition and courage. Who knows, the Word may get out there and lives will be changed. .