There’s Nothing Like Homemade Bread

Anyone who is even remotely familiar with scripture is probably familiar with the many miracles that Jesus performed during his 3 short years of ministry here on Earth. Even for someone who is not a regular churchgoer or scripture reader, there is one miracle in particular mentioned in scripture that pretty much everyone is familiar with. In scripture we hear the story of how Jesus fed five thousand men with only five loaves of bread and two fish (Mark 6: 34 – 44). But did you know that there was someone else who performed a similar miracle many years before Jesus did? That’s right, it was a woman, except she didn’t just feed five thousand men, she fed the entire world and continues to do so even today. 

So who was this woman and how did she feed way more people than Jesus did that day? Before I answer that question, I want you take a minute and think about all of the different ways we refer to Jesus: teacher, friend, brother, savior, the light of the world, “the way, the truth and the life”, just to name a few. I mean the list goes on and on. Who could have imagined the endless list of titles he would be given, not only throughout his life but also throughout history? So how did he come to get all these different ways that we refer to him? For the most part, man has given him these names and references.

But of all the different ways we refer to him, there is another way he is often referred to that I personally think is the most fitting. Partly because it is the way he refers to himself, when he says, “I am the bread of life.” Now, for some people, that’s probably one of the strangest things they’ve ever heard. I mean someone calling himself “bread”? What does that mean? Basically it means that he feeds us with himself in so many ways.

Let’s go back to the question I asked earlier. Who was the woman who fed way more people than Jesus and his miracle? It was his own mother, Mary. It began when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and proclaimed, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” Our Blessed Mother gave birth to Jesus, and if he truly is the “bread of life” as he would later refer to himself, that means that in turn, that by giving birth to Jesus she doesn’t just feed a group of five thousand people, like her son, but rather, she fed the entire world. Not only that, but she feeds all future generations to come with an eternal life-giving food. In other words, Mary gave the world the first Eucharist. So, while Jesus’ miracle did feed that huge group with just five loaves of bread and two fish, Mary performed a miracle that continues even today every time we go to Mass and receive the Eucharist.

I want to take a minute to break something down for you here. While there are many people who may not understand or accept that when go to Communion we are receiving Jesus’ actual body and blood, it is important to remember that because it is “our daily bread”, it is an ongoing miracle that all started the moment that Mary said to Gabriel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1: 38). And take note of the last part of her declaration, “your word”, because in John 1: 14 we read, “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Think about that for a minute. The word “dwelling” means “living”, and the Eucharist is Jesus, who is the “bread of life”, and when we receive this bread, it IS alive and dwelling within us (Inside of us)! How awesome is that?

Hey, remember those old movies, where someone gets thrown in jail and they would only get bread and water? I’m not familiar enough with history to know if something like that is factual or something Hollywood invented, but either way, it doesn’t sound like a particularly nutritious meal to me. On one hand, I suppose someone could actually survive on bread and water alone, but for how long? On the other hand, as Catholics, we are given the opportunity on a daily basis to receive a piece of bread that gives us way more than something to just survive, bread that will feed us for all eternity. 

I know firsthand that It can be easy to take for granted what you hold in your hand when you receive Communion, a simple host, a piece of bread. But the next time you look at that host sitting in the palm of your hand, I would like for you to remember that you ARE being given a food that will sustain you for an eternity because it is in fact “the bread of life” and it is meant to nourish not just our bodies, but more importantly, our souls because it will lead us to our salvation. And remember who helped give that bread to the world, our Blessed Mother, Mary.

Thank you Mary, for giving the whole world the best bread we will ever eat.