‘Give us this day our daily bread’ is a prayer we can answer

Article 186 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series

Paragraphs 2828-2837

We’ve all heard the expression that “charity begins at home.” As noble as this notion might be, the fact is that there are millions of people beyond our homes who would be grateful to eat what we will not, even the food that many Americans, especially American restaurants, dispose of on a daily basis.

When reflecting on the petition, “Give us this day our daily bread,” in the Lord’s Prayer, my thoughts immediately jump to the poor in missionary lands who have nothing. I often recall the comment made to me by a missionary bishop from India. He told me that the people he serves can be divided into three categories – the poor, the very poor, and the destitute. He explained that the poor have little food, but generally have shelter (even if that means a cardboard structure made from discarded packaging). The very poor have little food and no shelter, but often have clothing. The destitute have no food, no shelter, and no extra clothing beyond the clothes they wear.

Ironically, what many among the “poor, very poor and destitute” share with one another is the deep “trust of children who look to their Father (in Heaven) for everything” (CCC 2828). When they pray the words from the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread,” theirs is an abiding and deep faith that God will fulfill all their needs. The Catechism explains: “He gives to all the living their food in due season. Jesus teaches us this petition, because it glorifies our Father by acknowledging how good He is, beyond all goodness” (CCC 2828).

This phrase “Give us” acknowledges God “as the Father of all people” (CCC 2829). It likewise captures the idea that “we pray to Him for them all, in solidarity with their needs and sufferings” (CCC 2829).

Practically speaking, then, those who invoke these words in prayer, and follow through as witnesses to the faith with good deeds, should easily be able to accommodate the millions who are starving all over the world. Where is our solidarity when, according to current surveys, one in ten people worldwide continues to starve unnecessarily? Almost half live in India and China. Why do we allow such a travesty?

So-called “disadvantaged” nations often point to richer nations as being the source of their problem. These same nations often misdirect food and monies meant for their citizens to support their military and enhance its might with weapons and other machinery for war. This is sadly the case in places like Russia and with groups like Hamas in Palestine.

While there is certainly enough food to feed the masses, many companies prefer to destroy excessive food in their warehouses rather than face potential legal battles with claims of distributing spoiled or expired food. And many lack the infrastructure to provide storage for excess food for the needy. Finally, companies often fear losing their bottom line if all their extra food is given away. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule.

One company that provides food and money to the poor as part of its company goals and objectives is GOYA.  GOYA has also taken the lead in numerous disaster relief efforts, providing food donations in times of crisis and consistently working with local food banks, charities and non-profits to assist those less fortunate. If every food distributor did the same, world hunger would be significantly less. Such companies and many restauranteurs, by example, imitate the love and mercy of our Father in Heaven “who gives us life…[and]…cannot but give us the nourishment life requires – all appropriate goods and blessings…” (CCC 2830).

Consistent with Church teaching, the Catechism also states that, “the drama of hunger in the world calls [ALL] Christians who pray sincerely to exercise responsibility toward their brethren, both in their personal behavior and in their solidarity with the human family” (CCC 2831); the inference here being that only when ALL Christians act thusly, will world hunger be eradicated.

In short, those who are blessed with good fortune must be willing to share with those who have less. This should come to pass not through brute force or arm-twisting, but as a matter of justice. The Catechism reminds us: “there are no just structures without people who want to be just” (CCC 2832).

Thus, “Our daily bread” in the Lord’s Prayer, refers to “the one loaf for the many” (CCC 2833). This prayer of Jesus “calls us to communicate and share both material and spiritual goods, not by coercion, but out of love, so that the abundance of some may remedy the needs of others” (CCC 2833). This may sound like Marxist socialism, or worse, atheistic communism, but it is not. Rather, it is the teaching of God’s Holy Word in Sacred Scripture, including 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, as embodied in the previous Catechism paragraph invoked above.

Taken literally, “Our daily bread,” refers “directly to the Bread of Life, the Body of Christ, the ‘medicine of immortality’, without which we have no life within us” (CCC 1837). So, each time we invoke the Lord’s Prayer we are both spiritually and literally asking our Father in Heaven to provide Our Lord to us in Holy Communion.

Many have heard of the saying attributed to the fifth century monk, Saint Benedict: “pray and work” (CCC 2834). One thousand years later, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, took up this theme saying: “Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on you” (CCC 2834). The Catechism explains: “Even when we have done our work, the food we receive is still a gift from our Father” (CCC 2834). This is the way Christians have understood their mission down through the ages. Not only our food, but ALL our worldly goods are provided through the loving initiative of God. We are but stewards of these great benefits.

Father Hillier is director, diocesan Office of Pontifical Mission Societies, the Office for Persons with Disabilities and Censor Luborum.