Reflection for Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – Give us tomorrow’s bread today
Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread…” (Luke 11:2-3)
In Luke’s version of the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples the first three petitions/requests are firmly rooted in Jewish themes1:
1. God as Father
2. The special nature of the divine name
3. Something about food
I have found that the request for ‘daily bread’, so early in this prayer, says that God is truly concerned that people having enough to eat. And that in God’s rule, God’s kingdom, everyone has enough to sustain themselves. Our physical nourishment is a top priority for God – this is not just a spiritual need!
So when I read recently that ‘give us our daily bread’ is more accurately translated as ‘give us tomorrow’s bread today, it added even more urgency to my reflection.
Just a cursory internet search is sobering reading. In Australia, land of plenty, going to sleep hungry with no prospect of food for the morning is a reality for:
1. More than four million (18%) people.
2. One in five (25%) children.
3. Women more likely (39%) to suffer than men.
4. Around 30% of First Nations People.
The list goes on (Top 10 Facts About Hunger in Australia).
The prayer that Jesus gave us, that we pray again and again and again, reminds us of one of the consequences of this prayer – our action – there is always work to be done in God’s kingdom.
Blessings
Ceri
1. Levine, A-J. and Witherington III, B. (2018) The Gospel of Luke (Cambridge University Press).
