Thursday reflection: Breaking of Bread

By Maureen Glavin, RSCJ

"The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way, 
and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of the bread."
Luke 24:35

And what about me?  
What about us?

As we, travel ‘along the way’ of our lives,
do we recognize Christ in our midst? 

Do we see Love’s Very Self in the struggles and hardships we handle – 
in the ‘breaking of the bread’ of our lives? 

The bread of our lives: 
Our physical being and breath,
Everyone’s life,
Our inner beings, 
The very world we live in!

 This bread is being broken, 
And broken, 
And broken!! 

And, yet ... we  dare to proclaim that
Christ is in this! 

Christ is in THIS:
in the breaking of this bread,
here and now.

We see it on the news,
We experience it along our ‘way’ through the world.

Yet, 
we live in hope!
 
We live in HOPE because ...
We, like the disciples on the way, 
eventually wake up!
We eventually recognize Christ!
We eventually recognize the anointed one, 
God-With-Us,
in the breaking of, 
even this bread – 
the bread before us – 
the bread of our lives.

The Good News is,
we know how the story ends.
Life and love win over death and destruction. 

This we believe! 

Christ suffers WITH us in and through all of our suffering.
Christ is broken AS and WHEN we are broken.
And, after some fallow time,
Christ Rises. 
Christ Lives!

Love and Life Win. 

Help us, Gracious God, to recognize You in our midst. 
Help us to recognize You, 
especially these days,
 in the breaking of the bread of our world.

And, 
in and through it all, 
help us to be 
Artisans of Hope.

In the midst of our world’s brokenness, 
Help us to remember the world’s blessedness!

AMEN!