21. The Symbolism of Bread

At the Last Supper, Christ took bread. What went into this gift? It took work. To get bread you have to PLANT, if you plant you need to PLOW, if you plow you need HOPE. Later, you have the HARVEST and that brings JOY. How often have we brought this understanding of bread to the Eucharist? Do we see ourselves in it? After harvesting, there is the WINNOWING in which the wheat grains are thrown into the air. The uneatable part called chaff is blown away. That which falls at their feet, the heavier part, is separated out as good. The Holy Spirit will also separate us from our sins and give the good portion to the Lord. Returning to the stages in bread-making, that which is left is taken to the baker who uses yeast to raise the bread. Of course, at the Last Supper, they used (unleavened) pita bread. In the offertory, we are giving something of ourselves. In the 1960's there was the common expression of calling money BREAD. It was still understood as the subsidence of life. We do not barter much anymore. That is why the collection is taken up at the offertory of the liturgy. It represents the gift of the community. Symbolized in the bread, sacrificed in all our donations for the basket, we are all on the offertory plate. We are saying, "Take me Lord." After this bread is offered, it shall become something better. Wine is even more delicate to make, because of the weather. And yet, this labor also comes to fruition. Wheat must be ground and grapes crushed, signs that we must die to self, especially in regard to sin. Put in another way, it means contrition. We are sorry for our sins and turn to God. The law of nature and of supernature apply here. The Lord says, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit" (John 12:24). In order to rise again with our Lord, sharing his life, we must die to self. This is a common theme for us. This bread we offer will become the living presence of Christ. The preparation looks like destruction, but it is not. Similarly, baptism looks like drowning, dying. In the ancient ritual, the newly initiated would be dressed in white robes. They would have come to an awareness of a beckoning new identity, a reality that was sometimes counter-cultural. At Mass we live out our baptism. Sometimes this is difficult to do. At the offertory we might unfortunately say to God, "Take everything else, but this is mine." We hold grudges and fail to trust God's guidance. And yet, this surrender must be expressed, not only in baptism but in our lives, in the liturgy, and in the Church's year. The liturgical year attempts to unpack this truth as well. Lent is forty days to live out our baptism in a special way. We do penance, not to make ourselves suffer, but that we might rise with Jesus at Easter. It is upon this latter feast that the Church places pre-eminent emphasis, giving it fifty days. To make our choice for the Lord more honest and lasting, we do penance and die to self, sharing in Christ's life of grace.