The Gift of Bread

By Ann Marie Eckert

Have you ever read something that hit home — and hard? I came across a quotation the other day that really makes me wonder about myself.

It is only by feeling your love that the poor will be able to forgive you the gift of bread.
— St. Vincent de Paul

As we have entered into Lent, this time of almsgiving, I wonder how much forgiveness I will need to beg by the time the season is over. Here is what I mean:

  • Although Easter is "early" this year, I will probably use some time during Lent to move from my winter clothes into my spring clothes, which usually involves a few bags of "extras" going to the Salvation Army. I already have a chair and table in my donation pile ready to go.
  • I will take the opportunity during Lent to go with my friends who regularly volunteer at a local Soup Kitchen.
  • I have an Operation Rice Bowl sitting on my kitchen counter, collecting the change that my housemate and I accumulate over the course of Lent.
All good things, but will the people I help feel my love?

For example, Operation Rice Bowl isn't just about collecting change. As their website says:

Operation Rice Bowl calls participants to pray with their families and faith communities; fast in solidarity with those who hunger; learn about our global community and the challenges of poverty overseas; and give sacrificial contributions to those in need.

I am only doing the last of these calls, and I am not really sure that I am doing that. How much sacrifice is involved in my giving? Yes, any money I give away is less money that I can spend or save, but so far this Lent I haven't gone without. Ceili Rain suggests that we use the Change In Your Pocket to change the world. But their song has caution in it as well:

There are millions dying down in Africa
from a disease that we want no part of.
Sweet little babies with no ma and pa.
So, we must help these babies to grow straight and tall,
and we say, "It is my intent to head that call.
I'll address it the minute I'm back from the mall."

So I go back to St. Vincent de Paul. What am I to do differently? What is he asking me to consider? I wonder if St. Vincent is asking me these two questions:

  • Why is bread your gift to give?
  • Do the people to whom you give it feel loved and valued?

Is bread my gift to give? Although I know that God created the world for the good of all, it is sometimes easy to believe that I have what I have because of hard work and careful spending. While a little of that is true, mostly it is because I was born here instead of "there." I am sure that the coffee growers in Ecuador work much harder than I do, and yet the money that I might spend on a cup of their coffee could feed their family, if only they had two dollars. Lent is a time for reflection and conversion. As I live through this season, I know that a part of what I need to do is be transformed by aligning myself more closely with the poor and vulnerable. I have to recognize that the gift of bread is given to all equally. My own abundance comes with the invitation from God to give to those in need and to live simply. Each act of service and charity that I participate in this Lenten season can help me be transformed, if I open myself up to it.

The second question I ask myself is whether or not the people I serve feel loved and valued by me. It is hard to know how to communicate love to people across the world, except by living my life in a way that values theirs. Again, a call to simplicity. But what of the people whom I will meet at the Soup Kitchen? Can I look them in the eye and see the fullness of their dignity? Can I accept them as they are — regardless of how they treat me? These are the challenges that lie ahead for me.

Perhaps these words are challenge to you as well. We can be grateful that Lent is long. It gives us time to do things differently. I pray for you; please pray for me.

God of all good things, God of abundance, God of love, help me to know how best to serve those in the world who are literally dying for help. Help me to turn my life around so that I may be more just, more compassionate, and more loving. Help me to learn and grow from the example of your Son, my brother Jesus, who always loved the people he helped. May this season of Lent help me to die to the things that keep me from following his example. Amen.

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Spirit Compass reflections are developed in partnership
with the Center for Ministry Development.