John 6:35
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
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The title of the book caught my fancy. It is in Tagalog, “Pandasal” meaning loosely “to be used when praying”. It contains Bible readings, reflections, prayers. And it sounds like “pandesal” which is a Tagalog word with Spanish origin (meaning salted bread). Pinoys will have this bread for breakfast, either with fillings or just dipped in coffee.
The latter nourishes our body as we start the day. And the former nourishes our spirit to move ahead in our daily task.
As Jesus is also the Word of God and the Bread Of Life, we come to Him to nourish our soul and spirit.
Just as the Jews received manna from heaven in their long trek towards the promised land, Jesus is giving us Himself as the bread of life. As the Lord God sustained the Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years with manna from heaven, Jesus is sustaining us through Him.
It is in the wilderness of the desert as in the wilderness of our souls that we hunger. There is a continuous tension or hunger in our hearts, choosing between good and evil. And somewhere in the midst of that tension we find the bread of life: not just manna from God, not the flesh of Christ, but the Bread of Life, the Bread that brings life – Jesus.
He is the pandesal of our lives – delicious, flavorful, satisfying the emptiness of our hearts and the hunger in our soul.
Let us pray +
Almighty Father, we are in awe that Your love would reach down to save us in our sinful state. Your Son carried our guilt that You might accept us in Your holy presence. He has claimed us as members of His body which was offered. And now we eat this bread as a representation of sharing in His body. Thank you for this bread and for Christ's presence which we visualize in it. Thank you for bringing us into union with You in Him. Amen +
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
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