"Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread"

Some of us may be misinterpreting the Lord’s Prayer, in part, on how it is intended to be understood. As for myself, it was not a particular part of The Our Father prayer I spent much time with in contemplation. Once I grasped it as it was intended, I realized others may also need the same clarification. So let’s get it, and see how you do.

“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. “Give us this day our daily bread,” and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen”

As a younger adult, I believed the highlighted portion above was asking God to ensure we received a meal each day! However, this sentence is meant to ensure that we hear, read, or pray God’s word each day, as these practices help us remain in the state of grace and deepen our closeness and understanding of God’s word, which is shared with us in the Bible.  

I wanted to touch on this particular prayer as I could relate to having been devoid of the true meaning of that sentence. But also, that we all be reminded to focus intently on the words of each prayer we offer up to God and/or His Blessed Mother.

Prayer is meaningful and full of grace when we do not rush through its words. A prayer that needs to be crammed into a few brief minutes does not provide sufficient time to meditate on Christ, to focus on what He wants us to hear as it relates to our specific lives.

Our spirituality matures with time. Mature: The definition, as it relates to the mind and behavior, is when one is acting in a sensible, responsible, and adult-like manner. It implies the ability to handle situations with careful thought and emotional stability.

God is the Bread of Life, just as when we receive the Eucharist, and receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and He is in us as we are in Him, when we pray earnestly, He is with us as well, providing understanding, maturity, and giving life and strength to our spirit.