Who Deserves Their Daily Bread

"So we say to God: Give us bread. Not delicacies or riches, nor magnificent purple robes, golden ornaments, and precious stones, or silver dishes. Nor do we ask Him for landed estates, or military commands, or political leadership. We pray neither for herds of horses and oxen or other cattle in great numbers, nor for a host of slaves. We do not say, give us a prominent position in assemblies or monuments and statues raised to us, nor silken robes and musicians at meals, nor any other thing by which the soul is estranged from the thought of God and higher things; no -- but only bread! . . .

"But you go on business to the Indies and venture out upon strange seas; you go on a voyage every year only to bring back flavorings for your food, without realizing that . . . [it] is above all a good conscience which makes the bread tasty because it is eaten in justice. .

Progressive Anglo Catholics hope for social justice for all. We pray for the Lord to,"give us our daily Bread" and then ask that we be reconciled to our fellow man by virtue of mutual forgiveness. Those of us in the West, often find our quest for social justice limited to our concern for our brothers and sisters who appear to be victim's of America's many times less than just social system .We focus on seeking justice for our little corner of the world. We do it because it is easy and we can get results. Our parish food pantry does make sure some daily bread flows to our neighbor.

We miss the more important aspects of daily bread. . Italian statesman Machiavelli understood that. He said: "People are always provoked by small injustices but never by great injustices We live in a world where many of our brothers and sisters in Christ have been denied the provision of daily bread.. Many of these faithful Christians die in famines or mourn the death of their children because they do not receive their God -given portion because of the greed and excess of Christians in the West. We have not strived to set into place social systems that honor the will of the Lord. We have failed God, in this manner. God has not failed us.

Many so called Christians of a more literalist theological bent have come up with "prosperity" teaching and use the "daily bread ",line from the Lord's prayer and scriptures about the blessing to justify entitlement to more than just daily bread. They do not even want the whole loaf. They feel theologically entitled to the whole bakery, without regard to their fellow Christian who would be satisfied with just a few crumbs if it meant their children could live in health till adulthood.

Praying for a "Cadillac" is not within the will of the Lord. The problem is for many Progressive Christians is they find it hard to forgive those who preach these things in the name of the Lord. This is our vanity at work. We need to ask God's forgiveness for our lack of serious attempts to work for social justice in a ways that impact the bigger picture,

right of all of God's children to their "daily bread". We only can seek 'forgiveness "to those we corporately deny God's provision for by demonstrable action. We need to work for social justice always in our daily lives and share our "daily bread". Then, only then will we be bringing forth will of God "on Earth as it is in Heaven."

James 2:15: "(Give) if a brother or sister is in need and destitute of daily food!"

2 Corinthians 8:14: "Your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need

Hosea 11:4: "I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them."