蜜芽传媒

Good Morning.

St Luke tells the story of how, on the first Easter Day, two followers of Jesus have left Jerusalem for the town of Emmaus. Christ himself comes and walks alongside them, but he remains unrecognised until they stop for a meal. It鈥檚 not until the moment when he breaks the loaf of bread, echoing what he had done three nights before at the Last Supper, that they realise who it is with whom they've been journeying.

From those very first days, bread has been central to Christian worship, especially in the sacrament of Holy Communion, so it鈥檚 no surprise that it also features beyond the church doors, in the popular customs of home and family throughout the world.

Easter breads, are often enhanced with extra rich ingredients such as fruit, nuts or eggs, and moulded into symbolic shapes. The Colomba di Pasquale, popular in Italy, is studded with candied orange peel, and crafted into the form of a dove. In parts of the Caribbean, especially Jamaica, Easter loaves and buns are given a distinctive local flavour, with molasses and spices.

For me this symbolises how even the most basic food, can be transformed into something fit for a feast. And that the additional work involved in preparing such an elaborate and special loaf, becomes as much a part of the celebration, as does eating the finished product.

And so I pray:

Lord Jesus, I thank you for bread, and for the part it plays both in Christian worship and in household celebrations. As it sustains me, both in body and in spirit, make me ever mindful of those who will struggle today, to buy or bake their daily bread. Amen.