Bake Bread and Reflect

Bake Bread and Reflect:

While baking sandwich bread for my family, I started thinking about the Eucharist. I know I’ve probably heard a priest, at some point in my life, relay this thought provoking insight during a homily, yet still, how amazing is it that Jesus chose to be present in bread? Every culture in the world has some form of bread. People love the smell of it baking and taste of it, and when quarantine started, bread recipes became one of the most researched topics. God, in his infinite wisdom, chose to make himself present in a food we as people not only love to eat, but a food that is eaten throughout the world. Making bread is an act of love. It requires patience as you wait for yeast to bloom and bread to rise during multiple rises, and patience as it bakes. And in the end, when it’s pulled from the oven, patience is again needed as you wait for it to cool. Yet after all this waiting, a wonderful and delicious product has been made!

We need God; and like making bread, God through his love for us, patiently kneads and shapes us into the people he knows we can become. When we receive the gift of Jesus, fully present in the Eucharist, we are leavened as we welcome his divine life within us. So, try making a loaf of bread, and as you go through the various steps and points of waiting while making it, take a moment to reflect upon the triune love of God to reveal and leave himself present in the Holy Eucharist, in bread for us to eat.

Here is the recipe I used to make my bread from the website “Tasty.” Serve it with jelly of your choice and enjoy!

Comments

Invite Your Parish Priest Over for Dinner:

Invite Your Parish Priest Over for Dinner: Four months after moving into our new house, my husband and I decided to invite our parish priest over for dinner and to bless our new home. We still had piles of unpacked boxes, our toddlers were bouncing off the walls with excitement, and my husband and I were a little nervous. Was our home clean enough? Would we be able to engage in good conversations with our guest? When the doorbell rang, our children raced to the door, and began bouncing around, welcoming Father inside. During dinner, we found that the conversations flowed easily. We shared stories about where we grew up, our families, and various other details as we got to know one another outside of church. We laughed as our daughter spilled the beans that my husband and I were expecting our third child, and when we shared our due date, our priest began enthusiastically sharing all sorts of common, as well as some crazy sounding, saint names for days on and near our due date. Afte...

Saint Hildegard von Bingen

Saint Hildegard von Bingen: Feast Day Sept. 17th Not only is Saint Hildegard a Doctor of the Church, but during her life she was a writer, scientist, and conveyor of the "spiritual importance of femininity" (Catholic News Agency). During her life, she was not only a confident leader, but she also served as a beautiful witness of humility, allowing others to observe that confidence, leadership, and humility can all exist and work together. This article , from the Catholic News Agency, contains not only biographical information on Saint Hildegard, but also a wonderful discussion of how modern women can relate and connect with this smart and accomplished female saint who supported the truths of the Church. Since Saint Hildegard is from Germany, and the majority of my family's ancestry derives from Germany, we decided to make "Nussecken" —dessert mini-nut bars—to celebrate today. The modifications that we changed to this recipe, were using raspberry jam instead of...

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha: Feast Day July 14th “I am not my own: I have given myself to Jesus. He must be my only love.” Saint Kateri Tekakwitha When I was a child, my siblings and our neighborhood friends would often dress up like Native Americans and play outside. We would explore the cedar tree- filled vacant lot, with its babbling creek, next door to our house, and would roam our two acre yard, building bed-sheet tents hanging from our front trees, and basking in the wonders of summertime. When I reflect back on these fond and treasured childhood memories, I think about how often I feel connected to God when I’m outside experiencing the beauty of His creation. When I gaze at the beauty that fills the sky with the rising and setting sun, feel a breeze upon my skin, or watch a thunderstorm roll in as I sit on my front porch, I feel a sense of delight, wonder, and peace. Nature has a special way of connecting the soul with its creator. Today, as we celebrate Saint Kateri Teka...

Just a Catholic Mom

Search This Blog