2. Bread

 BREAD

'Bread'is essence of the food we need for sustenance of the body. In the cult of the Indo-Iranian god Mithras/ Mithra, there was a ceremony with bread and water in commemoration of the meal which he had before he ascended into heaven.

Bread, Wine and Oil are considered gifts from heaven: "... You bring forth wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine and bread to strengthen the human heart" (Ps 104: 15). God gave the heavenly bread in the form of Manna (Ex 16: 14).

In the Book of Proverbs, the Wisdom personified, invites people like this: "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed" (9: 5). But bread alone is not enough. Deuteronomy says: "...one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord" (8: 3). As Jesus was templed by devil after his fasting of forty days, he quotes the above-cited verse to combat the Satan (Mt 4: 3).

In the "Lord's prayer", he prompted us to ask for oum "daily bread", which means nourishment for our body and soul. That will certainly include the Eucharisti Bread which "comes down from heaven and gives to the world" (Jn 6: 35, 51). Eucharistic bread and wim impart communion with Christ.

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Cf.,

Mar Julios, Abraham. Biblical symbols. Bengaluru: Theological Publications in India, 2020.