We have prayed the “Our Father” on countless occasions. If we pray with our separated brethren of other faith traditions it is a prayer which is seen to be common ground and thus can be prayed by all. When we join together for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass the “Our Father” is always prayed in the course of the liturgy.
In this prayer we pray “give us this day our daily bread.” This is a very important petition which we are making if we have meditated upon it or not. The Duay-Rheims, an English bible strictly translated from the Latin Vulgate, instead says “give us this day our supersubstantial bread.” Here this word “daily” has been translated as “supersubstantial” and thus is pointing towards the Eucharist.
In accordance with the Council of Trent as well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church the petition that we are making during this prayer is to be fed by the Eucharist. In the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, known to some as the Latin Mass, the priest is instructed to look down upon the Eucharist when this prayer is being offered. He is to look down upon the Eucharist because Christ is present in the midst of the Church through the appearances of bread and wine and when he says “daily bread” he is referring to his desire to receive this great gift and to be nourished by it.
Therefore, we can claim that this word “daily” reveals a great mystery unto us. This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. This is a wondrous celebration because it is a celebration of Jesus Christ and His love for the Church. It is a celebration of Jesus Christ because it is Jesus Christ Himself who comes to dwell with us in the form of bread and wine. From the Second Vatican Council “the Eucharist is the source and the summit of the Christian life.” This is the petition that we make when we utter the words “give us this day our daily bread.”
In saying these words we desire to be united to Christ through our worthy reception of the Holy Eucharist. The world in which live is a very difficult place because it easy to fall into sin and to despair concerning our future. Things were not very different for the Israelites of the Old Testament for they were found in slavery, they were liberated from it, and as they wondered throughout the desert they even began to grumble against God. They desired to return to their slavery. Despite all of this God poured out bread from Heaven upon them which fed them and gave them the strength to trudge forward towards the Promised Land.
