Bread

At Sunday morning Mass this morning, a hymn that has always tempted me to laugh was sung by the congregation during the communion service.  It is a fine spiritual and is meant to be reverential.  The chorus, which is also the title of the song, is as follows:

Let us break bread together on our knees,
Let us break bread together on our knees,
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
Oh Lord, have mercy on me.

But from the moment I heard it for the first time, the wrong picture came to mind, and I can't get rid of it.  For I don't see a kneeling group of people, sharing consecrated bread; I see a large gathering of people, sitting on straight-back chairs, every one of them breaking a loaf of bread on their knees, crumbs flying.  I try to focus on the proper picture, but the other scene presented itself again this morning.

Loaf of farmer's bread purchased at the Golden October celebration
 in Saarburg Germany in 2004

The bread above would certainly take powerful knees to break it.  But I think it's the kind of bread that the song's lyricist had in mind for the sacred repast.

And anyone who wants to know a lot about bread as well as reverential song, don't miss the book, "52 Loaves; One Man's Relentless Pursuit of Truth, Meaning, and a Perfect Crust," by William Alexander.  It's great, even for non-bread bakers such as I.

The Joys of early morning

Ask anyone who knows me.  I am not a morning person.  But the weather is hot this week and getting out for a walk is only possible, for a cool weather lover like me, in the early morning or after sunset.  This morning I awoke at 7 a.m. which is almost like the middle of the night for me.  I was fuzzy-minded but not sleepy (these are two different things, as night persons know).  I went for a walk while there was still shade and the temperature was pleasant.

Even in the sun, I was mostly comfortable; and the mosquitos were not as thick as they have been at night.  I finished some deadheading of my flowers; the ones that I missed yesterday evening as the mosquitos mounted their attacks.  

As I walked toward my coneflowers, I was gifted with the sight of a monarch butterfly having his breakfast.  Oh for a camera!  I went inside to get one and lovely butterfly cooperated.  He heard more camera snaps than George Clooney!  And in my opinion he was just as photogenic.