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February 16, 2021As we discussed in Part 1, “God never ceases to be the father of his children.” These are the words of St. Anthony of Padua and get to the heart of this petition. We are dependent upon God for our daily needs; and we are encouraged to pray for him to meet those needs (Matt 7:11) with confidence and filial trust. Just as a child depends on and trusts in his own father, so too should we trust God to provide for all our needs (Phil 4:19). In fact, he knows even better than we do, what our needs are! Yet, we are reminded to pray for him to meet those needs. In so doing, it reminds us further of our dependence upon him. Our daily bread is of course the nourishment needed for our subsistence; but this petition means more than just the meeting of our own needs.
The YouCat states it this way, “The petition about our daily bread makes us people who await everything from the goodness of our heavenly Father, including the material and spiritual goods that are vitally necessary. No Christian can pronounce this petition without thinking about His real responsibility for those in the world who lack the basic necessities of life” (522). Notice here again, we pray “give us” not “give me”. By doing this, we are acknowledging that our Father is also the Father of all people. We are asking him to meet the needs of others as well.
The word “us” in this petition also reminds us that we have a responsibility to care for those who lack the things they need to live. This petition puts before us the challenge to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world; to live the call to care for those in need in the ways we are able. In other words, we are blessed so that we may in turn be a blessing to others. In this petition, we are praying also to be used by God in the world in this way.
It’s important to remember that even if all of our needs are met by seemingly natural means (e.g., our employment, investments, etc.), even if our labor helps to meet the needs of others, it is ultimately God who is the one who provides for us. He alone is the source of our provision and we are always dependent upon his grace and providence (Jm 1:17).
At the same time, we know from the words of Christ himself that “Man does not live by bread alone” (Mat 4:4). So, what does this mean in relation to this petition? We will explore this in Part Three!