2017年11月 今月のことばを掲載しました。
What part of Japan do you think has the most bakeries? Tokyo? Osaka? I heard it is Kyoto and that more bread is eaten here than anywhere else in the country. I don’t doubt it. Look around. There are bakeries everywhere! This is just another reason why I love Kyoto: I love bread. I know where all my favourite bakeries are, I know what their best products are, and I love going to buy them. But I also love making bread. It is a simple but magical process, to bring the ingredients together, to work them with your hand and then you must wait…while it slowly…comes to life… and grows. Finally, when it is freshly baked, the smell is wonderful. Homemade bread always tastes the best.
Humans have been making bread for thousands of years. It is part of the story of humanity. In many parts of the world it is still common not only to eat bread but also to use it to eat other foods instead of a fork or spoon. In English there is an old expression, “break bread with someone”, meaning to eat with a person: but it also suggests some kind of bond or friendship with them. In the Middle East many people many people say a blessing over their bread before they begin to eat it. It is so important, we can say it is even a symbol of food. That is why throughout history it has been called “the staff of life”.
Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us today our daily bread”. Of course, we need food. But the bread we need must nourish not only our bodies, but also our souls. Bread is a living thing. Only life can give life. When I first came to Kyoto, every morning I went to study in a café with a small bakery. Above the door of the bakery was written, “Give us today our daily bread”. I loved that. Every day I asked myself, “What is my bread today? What is giving me joy or understanding? What is giving me life?” 23 years later I still ask myself all the time. We do our jobs. We do our studies. But do we receive our daily bread? The bread of life? Do you?
（Laurence）