Give Us, O Lord

"This song originated as a commission for a parish founded by the Benedictines. We ask Christ for 'the bread of your word' as well as 'the bread of your table,' for we always break open the bread of the Word on our way to receiving the bread of the Eucharist. St. Ambrose once said: 'Eat this food first, in order to be able to come afterward to the food of the body of Christ.' The refrain also refers to prayer and labor, from the Benedictine motto, "ora et labora." Labor in the context of the Eucharist means laboring in and with Christ for the reign of God’s compassion in this world. But for our activism to be truly Christian, it must flow from giving ourselves to Christ in prayer. The verses express the successive ritual moments of gathering, word and Eucharist and their connection to service beyond the liturgy. The final verse gives praise to the Holy Trinity, the font from which all our efforts to embody the love of Christ flow."

- Bob Hurd