![]() ![]() The Bread of the Presence reaches fulfillment in the Eucharistic celebration. The “new” bread of the presence continues to be eaten at the table of the Lord, made available to all people in the new and everlasting covenant (Luke 22:19). Instead of the bread offered and eaten by the high priests of Israel, Jesus in his priestly role offers Himself to be eaten by His apostles. Instead of bread and wine revealing the spiritual presence of God to the Israelites, bread and wine reveal the glorified and Incarnate God to His people. Instead of the twelve cakes of the bread of presence for the twelve tribes of Israel, Jesus selects twelve apostles to represent the twelve tribes. Jesus’ actions and language demonstrate the similarities and developments from the Old Testament to the New Testament with regard to rightly worship. The Last Supper provides a key in the transition from Old Covenant to New Covenant worship. It possessed a key role in Jewish worship and the similarities between the bread of the presence and the institution of the Eucharist would have been immediately evident to the Apostles at the Last Supper, when Jesus held up His body (Luke 22:19). The bread of the presence was included as part of the perpetual, un-bloody sacrifice offered to God Almighty. The table where the bread was place included flagons and bowls for pouring libations (Exod. 25:30, 35:13, and 39:36) describes the revelation of the face of God to the Israelites. It portrayed a sign of God’s presence with His chosen people. The bread was to be presented to the Lord as a sign of the everlasting covenant between God and his people. It was stipulated that the bread was to be placed on the golden table (akin to an altar), and used only by the Levites (Mosaic priests) in offering a sacrifice to God on the Sabbath and feast days. 24) provides specific instruction concerning the making of the bread, as well as its use in Jewish liturgy. The Israelites were instructed to include the bread of the presence in the Tabernacle, the portable dwelling place of God, along with the Ark of the Covenant and the Golden Lampstand (Exod. The bread of the presence appears several times in the Torah (Exod. By carefully exploring the Mosaic liturgical practices Catholics can recognize the Bread of the Presence as a prefiqurement of the Eucharist. This bread was an integral part of Jewish worship, being part of the liturgy on the Sabbath and feast days, and was given a place on honor in the Tabernacle. The “bread of the presence” provides insight and understanding of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharistic celebration. Yet a lesser known bread from the Old Testament provides equal if not more connections to the Eucharist. The similarities of this type of unleavened “bread from heaven” offered to sustain God’s people during the Exodus provides an easy connection for Catholics to understand. The gift of manna from heaven in Exodus offers a well-known and accepted prefiqurement of the Eucharist from the Old Testament. Catholic faith can only be fully understood if viewed in the context of the faith and practices of God’s chosen people. Barr – Guest Contributor) – Most Catholics recognize the manna provided by Yahweh to the Israelites in the desert (Exod. ![]()
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