Sleeping with Bread

Sleeping with Bread

How can we learn to hear God’s voice in our lives?  

Sleeping with Bread, by Dennis Linn, Sheila Fabricant Linn, and Matthew Linn, S.J., explores the deep value of asking two simple questions daily:  “For what am I most grateful?  For what am I least grateful?”  This very straightforward book proposes ways in which a simplified version of St. Ignatius of Loyola’s “examen” can help individuals, families, and faith sharing groups to understand God’s will in their lives and find direction for a given day or for a lifetime. 

How does it work?  Well, identifying what we’re grateful for helps us to remember to give thanks to God for the blessings in our lives.  Identifying what we are least grateful for helps us to appreciate that we are not denying the negative aspects of life; it also allows us to feel that God is with us even in difficult moments, and helps us to heal.  Doing this exercise in a group (say, at dinner with our family) means sharing our greatest joys and challenges, which, in turn, can give us the strength to cope with whatever difficulties we encounter.  When we are attentive to everyday experience, we come to understand how daily experience is in fact divine revelation, which, in turn can help us to understand and articulate God’s “sealed orders” for our lives.  And that’s what discernment is all about:  moving forward in our journey.

A copy of this book is available in the Religious Education Office, if you are interested in checking it out.

BTW, why the title?

According to the authors, “During the bombing raids of World War II, thousands of children were orphaned and left to starve.  The fortunate ones were rescued and placed in refugee camps where they received food and good care.  But many of these children who had lost so much could not sleep at night.  They feared waking up to find themselves once again homeless and without food.  Nothing seemed to reassure them.  Finally, someone hit upon the idea of giving each child a piece of bread to hold at bedtime.  Holding their bread, these children could finally sleep in peace.  All through the night the bread reminded them, ‘Today I ate and I will eat again tomorrow.’”

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