The Bread of Life—which we receive through the Eucharist—fills us with God’s
grace and love. The Eucharist feeds us. It nourishes us. It unites us with God and
one another as members of the same body of Christ. And it is through our
communion with the Bread of Life that we are called to share bread for life.
Rice Bowl 2024 – Church of St. Marks
Jesus tells us, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” When we receive Jesus through the
Eucharist, our hearts are filled with his love and the call to share that love with
our sisters and brothers in need around the world.
During Lent, we’re invited to act on this call through our Catholic tradition of
prayer, fasting and almsgiving. When we practice these Lenten pillars, we enter a
living relationship and unite our hearts with God and with one another.
CRS Rice Bowl gives us a wonderful opportunity to encounter different people
from around the world, know more about their lives and recognize them as our
sisters and brothers. We will see how, through our prayer, we encounter Jesus,
who is present in the face of every member of our human family. When we fast,
we encounter the obstacles that prevent us from fully loving God and our
neighbor. And when we give alms, we share in solidarity with those who need our
support.
CRS Rice Bowl provides many resources for daily reflection throughout the
liturgical season. Consider these suggestions in your family’s Lenten plan:
● Use your CRS Rice Bowl and Lenten Calendar each day to guide your
prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
● Watch Stories of Hope each week to inspire your Lenten journey. This
year stories focus on three families from Honduras, Kenya, and the
Philippines.
● Use the Rice Bowl recipes to prepare simple, meatless meals on the
Fridays of Lent to eat in solidarity with our sisters and brothers around
the world.
Your sacrifices during this holy season have the power to change lives by
providing enough nutritious food for families to thrive. And by practicing the
pillars of Lent through CRS Rice Bowl, I hope both your faith and connection to
our one human family deepens.
CRS Rice Bowls will be collected at the end of Lent, so stay tuned to learn more.
Thank you for participating in CRS Rice Bowl with your family.