Breaking Bread: “Fellowship in Suffering”

Breaking Bread: “Fellowship in Suffering”

“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” — Acts 2:46 (NIV)

I remember sitting cross-legged on the dirt floor of a mud house in the Afghan highlands of Bamiyan Province. Yes, the same Bamiyan which made the headlines back in the day, as it was believed that the Talibs blew up some ancient Buddhist monuments which considered under the UNESCO heritage. My hosts, a vibrant yet humble Hazara family who had lost a son to conflict, tore flatbread, and passed it to me with work-worn hands. We spoke little, but their simple act of breaking bread was a language of welcome, even in their grief. And I was there in their area as part of a team carrying out a rapid assessment before the launch of a humanitarian assistance program back in 2003.

To me this act of sharing bread was more than a meal. It was communion, an unspoken fellowship in a place torn by war. We sat together in silence, tasting the same simple bread and sipping some hot and refreshing cardamom flavoured green tea, aware that we were equally human, equally hurting, and equally in need of peace.

Back in my kitchen now, I break my own loaf, fresh from the oven, and I think about how this gesture continues to carry profound meaning. Christ Himself broke bread among His disciples on the night before His greatest suffering, showing them and us, that fellowship matters even, and especially, when pain surrounds us. When I break bread, I remember the Afghan father Kudratullah Jan who, after burying his son, still found the courage to offer me sone soft Nan Rugani (flat bread) and tea. His ability to share in the middle of heartbreak was a testimony to the strength of community and the power of hope.

Today, it feels that our God is calling you and me to that same spirit: to keep breaking bread, to keep sharing, to keep opening our table even when the world feels too cruel. There is a sacred healing in coming together, tearing off a piece of bread, and reminding one another that no one is alone.

Every time we slice into our loaf or Chapati, let us choose to remember those who offered bread to us in the harshest places on earth, and we pray to carry forward their legacy of fellowship and compassion.

Poetic Reflection:

We break the bread, we share the pain,
In simple acts, our hope remains.
You join our hearts through every cost,
A table set, though all seems lost.

(All names of characters have been changes for privacy purposes)