"" (When the bread that we share) is a Christian

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

, with a text written in 1981 by Claus-Peter März, and a melody by Kurt Grahl. It was written to commemorate

St. Elisabeth Elizabeth of Hungary (german: Heilige Elisabeth von Thüringen, hu, Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet, sk, Svätá Alžbeta Uhorská; 7 July 1207 – 17 November 1231), also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, or Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia, ...

, and begins with a reference to her Miracle of the Roses. The song, of the genre

Neues Geistliches Lied ''Neues Geistliches Lied'' (, ''new spiritual song''), abbreviated NGL, is a music genre of songs in German intended for church usage, and based on contemporary lyrics and with music by contemporary composers. History The idea to reach youn ...

(NGL), is part of German hymnals, including '' Evangelisches Gesangbuch'' and ''

Gotteslob ''Gotteslob'' ("Praise of God") is the title of the hymnbook authorized by the Catholic dioceses in Germany, Austria, South Tyrol, Luxembourg and Liège, Belgium. First published in Advent 2013, it is the current official hymnal for German-speaki ...

'', and of songbooks.

History

The roman-catholic theologian from

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...

wrote the text of "" in 1981, on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of death of

who is venerated especially in

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and larg ...

. The text begins with a reference to the saint's Miracle of the Roses. The church musician from

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

composed the melody the same year for a youth

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

from Leipzig to places where she was active. A year later, the song was featured at the

Katholikentag ''Katholikentag'' () is a festival-like gathering in German-speaking countries organized by laity of the Catholic Church. ''Katholikentag'' festivals occur approximately every 2–4 years in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. ''Katholikentag'' ...

convention in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

, and was then included in many song collections. The song became part of both the Protestant and the Catholic common hymnals. It was included in some regional editions of '' Evangelisches Gesangbuch''. It was included in the ''

'' of 2013 as GL 470, in the section "Gesänge – Schöpfung: Gerechtigkeit und Friede" (Chants – Life in the world: justice and peace). The song is also part of several songbooks, including collections for young people and

ecumenical Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

songbooks.

Text and music

The hymn is in five

stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian language, Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or Indentation (typesetting), indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme scheme, rhyme and ...

s with a short strophe of two lines, and a long refain of four lines with the last one repeated. It is written in the first person plural, speaking in the first stanza of the bread that we share, and in the second of the suffering of the poor that we change, according to Matthew 25:40. The third stanza begins with the hand that we hold, the fourth stanza with the consolation that we give, and in the final stanza of our suffering and death carrying us forward. Each time, the idea is that giving and sharing is also good for the giver. The refrain reflects the images of God's tent among people, and seeing him from face to face, from the

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of R ...

. The key point of the text is that this happens already now each time that we love our neighbours.

References

External links

Thomas Weißer Thomas Laubach (after marriage Thomas Weißer) (born 1964) is a German Catholic theologian. He wrote the texts for numerous hymns of the genre Neues Geistliches Lied (NGL). He has used his birth name in publications. Under his family name Weißer ...

Wenn das Brot, das wir teilen (GL 470)
SWR 3 April 2016 * {{Authority control Contemporary Christian songs 1981 songs Neues Geistliches Lied 20th-century hymns in German