"A Bread Pudding Church"

A Lenten Reflection

Bread pudding with my mother's recipe made in a bundt pan.

By Magdalena I. García

“Be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” - Romans 12:2

Transformed
Like altered, changed, reformed
Like taking leftovers and cooking up something new
Like making bread pudding

Take a loaf of bread…
white, whole wheat, multi-grain or rye,
old or fresh, crust or no crust, soft or hard,
crumble it to pieces, use your hands to break apart.

Add fresh ingredients…
six cups of milk, one stick of butter, four beaten eggs
get them from the fridge or from another shore
plus two cups of sugar you can pick up at the store.

Sprinkle with exotic spices…
cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, dried fruits and rum;
be liberal, be daring, be creative, be wild;
there is no need to be cautious, my child .

Pour into a large mold…
round, square, rectangle, or Bundt;
or try a new shape, perhaps an oblong
it won’t alter the taste so you can’t go wrong.

Bake at 350 degrees for an hour or so…
see the dough rise, watch it turn golden brown,
enjoying all the while the wonderful smell
that will draw everyone like a magic spell.

***

God of the grain and the wheat,
give us the courage
to take this old loaf we call the church,
and to soak it with the freshness of your Spirit
that it might become new bread.

God of the mill and the flour,
give us the craving
to take this old loaf we call the church,
and to season it with the spicing of your Spirit
that it might become new bread.

God of the yeast and the dough,
give us the recipe
to take this old loaf we call the church,
and to remake it with the kneading of your Spirit
that it might become new bread.