Music: "I, myself, am the bread of life"?

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I have a question concerning a particluar piece of liturgical music.

At mass today the Communion song was “I, Myself, am the bread of life.”

They first played this about a year and a half ago. My wife said to me, “That isn’t right.” Leaving the church, a friend expressed similar sentiments. Later another person, a convert who had been an Episcopal priest, said he had problems with the song. My wife mentioned her problems with the song to the assistant pastor, who was her spiritual advisor. He said he would look into it.

A few weeks later, they played the same song, so my wife and I approched the cantor and I expressed my problems with the song. She referred me to the music minister, who plays the keyboard. The MM said that they checked out the song with the diocese and that they told her it was OK. I told her that I still thought the song was unsound and that I wish they would not play it again. My argument was that Christ is the bread of life, not us.

Well, I didn’t hear it again until today. I told another one of the musicians that I didn’t like the song and he told me that they had checked it out with the diocese. His explanation was that we are the bread of life because we are part of Christ. I said that I didn’t agree with his conclusion. I told him that music should uplift the congration and that this song put me in the toilet.

Anyway. If anyone knows this song perhaps you could explain it to me. Am I being hard headed or am I correct?

Louie
 
Do you have a copy of the words you could share? I’m unfamiliar with this song. My first thought was that the words were Jesus speaking . . . as in the song "I am the bread of life, he who comes to me shall not hunger, he who believes in me shall not thirst . . . "
 
“I myself am the bread of life
You and I are the bread of life
Taken and blessed, broken and shared by Christ.
(verse 2) This is our body
This is our blood
Living sign of God in Christ”
(Rory Cooney: “Bread of Life”. Text © 1987 NALR, published by OCP Publications).

Quite incorrect, if not heretical. Another load of liberal hogwash to water down and confuse our belief in the True Presence.
 
That song is in my music book; I was never moved to play it at mass.
I’d be considered liberal compared to most of the CAF crowd… and I really don’t like the song and don’t agree with it’s message the way it’s presented. Yes, we as a Catholic community are part of the body of Christ, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard us referred to as ’bread of life’.
There are better song choices out there to depict the body of Christ in my opinion.

I really like the song “I am the Bread of Life” by Suzanne Toolan. It’s straight out of the Gospel of John, chapter 6… our biblical support of the real presence.👍
 
<<“I myself am the bread of life
You and I are the bread of life
Taken and blessed, broken and shared by Christ.
(verse 2) This is our body
This is our blood
Living sign of God in Christ”
(Rory Cooney: “Bread of Life”. Text © 1987 NALR, published by OCP Publications).

A few years ago I had the misfortune of attending a so-called mass celebrated by a priest of a fringe group. He began “In the name of the father and mother and child and holy spirit”. And it went downhill from there.

Hosts and wine were distributed with the words “You are the Body/Blood of Christ. R: I am.”

I don’t have the faith to believe the Eucharist was confected at this service I am describing.
 
I heard this one at Mass a few weeks ago. I was seriously put off by it.

Why do we have outright heresy in our hymnals?
 
I just can’t fathom what posesses these people to write stuff like this. Are they not satisfied with the faith given by God, that they have to meddle with it unendingly? And the publishers, OCP, how can anybody continue to pay them good money for this rubbish? How come OCP isn’t out of business, or under serious examination by the U.S. Bishops?
 
The Mystical Body of Christ and the eucharistic Body of Christ are inseparably linked. By Baptism we enter the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church, and by receiving the eucharistic Body of Christ we are strengthened and built up into the Mystical Body of Christ. The central act of the Church is the celebration of the Eucharist; the individual believers are sustained as members of the Church, members of the Mystical Body of Christ, through their reception of the Body of Christ in the Eucharist. Playing on the two meanings of “Body of Christ,” St. Augustine tells those who are to receive the Body of Christ in the Eucharist: “Be what you see, and receive what you are” (Sermon 272). In another sermon he says, “If you receive worthily, you are what you have received” (Sermon 227).
Click to expand...
(from catholic.org/clife/jesus/eucharist.php)
 
The Mystical Body of Christ and the eucharistic Body of Christ are inseparably linked. By Baptism we enter the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church, and by receiving the eucharistic Body of Christ we are strengthened and built up into the Mystical Body of Christ.
Click to expand...
Linked, yes. Interchangeable, no.

We become part of the Body of Christ at Baptism, but we are NOT the Sacrifice of Calvary, but rather it’s beneficiary.

It was not OUR Blood that attoned for sin, but rather Christ’s. It is not OUR Substance being offered on the Paten and Chalice, but rather Christs.

The song promotes heretical doctrines.
 
I would propose the song is

Not heretical

Bad liturgial music

Now, far be it from me to be seen on the side of bad liturgical music, which is out there in far too great abundance, but for a faith that does not take every word of the Bible literally, I don’t think we ought to find outselves falling into the trap of taking every word or image in the hymnal literally either. It seems clear that Cooney is attempting through his artistic genre (and a good argument can be made that he is largely failing) to make the same point Augustine made.
 
I am pleased to see that the lyrics of the hymn have had the desired effect. The people listening and singing are disturbed by the idea that as the Church visible in the world they are to be salt of the earth, bread of life to the community around them. It is indeed a challenging and disturbing thought. I bow my head in shame at such words because I know how poorly I measure up to the ideal of Christian behavior.
Far from being heretical, it is a call to live the gospel.

Matthew
 
Brendan said:
Linked, yes. Interchangeable, no.

We become part of the Body of Christ at Baptism, but we are NOT the Sacrifice of Calvary, but rather it’s beneficiary.

It was not OUR Blood that attoned for sin, but rather Christ’s. It is not OUR Substance being offered on the Paten and Chalice, but rather Christs.

The song promotes heretical doctrines.
Click to expand...
I agree— the song is heretical.
 
drafdog said:
I am pleased to see that the lyrics of the hymn have had the desired effect. The people listening and singing are disturbed by the idea that as the Church visible in the world they are to be salt of the earth, bread of life to the community around them. It is indeed a challenging and disturbing thought. I bow my head in shame at such words because I know how poorly I measure up to the ideal of Christian behavior.
Far from being heretical, it is a call to live the gospel.

Matthew
Click to expand...
The phrase “bread of life” is used twice in the bible. Both times, Jesus calls himself the bread of life. For us to sing “I myself am the bread of life” is exactly the same as for us to sing “I myself am Jesus Christ”. Tack all the invented symbolism you want onto the lyrics, that doesn’t change the fact that they are blatantly heretical.
 
At my old parish, this song was sung every week at communion. No wonder I fell away from the church for about a decade!
 
George Weigl wrote a column about “heretical hymns” that I found online—he says in part:

**Next to go should be those “We are Jesus” hymns in which the congregation (for the first time in two millennia of Christian hymnology) pretends that it’s Christ. “Love one another as I have loved you/Care for each other, I have cared for you/Bear each other’s burdens, bind each other’s wounds/and so you will know my return.” Who’s praying to whom here? And is the Lord’s “return” to be confined to our doing of his will? St. John didn’t think so. “Be Not Afraid” and “You Are Mine” fit this category, as does the ubiquitous “I Am the Bread of Life,” to which I was recently subjected on, of all days, Corpus Christi – the one day in the Church year completely devoted to the fact that we are not a self-feeding community giving each other “the bread of life” but a Eucharistic people nourished by the Lord’s free gift of himself. “I am the bread of life” inverts that entire imagery, indeed falsifies it. **
 
drafdog said:
I am pleased to see that the lyrics of the hymn have had the desired effect. The people listening and singing are disturbed by the idea that as the Church visible in the world they are to be salt of the earth, bread of life to the community around them. It is indeed a challenging and disturbing thought. I bow my head in shame at such words because I know how poorly I measure up to the ideal of Christian behavior.
Far from being heretical, it is a call to live the gospel.

Matthew
Click to expand...
It’s not my Blood that Atones for the Sins of the World, why should I claim it to be so?

I don’t know what Gospel you are living, but the one I hear at Mass says that CHRISTS Blood is the Blood of the New and Everlasting Covenent, and is shed for the sins of many.

My Blood makes for a poor covenent and my blood cannot even atone for my personal sins, let alone anyone in my communities.

I’ll stick to THAT Gospel, not the mistaken one you want to ‘live’
 
bpbasilphx said:
<<“I myself am the bread of life
You and I are the bread of life
Taken and blessed, broken and shared by Christ.
(verse 2) This is our body
This is our blood
Living sign of God in Christ”
(Rory Cooney: “Bread of Life”. Text © 1987 NALR, published by OCP Publications).

A few years ago I had the misfortune of attending a so-called mass celebrated by a priest of a fringe group. He began “In the name of the father and mother and child and holy spirit”. And it went downhill from there.

Hosts and wine were distributed with the words “You are the Body/Blood of Christ. R: I am.”

I don’t have the faith to believe the Eucharist was confected at this service I am describing.
Click to expand...
:eek:
That’s just depressing!

As for the song, I don’t know whether it’s heretical (we would have to ask the author what he meant by those words) but it surelly promotes heretical thinking and ideas. Up to that it sounds like really bad music, unworthy of the Holy Mass.
 
If you have to explain why it isn’t heretical and it is obvious that it can be misunderstood it shouldn’t be used.

We should use clear words and songs to express our faith, as misleading people or misunderstandings is not what you want in our faith. Salvation is very serious and should not be messed with.

Of course it isn’t completely heretical as these type songs will always be able to be interpreted in a good way.

A famouse Priest who frequently misleads people once said in a conference “if you are looking for heresy you wont here it at this conference”
Yet then he toes the line so close to mislead people by insinuating heresy that can be denied always upon examination. So he misleads without outright misleading.

Didn’t Jesus say something to the effect of,
Our yes should be yes and our no should be no, anything else is from Satan.

God Bless
Scylla
 
bakhita said:
George Weigl wrote a column about “heretical hymns” that I found online—he says in part:

**Next to go should be those “We are Jesus” hymns in which the congregation (for the first time in two millennia of Christian hymnology) pretends that it’s Christ. “Love one another as I have loved you/Care for each other, I have cared for you/Bear each other’s burdens, bind each other’s wounds/and so you will know my return.” Who’s praying to whom here? And is the Lord’s “return” to be confined to our doing of his will? St. John didn’t think so. “Be Not Afraid” and “You Are Mine” fit this category, as does the ubiquitous “I Am the Bread of Life,” to which I was recently subjected on, of all days, Corpus Christi – the one day in the Church year completely devoted to the fact that we are not a self-feeding community giving each other “the bread of life” but a Eucharistic people nourished by the Lord’s free gift of himself. “I am the bread of life” inverts that entire imagery, indeed falsifies it. **
Click to expand...
I think Mr Weigle misinterpreted the hymn, “I Am The Bread of Life.” The words are those of Jesus, himself. The hymn is repeating the words Jesus spoke, in song. I fail to understand how this could be misunterstood.

Jim
 
I never even liked the old (by current standards) song “I am the bread of life,” where it is clear that the congregation is quoting the Lord. Good hymns don’t have dubious theology or have people talking in the place of God. Traditional Protestant hymnology, while it has its own problems, generally avoids this. In the higher denominations anyway it addresses God, not the other way around.

Any old cutesy-pie feel-good notion that enters into the head of a so-called hymn composer does not make it appropriate, and for many years neo-Catholic hymnology has been rife with such theo-babble, unmitigated by either pastoral or theological or artistic oversight.
 
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