Iesu, Panis Vitae

We originally posted this in 2016. We return to it today, as we mourn the death of Pope Francis. Iesu, Panis Vitae was composed especially for his 2015 Papal Mass in Luneta, where Bukas Palad sang alongside hundreds of others from many choirs—in prayer, in welcome, and in thanksgiving. Later, we were invited to sing at the CNN Philippines coverage of his departure. The song lineup changed at the last minute, and this piece was removed. But we couldn’t bear to leave it unsung. It reminded us too much of him—his warmth, his nearness, the way he became bread for others simply by being present. We remembered the image of Pope Francis in Palo, Leyte—meeting survivors, comforting the grieving, and standing in a yellow plastic coat under the rain to show what accompaniment truly looks like. So we gathered in a quiet conference room, and sang it—for the Pope, for the Church he helped renew, and for Christ, our living food and drink for all our journeys. We remember a Pope who walked with the poor, who broke bread with the wounded, who never stopped pointing us toward mercy. Maraming salamat, Papa Francisco. ORIGINAL CAPTION This song was part of the lineup for our CNN Phils. guesting. It had to be scrapped to repeat a more appropriate song for the Pope's departure. The members however couldn't bear to NOT sing such a beautiful song - so we decided to do a "bonus take" in the conference room :)