What a joy it was recently to have
our dinner host ask us to stand at table and hold hands, asking my husband to pray before our shared meal “as is our custom.” I woke with that scene shining in my mind
in the wee hours of this morning. How profoundly simple prayers said in peace
at meal time shape our lives.
Here is the prayer my husband
prayed on that occasion, one he learned as a child and holds dear to use in our
home. It is followed by a simple prayer our granddaughter loves to use. Following these
are partner prayers for before and after meals...
~~~
Bless us O Lord, and these thy
gifts
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which we are about to receive
from thy bounty
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
~~~
God is great and God is good
and we thank Him for our food.
By His hands we all are fed.
Give us Lord our daily bread.
Amen.
~~~
Grace Before the Meal - I
Loving Father,
You bless us in every way,
especially with the love of your
Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our souls magnify you,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We thank you for all good things
especially this
meal,
through Christ
our Lord.
Amen.
Grace After the Meal - I
Our spirits
rejoice in God our Savior,
for he has
filled the hungry with good things.
Bless those
who have provided for us in any way
and fill
all those who live in want.
through
Christ our Lord.
Amen.
~~~
Grace Before the Meal - II
Loving
Father,
bless this
meal, all who prepared it,
and all who
made it possible
through their
service and sacrifice.
May our
sharing of this meal
lead us to
renew our thankfulness for the
“better
portion” - your Son, Jesus Christ,
who is our
Lord, now and for ever.
Amen.
Grace After the Meal - II
Lord,
thank you
for your nourishment and unfailing care.
May we show
our gratitude in fervent prayer
and loving acts of service.
We ask this
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
~~~
Grace Before the Meal - III
Blessed are
you, almighty Father,
who gives
us our daily bread.
Blessed is
your only begotten Son,
who continually
feeds us on the word of life.
Blessed is
the Holy Spirit,
who brings
us together at this table of love.
Blessed be
God now and forever.
Amen.
Grace After the Meal - III
Blessed are
you, Lord, God of all creation;
You bring
forth bread from the earth
to feed all creatures and people.
Blessed be
God forever. Amen.
~~~
Grace Before
the Meal - IV
Bless this
meal, loving Father,
with the graces of the Last Supper of your Son.
We thank
you for this food
And for those who prepared it.
But most of
all, we thank you
For the
sacrifice of Christ’s body and blood
Which unites
us in holy communion
And reconciles
us to you.
We ask this
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Grace After the Meal - IV
Lord Jesus,
As we
depart from this table
may we
never depart from you,
but live
always in the awareness of
your loving
presence through
the work of
the Holy Spirit.
We ask this
in your Holy Name.
Amen.
~~~
Grace Before
the Meal - V
Loving
Father,
We thank
you for our countless blessings
especially for the gift of your Son,
for the
church, for our faith, and now for this meal.
Bless this
food and the love that unites us,
Keep us forever
grateful
and
generous in your service.
We ask this
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Grace After the Meal - V
Loving
Father,
You have
blessed us with this time
Of nourishment
and communion.
Bless all
those who prepared it
and made it
possible.
Show your
special care to those who go without
and make us instruments of your
compassion.
We ask this
in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen.
~~~
Grace Before the Meal – VI (December)
Loving
Father
You bless
us in every way,
Especially with
the love of your Son.
Following
the example of the virgin Mary
who sang of
your greatness,
Our souls
magnify you.
We thank
you for all good things,
Especially this
meal, through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Grace After the Meal – VI (December)
Our spirits
rejoice in God our Savior,
For he has
filled the hungry with good things.
Bless those
who have provided for us in any way
and fill all those who live in want.
Through
Christ our Lord,
Amen.
~~~
For what we are about to receive,
O Lord, make us truly thankful. Amen
This last short prayer is a handy one for hungry little boys to have on hand in case they are called on to lead the prayer. It's a step up from "Rub-a-dub-dub, thank you for the grub. Let's eat!"
*Prayers I through VI are based on Blessings for Mealtime from the devotional series "Magnificat."
~~~
SUNG PRAYER
But Thanks Be to God - Handel
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| MILLET - El Ángelus |
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