Grace Before Meals
Giving Thanks
Grace is the name given to the prayer of thanks we say before eating.
Short statements of gratitude they might also include thanks for what has happened during the day.
There are many forms of grace. There is no correct one. The following are just a few ideas.
The Familiar
Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts, which we are about to receive from your bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
or
Bless us O Lord, bless this food, bless those who prepared it and give food to the hungry. Amen
E te Atua
kia whakapaingia matou
me enei kai,
kua jomai e koe
kia ora ai matou.
Ma to matou Ariki,
ma Hehu Karaititi
Amene
Time to Pray and Eat
Recite with the same rhythm as the nursery rhyme, Pop Goes the Weasel.
Every day around this time,
We gather at the table,
But before we take a bite,
We STOP and say thank you.
Thanks to those who bought the food,
Thanks to those who cooked it,
Most of all we thank You, Lord,
Now GO ahead and eat it!
(Shout or clap on the words "stop" and "go" if you wish.)
Source: Focus on the Family Canada, 2013
Tune: Edelweiss
Come dear Lord, be our guest
As we gather together
May our hearts glow with love
Keep us close to you forever.
Love and joy, may they bloom and grow,
Bloom and grow forever.
Bless our homes, bless our friends,
Bless our family forever.
God is great and God is Good,
And we thank God for our food;
By God's hand we must be fed,
Give us Lord, our daily bread. Amen.
Full of joy and thankfulness, we say 'Thank you Lord' from the bottom of our hearts.
We look at the food that has been prepared by loving hands, we look into the faces of those that love us and whom we love.
And we say thank you Lord, thank you.
Amen
