mathmarm Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 The title pretty much says it all. If you pray, reflect or say grace prior to eating, what do you say? If you have any other rituals, such as holding hands, kissing etc, can you please share? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the food. Please bless it to our bodies. Amen. (Let's eat!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerka528 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food, by His hands we must be fed, give us Lord our daily bread. Amen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Sometimes a set prayer like God is great, God is good, now we thank Him for our food. More often something spontaneous, but just as simple. Occasionally something special, like singing the doxology. We usually do hold hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerka528 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Thank you God for peanut butter, thank you God for jelly and jam, thank you God for the food I'm eating, and thank you God for who I am. Amen That is our prayers when daddy isn't home and it's just me and the kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ipsey Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We go around the table and say what we are thankful for that day, or what thing was special to us, a kindness done for us, or one that we did for someone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 No hand holding or anything here. I usually say: In the Name of Allah (but in Arabic so its Bismillah) But I may also say: Oh Allah! Bless the food You have provided me and save me from the punishment of the hellfire. In the name of Allah. (But again, in Arabic so what I say is Allahomma barik lana fima razaqtana waqina athaban-nar. Bismillah.) There is another prayer for when you're done eating, but I can't remember it unless I'm eating...(is that weird?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Thank you God for peanut butter, thank you God for jelly and jam, thank you God for the food I'm eating, and thank you God for who I am. Amen That is our prayers when daddy isn't home and it's just me and the kids. Ha! Thats Funny, I like it! Do you have another prayer for when the whole family is together? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripley Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I'm Catholic, and we say the standard: Bless us, O Lord, for these Thy gifts which we are about to receive From Thy bounty, through Christ Our Lord. Amen. We also say grace after the meal: We give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits, O Almighty God, Who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I'm Catholic, and we say the standard: Bless us, O Lord, for these Thy gifts which we are about to receive From Thy bounty, through Christ Our Lord. Amen. . This. No hand holding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 One of my favorites is: For what we have received, may we be truly grateful. More often it contains thanks for God's provision, "bless the food unto our bodies and our bodies to your service", maybe a prayer for someone we know who is in need or a particular concern for the day, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I'm Catholic, and we say the standard: Bless us, O Lord, for these Thy gifts which we are about to receive From Thy bounty, through Christ Our Lord. Amen. We also say grace after the meal: We give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits, O Almighty God, Who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. AMDG That /\ and as I'm sure Ripley does as well, we cross ourselves before and after each prayer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Here, when we do pray (we don't always sit down together), we stand and face our icons and say the Lord's Prayer, and then either "O Lord, bless the food and drink of Thy servants for Thou alone art Holy always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen," or "The poor shall eat and be satisfied and they that seek the Lord shall praise Him; their hearts shall live forever. Amen." Sometimes we'll sing a troparia (song) if there's a feast, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We have several. We always hold hands and most of the prayers are sung...They span religious traditions, some are christian, some buddhist, some muslim, some earth-based. The point is gratitude and the offering of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We hold hands (mainly so certain children are better behaved during grace) and something to the effect of bless this food to our bodies so that we may continue to serve you. We usually add something about being grateful for the help of the previous day/week and ask for continued help for next day/week. If it is the 13yo praying-- well it could lead anywhere and take a very long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We hold hands and either say the "God is great, God is good..." prayer, or dd6 says the prayer, which is very random but sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 When the children were younger we said this one: God is great, God is good Let us thank Him for our food By Your hands we are fed, Thank you Jesus for our bread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjmakmom Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Catholic here, too, so the standard prayer I learned as a child. Bless us, O Lord, for these Thy gifts which we are about to receive From Thy bounty, through Christ Our Lord. Amen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loowit Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We often hold hands, but not always. We don't have a set prayer, but it includes thanking God for the food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We say the standard Lutheran table prayer: Come Lord Jesus Be our guest And let thy gifts To us be blest. Amen Then you get a bunch of Lutherans together and everyone has a slightly different expression for "thy gifts." "These gifts", "these thy gifts", "this food" etc. Growing up (Episcopalian), we said the following: Bless O Lord this food to our use and us to thy service And keep us ever mindful of the needs of others. Amen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilma Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We hold hands, say a "thanks for the food and for your provision in our lives" prayer, in Jesus' name. Then we sing a hymn, the doxology is most popular, but all the hymns we know are available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajfries Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We hold hands and the prayer varies; we don't do repetitious or memorized prayers (with a view to Matthew 6:7). It's usually a prayer of thanksgiving for what we have and asking for help and or direction at meals; if we as a family are struggling with a decision or patience, or what not. We have a good family friend who often includes the phrase "Bless this food & the hands that made it" in his meal time prayers and I've always really thought that was sweet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Come Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let these gifts to us be blessed. Amen And after we eat we pray again. Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, and His mercies endure forever. Amen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Oh, and we fold our hands and don't kiss or anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Livelovelearn Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We have a few that we use. 1) Our 'standard' prayer that we say before any meal is, For what we are about to receive may the Lord make up truely grateful. 2) Before our big sit down meal of the day where we gather as a family we say this, Bless us O God as we sit together, Bless the food we eat today, Bless the hands that make the food, Bless us O God, Amen. We have some other ones that have been picked up from camps and other such activities, but these are not used as regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We usually fold our arms and close our eyes and one person in the family says the prayer. It's always different and the person praying chooses what to say, whether they're 3 or 93, so there can be quite a bit of variety. That's fairly standard for Mormon families. Sometimes we'll hold our cupped hands in front of us, then rub our hands on our faces when we say amen like we saw in Central Asia. It's sort of hard to describe, and that's just something our family does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I'm Catholic, and we say the standard: Bless us, O Lord, for these Thy gifts which we are about to receive From Thy bounty, through Christ Our Lord. Amen. We also say grace after the meal: We give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits, O Almighty God, Who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. Anglican here, but same grace. At special times, like Christmas, we try to add the collect for the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Nyssa Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Christ our God, bless the food and drink of your servants, for you are blessed, unto the ages of ages, Amen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 we say a blessing/prayer on the food, but we dont' say rote prayers. so, it varies every time. always thanking for the food, and asking for it to be blessed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We don't have any set prayer we say. Its usually some variation on "Thank you for this food. Please bless it to us. Thank you for the hands that prepared it" But depending on what just happened that day/who is praying it can get quite a bit longer. We hold hands to avoid snacking during the prayer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We've done a variety of things. At home, we have at times used an offering bowl, placing a small portion of the meal in and thanking Hestia as the keeper of the hearth. When asked to do a grace in a public setting, it's usually "For what we are about to receive, may be we be truly thankful." When my daughter's Girl Scout troop went to a district Camporee a few years ago, each troop was required to provide a grace for one of the large group meals (everyone ate together in a dining hall for that event). At the time, our troop included girls who were Christian, Muslim, atheist, agnostic, and Neopagan, so I looked for something more inclusive than the usual ones suggested for Girl Scouts. We ended up with the following, which was very popular with the camp staff and other groups (they were asked to repeat it a couple of times) from http://www.scoutingweb.com/scoutingweb/subpages/InclusiveGraces.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeneralMom Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We are purely secular but DH missed saying grace (from when he was young) because to him it separated the meal from the rest of the day; maybe it was the ritual he missed so we came up with a family saying (I think it comes from Madeleine in big part) Thank you for the birds who tweet Thank you for the food we eat We love our bread, we love our butter But most of all we love each other. Then during the meal we all say the 3 best parts of our day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsrevmeg Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 No hand-holding or memorized prayers. We thank God for our food, for other blessings, ask him to bless others, and to help us be ambassadors for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Well, last night the 20 year old said grace. We were all in the family room getting ready to watch the new episode of Sherlock while we ate. Never one to elaborate he said his usual, "Dear Lord, thank you food the food." But then quickly added "And Sherlock!... Amen." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMV Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 DH or I (or one of the kids if they want to) basically comes up a simple but somewhat personalized for our family and season very short prayer before family together meals (most breakfasts and dinners some lunches depending on schedule). Our kids take their own turn or ask us to mention specific things for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine72 Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We say the standard Lutheran table prayer: Come Lord Jesus Be our guest And let thy gifts To us be blest. Amen Then you get a bunch of Lutherans together and everyone has a slightly different expression for "thy gifts." "These gifts", "these thy gifts", "this food" etc. . Fellow Lutheran and we say thy gifts. I have heard all versions of this except this food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We also say grace after the meal: We give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits, O Almighty God, Who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. I like the idea of saying grace at the end of the meal, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We say the standard Lutheran table prayer: Come Lord Jesus Be our guest And let thy gifts To us be blest. Amen I married a Lutheran, and this is what we usually say, although my inlaws added to it "Oh give thanks, unto the Lord, for he is good, and his mercy endures forever." Growing up I said the Catholic grace noted above. I often feel I want to mix up our graces a little bit, for variety. I'm interested in what everyone has to say here. My German cousin used to sing a beautiful grace, but unfortunately, I never learned exactly how it went. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Always a prayer before meals. We hold hands because we want too. :) we don't say rote prayers... My dad ends each prayer "and we ask this prayer through your son's precious name, amen". I always love that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 The prayer differs here depending on who is saying it but usually we say something along the lines of thanking God for the food and for our day and for protecting each of us. We usually ask that He bless our evening and that the food will nourish us and then and Amen. My oldest ds is very specific and long with his prayer and usually talks a bit about the specific events of the day, and my youngest ds is very brief and to the point. We have never made a big deal of it. My take on it has always been that I want the kids to be thankful and realize that the food didn't just appear on the table. I want them to be thankful to whom prepared it to God for making it possible for us to have it. At breakfast my kids have been known to simply say, "Thank you God!" or "Thank you Father" and then eat and I'm fine with that. In the evening I tend to use the prayer as a little bit of reflection over the day time. We also start the day with prayer usually thanking God for another day to serve him and serve each other. And asking him to help us be gentle and caring with our words and deeds and to honor him throughout our day. If nothing else, I've found that praying like that is a way to make the kids stop and think about what they are saying and doing without feeling like I'm lecturing them about it. It's a reminder that the world isn't just about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Bless us, O Lord, for these Thy gifts which we are about to receive From Thy bounty, through Christ Our Lord. Amen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We believe that God is basically like a friend and we speak to him as a friend....no rote prayers, but something different each time. It varies by person and day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Just to be different, we are UU. Our standard meal or gathering prayer is We give thanks We give thanks for being We give thanks for geing here together Sometimes we'll share joys and sorrows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Just watch the minute. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t0mtMmYa4o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We hold hands and say something along the lines of thanking God for the food He has provided, and we also ask for His blessing or healing upon anyone we know of who especially needs it. We also offer Him thanks for any particular blessings He's recently granted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelle in MO Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We say a sweet little prayer that ds17 learned in mothers' day out 14 yrs. ago. He came home one day insisting we say "Miss Holly's prayer." :001_smile: Thank you for the food we eat. Thank you for the friends we meet. Thank you for the birds that sing. Thank you, God, for everything! After we say that together, one of us (usually dh) says a personal, non-scripted prayer of thanks/praise and petition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicAnn Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We hold hands and the prayer varies; we don't do repetitious or memorized prayers (with a view to Matthew 6:7). It's usually a prayer of thanksgiving for what we have and asking for help and or direction at meals; if we as a family are struggling with a decision or patience, or what not. We have a good family friend who often includes the phrase "Bless this food & the hands that made it" in his meal time prayers and I've always really thought that was sweet. Our family is like this too. My husband is not often home at dinner this semester, so we often do a silent prayer instead. In our family, I don't pray aloud unless I'm covering my head in this situation. It's different than in other families, but important to us. Our prayers are not memorized, though DH often says things in a pattern- dinners are a long prayer with thanks given for the whole day, lunch is a short prayer with thanks given for the family, and big gatherings are a thanks for life and sacrifice prayer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 AMDG Okay, reading along I see I didn't mention little things I don't even think about . . . We bow our heads, close our eyes, and put our hands together. I tend toward palms together, fingers extended. My husband and daughter fold their fingers down. Also, sometimes someone will sneak a bite before Grace and if she is leading prayer, will say Bless us O! Lord and these Thy gifts which we are about to receive from Thy bounty (and have already received from Thy bounty) Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen. And speaking of prayer b/f meals. My daughter LOVES this song and actually has it for her ring tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I love "rote" prayers! I realize they're not something everyone enjoys, but I pray so much more now that I have ancient prayers to pray (it's not like they're any less real or sincere just because someone else prayed them first). I used to get stuck in looking for the "right" words and emotions from which to create prayers, and I'd often end up not praying because I didn't think my prayers came out right or because I didn't pray as good as him/her or whatever. Now I don't worry about any of that at all and just pray. This is the case with prayers before meals, with daily prayers, with praying at church. It's been wonderfully freeing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 We're Muslim, so we say "Bismillah" (In the name of God) before we eat, and "Alhamdullilah" (Thanks be to God) after we eat. Ideally, you're supposed to do it reverently…and think about all the things you should be grateful to God for..the fact that you actually have food, that you're together with family…thankfulness for the famers and other workers who brought you the food, etc. I always liked this Waldorf grace, "Earth who gives to us this food, Sun who makes it ripe and good Dear Earth, Dear Sun By you we live Our loving thanks to you we give." ​My Aunt taught my kids… you sing it to the ABC tune... "A-B-C-D-E-F-G- Thank you God for feeding me." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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