Anyone who has ever dined in a Catholic home has probably heard the prayer before meals that begins with the famous words: “Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts.” These words in particular are first found in the Galesian Sacramentary, a book of Christian liturgy that dates to the seventh or eighth century, but the practice of praying before meals is Biblical, harkening back to the Jewish ritual washing of hands before eating. In the Gospels, Jesus is shown praying before the Last Supper and other meals, setting an example followed by Paul in Acts 27:35.

In his 2015 encyclical Laudato SI’, Pope Francis urged the faithful “to return to this beautiful and meaningful custom.”

“That moment of blessing,” he wrote, “reminds us of our dependence on God for life; it strengthens our feeling of gratitude for the gifts of creation…(and) reaffirms our solidarity with those in greatest need.”

©LPi

Bless us, O Lord! and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord.
Amen.