Reciting a simple prayer before a meal is a great way to focus and appreciate your blessings, whether alone or in company. This prayer does not have to be elaborated, although it may be appropriate in different contexts and on every occasion. You can learn to show devotion regardless of your culture, religion, and beliefs. Go to the first step to learn more about the topic.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Offer Personal Thanks
Step 1. Offer a simple thank you to the people in attendance
It is normal to feel a little dread if you are asked to recite a prayer before a meal during a family reunion or lunch on a feast day. As with a toast at a wedding or a public speech, there is no "right" way to express one's gratitude, although there are different prayers, specific to one's faith, which we will discuss later.
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Example:
“Bless this food and the people who prepared it. We thank you for the meal and the company”.
Step 2. Consider the occasion
If you are reciting the prayer for a meal on a holiday, a family reunion, or an informal dinner, you can adapt it to suit your circumstances. It may also be appropriate to give thanks for the change of season.
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Example:
“Thank you for being here to spend this holiday with all of you. We appreciate this meal in company and with a feeling of celebration.
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Example:
“It is a blessing to be together to celebrate Aunt Giovanna's life in the midst of wonderful people. We thank you for the meal and for the company”.
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Example:
“It is a pleasure to spend this hot summer afternoon on the veranda with all of you and this wonderful food. Together we offer thanks for the abundance we have received.
Step 3. Enter a short personal anecdote
Depending on the group of people and the occasion, it may be appropriate to include a short story to serve as a blessing. It's something very sweet to say when spending time with family or close friends, whether it's for a birthday or any other personal celebration. Usually, if the group is very small, a short personal blessing is also offered to each of those present.
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Example:
I have always considered Aunt Giovanna an inspiration, because of her kind commitment to the service of others and her joyful vision of life. I have always enjoyed spending time with her in the garden. I feel blessed to have such an inspiring person in my life, and to have been able to join you here today to celebrate his life with all of you”.
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Example:
“I am grateful to be here with you today to be able to enjoy this fantastic meal at the end of the week. Our thoughts are turned to Giovannino, who has just completed another hard week of school, to Michela who has started a new job and to all the members of the family who could not be here with us tonight. May they be blessed and happy”.
Step 4. Don't dwell on it
The prayer that precedes the meal is a time when all present join hands or sit silently in contemplation, reflecting on how blessed and fortunate they are before they eat. It doesn't have to be a sermon or a joke. The best choice is to make a simple and short blessing, regardless of the devotion and hunger of those present. Don't rush, but say a few sincere sentences, and conclude with "amen" or another closure of your choice. Prayer should be something like this:
- All present join hands, or bow their heads in silence.
- A few seconds of silence, to be able to enter the spirit of prayer.
- Blessing or prayer, a few simple phrases.
- The closure. The most common for Christians is the word "amen", from the ancient Hebrew "so be it".
Method 2 of 3: Say a Formal Prayer
Step 1. If you are a Christian, turn to God and thank him for food and companionship
In this context, several short prayers exist and are often used; none is better than the other and there is no universal one. In general, those who profess to be Catholic turn to God, also called "The Lord", while those who recognize themselves in evangelical Christianity and other denominations that emphasize a personal relationship with Christ, turn to Jesus. In any case, it is not a written rule, so speak from the heart.
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Example:
“Lord bless this food that we are about to receive and it remains in our hearts. We pray in the name of Jesus, amen”.
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Example:
“Bless us and these gifts that we are about to receive thanks to your abundance, Lord. For Christ, our Lord, amen”.
Step 2. Muslims usually pray before and after a meal
It is important to remain silent and stop all activities during prayer, addressing only Allah.
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Before the meal:
Bismillahi wa 'ala baraka-tillah ("In the name of Allah and for the blessings granted by Allah, let us eat").
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After the meal:
Alham do lillah hilla-thee At Amana wa saquana waja 'alana minal Muslimeen ("All prayers go to Allah, who gave us food and drink, and who created us Muslims").
Step 3. After the meal, those who profess the Jewish faith usually practice birkat hamazon
There are different prayers depending on the food, there is one for fish, one for meat and one for vegetables, although a meal, for Jews, is not complete if there is no bread. The birkat hamazon, or "grace after the meal", is a prayer that is recited at the end of a meal in which bread or matzoh was present, and is present in many books of the Jewish tradition. This prayer should be said during formal meals in a shortened or abridged form, depending on the time available. In a formal context, the head of the table begins the prayer and the group answers him. And a semi-complicated text, made up of four distinct blessings:
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The meal:
Baruch Eloheinu she-achalnu mishelo uv'tuvo chayinu. Baruch hu uvaruch sh'mo ("Blessed be our God, who fed us with his abundance, and made us live in his benevolence. Praise the Eternal God").
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The earth:
Kakatuv, v'achalta v'savata, uveirachta et Adonai Elohecha alhaaretz hatovah asher natan lach. Baruch atah Adonai, al haaretz v'al hamazon (literally: "When you have eaten and are full, thank your God, who has granted you this land. We praise you, God, for the earth and its gifts").
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Jerusalem:
Uv'neih Y'rushalayim ir hakodesh bimheirah v'yameinu. Baruch atah Adonai, boneh v'rachamav Y'rushalayim. Amen ("Let Jerusalem, the holy city, be renewed in our time. We pray, Adonai, with your compassion, rebuild Jerusalem. Amen").
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God:
HaRachaman, hu yimloch aleinu l'olam va-ed. HaRachaman, hu yitbarach bashamayim uvaaretz. HaRachaman, hu yishlach b'rachah m'rubah babayit hazeh, v'al shulchan zeh she-achalnu alav. HaRachaman, hu yishlach lanu et Eliyahu HaNavi, zachur latov, vivaser lanu b'sorot tovot, y'shuot v'nechamot ("Oh merciful, be our God forever. Oh merciful, the heavens and the earth are blessed by Your presence. Oh merciful, bless this house and this table at which we ate. Oh, merciful, send us news of Elijah, give us a vision of the time to come, and give us redemption and consolation ").
Step 4. If you are at the table with people of Hindu religion, you can recite a personal mantra, a verse of the Vedas or the Mahabarata to sanctify the meal
Hindu traditions are diverse and vary greatly depending on the region, it is impossible to define a single prayer for this particular moment. Personal mantras are usually the most common forms of praying before a meal, as is the recitation of passages from the Bhagavad Gita (especially the fourth chapter). Here are some examples:
- Brahmārpaṇam brahma havir ("Brahman is the oblation").
- Brahmāgnau brahmanāhutam ("Brahman is what constitutes the offering").
- Brahmaiva tena gantavyam ("From Brahman the offering is poured into the fire of Brahman").
- Brahma karma samādhinā ("Brahman is truthfully reached by those who see Brahman in all actions").
Step 5. Hold hands in silence
Many religious people - for example Quakers, Buddhists and those who are part of secular humanist traditions - often keep silence for a few seconds to focus on themselves, quiet the mind and let the light in. To pray silently, either alone or in a group, just join your hands and bow your head while remaining silent and blocking your thoughts. After a few moments it is enough to shake the hands of others to warn them of the conclusion of the prayer.
Method 3 of 3: Pray in Other Ways
Step 1. Pray
Depending on the occasion, even a semi-serious prayer may be appropriate. If the meal is very casual, but you still want to give thanks, you can always use one of these options:
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Example:
"Good food, good meat, good God, let's eat!"
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Example:
"God, we are sure you will bless this food as we gorge ourselves."
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Example:
"Bless this food before we sit down, it will need it."
Step 2. Make a drunkard toast
If you've just sat down at a table with a group of people who like to drink, celebrate the spirit of the evening with these classics:
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Example:
"May your cup always be full, the ceiling on your head always solid, and may you arrive in heaven half an hour before the devil knows that you are dead".
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Example:
“When I imagine heaven, I imagine the past, surrounded by good friends who raise glasses”.
Step 3. Use foreign aphorisms
Learning about the simple blessings of people around the world can be a great way to make your meal matter. Here are some examples:
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Japan:
itadakimasu ("I am receiving").
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Latin America:
“To those who are hungry, give bread. To those who have bread, give the thirst for justice”.
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Ghana:
“Earth, when I die, I'll come back to you. But now that I'm alive, I depend on you”.
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Southeast Asia:
"This food is the gift of the entire universe. We can be deserving of it. May the energy of this food give us the strength to transform our negative qualities into positive ones ".
Advice
- This prayer is an offer of gratitude to God for providing the food.
- If you eat with people of religions other than yours, be polite and adapt your prayer to all diners, giving thanks to God in general (you can indicate it with "Lord", "Father" or "Our God", it is good for all faiths).
