Grace Before Meals

“Let us remind ourselves that we are in God’s presence…. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.”

This is how they start the grace before meals everyday. But instead of a simple ‘Bless us O Lord’ I encourage them to say something first – in thanksgiving, or a request, or contrition. They used to say things like these:

“Lord, please make me eat fast so I can eat my dessert na… Bless us O Lord…”

“Lord, please don’t make Kuya make disgusting sounds while eating… Bless us O Lord…”

Now, though, they always start with this:

“Lord, thank you for the food that’s on our table, and thank you for a fun day in school… Bless us O Lord…”

So now it’s also turning into a formula prayer… Haaay… Can we be less spontaneous?