Giving Thanks
For those of you not living in the United States, today is Thanksgiving.
A few days ago, after making a snide remark about the upcoming national holiday, a friend suggested to me that, given that I have a lot to be thankful for, I really shouldn’t be so curmudgeonly about Thanksgiving. My friend was quite right. After all, if the central focus of Catholic worship is “Eucharist” (literally “Thanksgiving”), then perhaps I should be a bit more enthusiastic about a yearly national holiday in which people call to mind all things for which they are thankful….not forgetting, of course, that Squanto was Catholic! Mea culpa.
Pray, tell me
So, since today focuses on “thanksgiving”, I’d like to take this opportunity to find out your thoughts about “giving thanks” for your food when out in public…
Do you pray before you begin a meal at a restaurant? If so, do you pray out loud or in silence? Catholics usually begin and end their prayers with a sign of the cross – do you omit that when you’re in public or just do a very small, quick one? What about if you’re with other people, some of whom aren’t Catholic or Christian?
Religious Oppression
Our new Bishop, Bishop Flores, when speaking to all the Young Adults at the “Mega Mass”, spoke about a time when he went to dinner with a group of young adults and was rather surprised when they just began eating their food without saying grace. When he queried this, one of his dinner companions said that they didn’t do it because they didn’t want to “impose their religion” upon other people in the restaurant!
Table Manners
Growing up, we generally said grace before meals when we sat down together as a family. I grew a bit slack during my teenage years, but in my twenties I started to pray much more regularly before eating, one of the good habits which arose from dating a wonderful and extremely faith-filled lady.
However, I still didn’t generally say grace when I was out at restaurants or when I was with non-Christians. I just felt too awkward. This all changed when I once saw a small group in a restaurant saying grace. I found something extremely touching about them bowing their heads in prayer, thanking God with gratitude for their meal, unashamed of any odd looks this might draw. So, inspired by their example, I now just get over myself and pray regardless, throwing in a nice large sign of the cross at the beginning and end to boot 🙂
So what’s your opinion? Do you have any particular blessings you pray before eating? Leave your comments below!
I don’t know which line I appreciated more: “This is not California, land of the heathen,” or “Whatever, Jesus still loves you.”
I love Mrs. Cooper so much 🙂
Oh yeah, and my take on this: always pray before a meal in public. It’s a good witness to others, and you never know who it might touch. And if you get jeered at for it, even better (cf. Matthew 5:10-12)!
“Come Lord Jesus and be our guest and with these things to us be blessed.”
Thanks 🙂
Before: Bless us, O Lord! and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord.
Amen. (I’m traditional.)
But then there is the prayer AFTER the meals
After: We give You thanks for all your benefits, O Almighty God, who lives and reigns forever and ever, world without end. And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. (Again, traditional, but I didn’t learn this until I got to the convent)
Twenty years ago, my husband and I started making the sign of the cross and saying grace in restaurants. Our sons now do the same and it doesn’t seem unusual or embarrassing to them at all. I was once told by a priest that by this example, we help the souls in purgatory. Whether this is true or not (but it would be nice), we definitely feel that it is exercising our freedom to practice our religion AND most importantly practicing our faith by remembering that everything is a gift from God.