Catholic Meal Prayers You Might Not Know (English & Latin)
When it comes to Catholic Meal Prayers, most Catholics are really diligent about praying before their meals and most use the “Bless Us O Lord” prayer.
But did you know there are some additional prayers you can pray and they differ slightly according to time of day? Do you pray after your meal?
Check out these Catholic meal prayers.
Prayer Before Meals
English
Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Add for Midday
May the King of everlasting glory make us partakers of the heavenly table. Amen
Add for Evening
May the King of ever-lasting glory lead us to the banquet of life eternal. Amen.
Latin
Benedíc nos Dómine et haec Túa dóna quae de Túa largitáte súmus sumptúri. Per Chrístum Dóminum nóstrum.
Ámen.
Ante prandium
Mensae caelestis participes faciat nos, Rex aeternae gloriae. Amen.
Ante cenam:
Ad cenam vitae aeternae perducat nos, Rex aeternae gloriae. Amen.
Prayer After Meals
English
We give thee thanks, almighty God, for all Thy benefits, Who livest and reignest, world without end.
R. Amen.
V. May the Lord grant us His peace.
R. And life everlasting.
Amen
Latin
Ágimus Tíbi grátias omnípotens Déus, pro univérsis benefíciis Tuis: qui vívis et régnas in saécula saeculórum.
R. Ámen.
V. Deus det nobis suam pacem.
R. Et vitam aeternam.
Amen
Do you normally pray all these prayers? Some of them? Tell us more!
These prayers originally came from the Roman Ritual and are often reproduced for convenience in many Latin diurnales and breviaries. Why not just pray the entire meal liturgy with the whole Church?
The meal liturgies are short and can be said by either cleric or layman (though there are slight variations depending on one’s state in life, and if a priest is present it’s always fitting for him to say these prayers). They’re said in typical verse/response form like most liturgical prayers. The basic format of the prayers are as follow:
BEFORE EATING:
1. Invocation (V. Benedicite! R. Benedicite! …)
2. Doxology (Gloria Patri…)
3. Kyrie
4. Pater Noster (said silently until you reach V. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem)
5. The blessing of the food (Oremus, Benedic Domine nos et haec…)
6. Benediction of the people
AFTER EATING:
1. Invocation (V. Tu autem Domine, miserere nobis…)
2. Thanksgiving (Oremus, Agimus tibi gratias Omnipotens Deus…)
3. Psalm 116:1-2 with Doxology
4. Kyrie
5. Pater Noster (said silently until you reach V. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem)
6. A short versicle/response
7. Pater Noster once more, but said entirely silently, including the V. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem.
8. Final blessing (V. Deus det nobis ? suam pacem. R. Amen.)
There are variations in how these are said during different feasts and seasons, namely in the invocations, benedictions, versicle/responses, and the final blessing, and the seasons for which there are variations are the 3 Octaves (Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost), Epiphany, and Ascensiontide. The meal liturgies for the Triduum are entirely different from above basically consisting of nothing more than a short antiphon, the Pater Noster said entirely silently, and then the sign of the cross without any blessing or words.
If anyone is interested in these I’ve transcribed them from the Roman Ritual (1960) into Latin and English and given all their feast variations. You can find them here:
Morning/Midday Meal
Before: https://trademecum.weebly.com/before-lunch.html
After: https://trademecum.weebly.com/after-lunch.html
Evening Meal
Before: https://trademecum.weebly.com/before-dinner.html
After: https://trademecum.weebly.com/after-dinner.html
Pardon any typos!
Awesome info, Brandon. You’ve taught me a lot!
Also, there’s a very short and easily memorizable prayer in the Roman Ritual for collations (the small “snacks” one is allowed during times of fasting). I’ve come to pray it anytime I take a small morsel of food whether fasting or not:
V. Benedícite.
R. Benedícite.
V. Collatiónem servórum suórum benedícat Christus, Rex angelorum.
R. Amen.
V. Bless the Lord.
R. Bless the Lord.
V. May Christ, the King of angels, bless this collation of his servants.
R. Amen.
Hi Brandon, I am wondering who published the Roman Ritual you have, and what other diurnals, breviaries, older editions of the Roman Ritual, etc. would also have these meal liturgies in Latin? Also, have these liturgies been updated recently or are they public domain?
gregorio-project.github.io/examples/benedictiones/benedictiones.pdf
WE LOVE BESSSING THE BESSSING
Love the way you put that!