It seems appropriate to discuss on Sunday the prayer that we will say around our Thanksgiving buffet on Thursday. While we normally say the traditional Catholic table blessing in our home before meals, we often say a different prayer before Thanksgiving.
We don't all take turns giving thanks for our blessings out loud as the teenagers would mutiny, but our prayer expresses the feelings of all present. We will ask specifically for blessings on those family members who are ill, for the souls who go before us, and we will ask special blessings for all of the soldiers.
We do have a blessing jar, in which each person will write on paper and place their blessings, and when we have our Thanksgiving fire that night, we will burn the papers.
O Gracious God, we give you thanks for your overflowing generosity to us. Thank you for the blessings of the food we eat and especially for this feast today. Thank you for our home and family and friends, especially for the presence of those gathered here. Thank you for our health, our work and our play. Please send help to those who are hungry, alone, sick and suffering war and violence. Open our hearts to your love. We ask your blessing through Christ your son. Amen.
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5 comments:
just checking in with you to see what you are up to.
You photos are getting really really good.
Ha, ha, Marye. That's because lately they haven't been mine!!
That's a lovely prayer, and pretty much says it all. I may steal it.
Be my guest, since I found it on a lovely Catholic prayer website.
I guess I should be careful about that snitching thing -- but this one had no author to worry about! :o)
Beautiful.
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