Saying Grace

a resource for Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

In honor of today’s celebration in the United States, I thought I would share something simple yet profound. As you probably know, I love the poetry of the late Irish mystic John O’Donohue. He has a lovely book called To Bless the Space Between Us, full of prayers of blessing for all occasions.

Today I would like to share his prayers to bless a meal, both before and after. I love these poems, and I think they capture just a hint of what a truly lovely meal can represent: goodness, love, awareness, togetherness, and gratitude.

I hope these prayers bless your day, whether you’re feasting today or no, and blessings be upon you wherever they find you!

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Grace Before Meals

by John O’Donohue

As we begin this meal with grace, 
Let us be aware of the memory 
Carried inside the food before us: 
The quiver of the seed 
Awakening in the earth, 
Unfolding in a trust of roots 
And slender stems of growth, 
On its voyage toward harvest, 
The kiss of rain and surge of sun; 
The innocence of animal soul 
That never spoke a word, 
Nourished by the earth 
To become today our food; 
The work of all the strangers 
Whose hands prepared it, 
The privilege of wealth and health 
That enables us to feast and celebrate.  

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Grace After Meals

by John O’Donohue

We end this meal with grace
For the joy and nourishment of food,
The slowed time away from the world
To come into presence with each other
And sense the subtle lives behind our faces,
The different colors of our voices,
The edges of hungers we keep private,
The circle of love that unites us. 
We pray the wise spirit who keeps us
To change the structures that make others hunger
And that after such grace we might now go forth
And impart dignity wherever we partake. 

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Thank you for reading!

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