Grace (prayer)


A grace is a short prayer or thankful phrase said before or after eating. The term most commonly refers to Christian traditions. Some traditions hold that grace and thanksgiving imparts a blessing which sanctifies the meal. In English, reciting such a prayer is sometimes referred to as "saying grace". The term comes from the Ecclesiastical Latin phrase gratiarum actio, "act of thanks." In Christian theology, the act of saying grace is derived from the Bible, in which Jesus and Saint Paul pray before meals. The practice reflects the belief that humans should thank God who is the origin of everything.

Christianity

Typical Christian grace prayers

Before eating, a blessing is said based on the category of food that is being eaten. The categories are: Bread, fruits that grow on a tree, fruits/vegetables that do not grow on a tree, derivates of the five grains, derivatives of grapes and everything else.
The Jewish mealtime prayer, after eating a meal that includes bread, is known as Birkat Hamazon. If the meal does not include bread, a blessing after the meal is recited based on the category of food that was eaten.
With the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD, the offering of the prescribed sacrifices ceased in Judaism. Thereafter, the Rabbis prescribed the substitution of other ritual actions to fill this void in Jewish obedience to the Torah. The ritual washing of hands and eating of salted bread is considered to be a substitute for the sacrificial offerings of the kohanim.
Though there are separate blessings for fruit, vegetables, non-bread grain products, and meat, fish, and dairy products, a meal is not considered to be a meal in the formal sense unless bread is eaten. The duty of saying grace after the meal is derived from : "And thou shalt eat and be satisfied and shalt bless the Lord thy God for the goodly land which he has given thee." Verse 8 of the same chapter says: "The land of wheat and barley, of the vine, the fig and the pomegranate, the land of the oil olive and of syrup." Hence only bread made of wheat or of barley is deemed worthy of the blessing commanded in verse 10.
After the meal, a series of four benedictions are said, or a single benediction if bread was not eaten.

Islam

The Bahá'í Faith has these two prayers, which are meant for those who wish to thank God before they eat:
"He is God! Thou seest us, O my God, gathered around this table, praising Thy bounty, with our gaze set upon Thy Kingdom. O Lord! Send down upon us Thy heavenly food and confer upon us Thy blessing. Thou art verily the Bestower, the Merciful, the Compassionate."
"He is God! How can we render Thee thanks, O Lord? Thy bounties are endless and our gratitude cannot equal them. How can the finite utter praise of the Infinite? Unable are we to voice our thanks for Thy favors and in utter powerlessness we turn wholly to Thy Kingdom beseeching the increase of Thy bestowals and bounties. Thou art the Giver, the Bestower, the Almighty."

Hinduism

Hindus use the 24th verse of the 4th chapter of Bhagavad Gita as the traditional prayer or blessing before a meal. Once the food is blessed it becomes Prasad, or sanctified as holy
Brahmaarpanam Brahma Havir
Brahmaagnau Brahmanaa Hutam
Brahmaiva Tena Gantavyam
Brahma Karma Samaadhinah

Which translates as 'The act of offering is God, the oblation is God, By God it is offered into the fire of God, God is That which is to be attained by him who sees God in all.'
Sometimes, the 14th verse from the 15th chapter of Bhagavad Gita is used:
Aham Vaishvaanaro Bhutva
Praaninaam Dehamaashritha
Praanaapaana Samaa Yuktaha
Pachaamyannam Chatur Vidam

This translates as 'Becoming the life-fire in the bodies of living beings, mingling with the upward and downward breaths, I digest the four kinds of food.'
Traditional Maharashtrian grace invokes the Lord through the shloka of Sant Ramdas namely:
vadani kaval gheta naam ghya shri-hariche l
sahaj havan hote naam gheta phukache l
jivan kari jivitva anna he purn-brahma l
udar-bharan nohe janije yadnya-karma ll 1 ll
jani bhojani naam vache vadave l
ati aadare gadya-ghoshe mhanave l
harichintane anna sevit jaave l
tari srihari pavijeto swabhave ll 2 ll
This translates as: Take the name of the Lord when putting a morsel into your mouth.

Buddhism

In Buddhism different traditions have prayers that are said or chanted before meals.
In Japanese Zen a prayer on the "Five Reflections", Gokan-no-ge, are done before and after meals. This includes putting one's hands together and say "Itadakimasu" before eating a meal.
Theravadan monks chant a reminder not to crave food.
In the Nichiren School of Buddhism a prayer is done to "repay the Four Favors", debts we owe to parents, sentient beings, leaders and The Buddha, Dharma and Sanga.

Other pre-meal traditions

In Korea, it is customary to say "Jal meokgesseumnida" . The saying is not religious in nature, and usually only occurs when eating with someone else.
In certain Boy Scout circles, especially in Missouri, the "S-F" grace is often said, especially when people at the table are of mixed religions. The S-F grace gives thanks to a "great Spirit", but is not affiliated with any one religion.
Another common Boy Scout grace is the "Philmont Grace" or the "Wilderness Grace". It can be found in use wherever a troop has gone to Philmont, but is most common in the Western half of the United States. It goes: " For food, for raiment, / For life, for opportunities, / For friendship and fellowship, / We thank thee, O Lord."