Catholic Grace Before Meals: “Bless Us, O Lord” and Grace After Meals

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The traditional Catholic grace before meals is a single sentence that many families have prayed for generations. Make the Sign of the Cross and say:

Bless us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then make the Sign of the Cross again and begin the meal. Below are the grace after meals, the Latin and Spanish versions, short graces for children and families, and prayers for holidays and difficult days.

Why Catholics pray before meals

Grace is one of the oldest daily rhythms of Christian prayer. The Catechism lists “grace before and after meals” with morning and evening prayer among the daily habits the Church proposes to nourish continual prayer (CCC 2698). Commenting on “give us this day our daily bread,” it adds that even after we have worked for it, our food remains a gift from our Father, and “it is good to ask him for it with thanksgiving, as Christian families do when saying grace at meals” (CCC 2834).

Jesus himself blessed food and gave thanks before he fed the five thousand (Matthew 14:19) and at the Last Supper. A grace at table is a small daily echo of the Eucharist, whose name means “thanksgiving.”

Catholic grace after meals

Fewer families know the grace after meals, but it is just as traditional. The short form:

We give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits, O Almighty God, who livest and reignest for ever; and may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

A longer form, from Father Lasance’s My Prayer-Book (1908), adds a prayer for benefactors and for the dead:

We give Thee thanks, almighty God, for all Thy benefits, Who livest and reignest world without end.

R. Amen.

Vouchsafe, O Lord, to reward with eternal life all those who do us good for Thy name’s sake.

R. Amen.

V. Let us bless the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

V. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

R. Amen.

The closing prayer for the faithful departed is why many Catholics remember their deceased relatives at the end of every family meal.

Grace before meals in Latin

Benedic, Domine, nos et haec tua dona, quae de tua largitate sumus sumpturi. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

And after meals:

Agimus tibi gratias, omnipotens Deus, pro universis beneficiis tuis, qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Grace before meals in Spanish

Bendícenos, Señor, y bendice estos alimentos que por tu bondad vamos a recibir. Por Cristo nuestro Señor. Amén.

Short family graces

Use these short graces when you want variety, or teach them to children alongside the traditional prayer. The first adapts a popular Latin American table prayer, the second was written for this guide, and the third is an old table rhyme.

Lord Jesus, bless this food and the hands that prepared it.
Give bread to those who are hungry,
and hunger for you to those who have bread.
Amen.

Thank you, Father, for this meal and for one another.
Make us grateful, generous and kind.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest,
and let these gifts to us be blessed.
Amen.

The rhyme is easy for small children to remember.

A grace for children

God our Father, thank you for our food,
for our family, and for this day.
Help us to share with others.
Amen.

A good way to teach little ones is to let a different child lead grace each night, and to let them add one thing they are thankful for before “Amen.”

Graces for holidays and special days

  • Thanksgiving. See our collection of Catholic Thanksgiving prayers, including a Thanksgiving dinner grace.
  • Christmas dinner. Add to the traditional grace: “and on this holy night (day), we thank you for the birth of your Son, Jesus Christ.”
  • Easter. Add: “and we rejoice in the Resurrection of your Son. Alleluia.”
  • A birthday. Add: “and bless N. in the year ahead.” For a birthday Mass, see birthday Mass intention examples.
  • Advent. Many families pray grace and then the day’s prayer at the Advent wreath.

A grace on a hard day

Grace is not only for happy tables. When someone is missing because of illness, travel or death, you might pray:

Lord, we thank you for this food
and for the love that holds our family together.
Be with N., whom we miss at this table tonight.
Comfort all who are grieving or alone,
and bring us all one day to the banquet of heaven.
Amen.

For a family that has lost someone, see also the Eternal Rest prayer.

Praying grace in a restaurant or in public

There is no rule about how to pray in public. Many Catholics simply make the Sign of the Cross and say the traditional grace quietly. A brief, unhurried prayer is a good witness without making others uncomfortable. If you are the guest of people who do not pray, you can say grace silently.

Frequently asked questions

Do Catholics make the Sign of the Cross before grace?

Yes. It is customary to make the Sign of the Cross before and after the prayer. In the Baltimore Catechism the grace is printed with a cross at the beginning for this reason.

Who should lead grace?

Anyone. Traditionally a parent leads, but inviting children or guests to lead is a good way to include them.

Is it a sin to forget to pray before meals?

No. Grace is a good habit, not a commandment. If you forget, simply give thanks when you remember.

Should we pray grace when eating alone?

Yes, if you can. A short grace said alone is still thanksgiving to God, and it keeps the habit alive.

More daily Catholic prayers

Texts and sources