bless this food

By: Adrian Butash
Edited date: August 12, 2021Estimated reading time: 1 minutes

“Food blessings provide a window to the profound spirituality that we all share and that connects us to all humankind, nature and the infinite.” Thus begins Bless This Food, a beautiful, wide-ranging compilation of graces from around the world. In the introduction, Adrian Butash presents a history of gratia, a Latin term for the expression of thanks, spanning different cultures and religions. He explains that our meals are universal divine gifts and we can choose to connect with the divine by cultivating gratitude at mealtime. The prayers are not all sacred, some are poetic and some are fun, but “all possess some kind of beneficial power for humankind.” 

After each prayer Butash has included interesting details about the author, religion and oftentimes the origin of a specific prayer. These thoughtful afterwards add a sense of connection and richness making each grace an experience. After reciting a prayer before dinner, I find that I am eating mindfully and I am aware that I am nourishing my body in service to love. 

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