Bless Us, O Lord: A Family Treasury of Mealtime Prayers

by Robert M. Hamma

Overview

Winner of a third-place award for prayer books from the Association of Catholic Publishers.

Bless Us, O Lord belongs on the shelf of every Catholic family that wants to pray together daily. You can introduce children to original and traditional blessings, the lives of the saints, the rhythm of the Church year, and the practice of daily prayer in a way that is both appealing to them and a means to unite your whole family.

Praying together at the table helps families recognize the presence of Jesus in their midst and make connections between their meal and the celebration of the Eucharist.

Author Robert M. Hamma brings his warm and gentle spirit to original prayers, which he combines with traditional blessings to offer an open-and-go resource for parents and caregivers. He provides the perfect words for every occasion—from observing saint feast days and liturgical seasons to celebrating a child's birthday and remembering the life of a loved one. Bless Us, O Lord will help you with fresh ideas and tools for living the liturgy in your home and nourishing the souls of your children with stories of the saints, including prayers for

• days of the week;
• Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, and Easter;
• saints’ feast days and holy days;
• national and cultural holidays; and
• special family celebrations to mark birthdays, anniversaries, and special achievements.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594719820
Publisher:	Ave Maria Press
Publication date:	09/11/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Robert M. Hamma is the author of nine books and numerous articles on spirituality and family life. He retired in 2016 as vice president and editorial director at Ave Maria Press. Hamma earned a master’s degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame and a master of divinity degree from Immaculate Conception Seminary. He previously worked in parish ministry and as an editor at Paulist Press. He and his wife, Kathryn Schneider, have three grown children and live in Granger, Indiana.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction xiii

The Days of the Week 1

The Church Year 7

Advent 9

The Christmas Season 16

Lent 19

The Triduum 25

The Easter Season 27

Ordinary Time 30

Holidays and Saints' Days through the Year 33

Special Occasions 173

Traditional Graces 189

Index 195

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“I love this practical prayer book for families. Parents know that dinnertime is one of the few moments throughout the day when a family can sit down, slow down, and enjoy each other’s company. Catholic parents know that it is also one of the best times of day to pray with our kids. Robert Hamma has put together a creative collection of prayers to use as any family's dinnertime devotional. Hamma has a heart for the poor and the marginalized, and the prayers he offers in this Bless Us, O Lord invite us to share in that sentiment. This book will help families grow closer to God, closer to each other, and closer to the many people who go without food each day.” —Jared Dees, Founder of The Religion Teacher website, Author of Christ in the Classroom

“In today’s busy world, the thought of praying together as a family may feel like a challenge. Thankfully, Robert Hamma’s wonderful resource Bless Us, O Lord offers a simple invitation to gather as a family around the table and to lift our voices in prayer. Hamma’s simple yet insightful words provide gentle structure and context for the moments and celebrations that fill our hearts and homes. Share them with your loved ones and witness how your lives are blessed and encouraged!” —Lisa M. Hendey, Founder of CatholicMom.com

“Parents are often looking for ways to teach their children the rudiments of Catholic faith. Such education tends to occur in informal moments such as prayer before meals rather than through official catechetical curricula. In Bless Us, O Lord, parents will find a resource that will assist them in their work of teaching their children to pray. Eating together is integral to life within the domestic Church, not just because it’s a time to catch up with one another, but because it’s an occasion to develop the disposition of gratitude. Through these prayers before meals for nearly every occasion a family might experience, Robert Hamma has given Christian families a resource for developing a posture of gratitude in everyday life. The prayers connect as much to the daily events of family life as they do to the liturgical year of the Church. This book of prayers will be a gift to every family.” —Timothy P. O’Malley, Director of Education, The McGrath Institute for Church Life, University of Notre Dame

“Bless Us, O Lord is simply beautiful. Each family knows the difficulties associated with family prayer—giggling, wiggling, crying, pinching. It’s the blessed chaos of the home, which as parents we try at least to calm for prayer if only for a moment. Often it’s at the mealtime table that prayer is the hardest, which is why Robert Hamma’s book is so wonderful and so welcome. This book is special first for its clarity and breadth. Prayers involving the whole of life—saints, seasons, special occasions and even secular heroes such as Helen Keller and Anne Frank—help families capture the world for prayer, teaching us to gather up in prayer all things children (and even parents) learn and celebrate throughout life. But what is even more profound is that if families use this book well they will in time bring two important tables closer together—the table of the Eucharist and the family table—in one organic rhythm of life. —Rev. Joshua J. Whitfield, Pastor, St. Rita Catholic Community, Dallas, Texas

“Sitting at the table to share a meal as a family is a true expression of being domestic church. At the table we eat together, talk, learn, argue, laugh, and cry. At the table, we share the joy of being with relatives and friends as God’s blessings. Robert Hamma invites us in this fabulous book to start this intimate moment as a domestic church and community in prayer. Bless Us, O Lord is a superb collection of prayers that traveled to us through history, born in different communities and circumstances and offered by a great diversity of women and men who saw God in all things. These prayers are summons to pray and eat together, knowing that we are part of a larger whole and that God always journeys with us.” —Hosffman Ospino, Associate Professor of Theology and Religious Education, Boston College School of Theology and Ministry