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Grace After Meals
Grace After Meals is a traditional Catholic prayer thanking God after eating and remembering those who have died in faith.
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Grace After Meals
We give Thee thanks, almighty God, for all Thy benefits, who livest and reignest world without end. Amen. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
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“We give thee thanks, Almighty God, for all thy benefits”
The prayer deliberately turns from receiving a meal to thanksgiving for all the good God gives.
“Who livest and reignest world without end”
Ordinary gratitude opens into praise of the eternal God rather than ending with the meal itself.
“May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace”
The traditional prayer also remembers the dead, joining everyday thanksgiving with prayer for the faithful departed.
In brief
Catholics pray Grace After Meals to thank God after receiving food rather than allowing gratitude to end once the meal begins. The traditional form also remembers the faithful departed.
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What is this prayer?
Grace After Meals is the traditional counterpart to Grace Before Meals. Instead of asking for a blessing before eating, it explicitly gives thanks afterward for God's benefits.
Quick facts
- Type
- Prayer of thanksgiving
- When
- After eating
- Focus
- Gratitude to God
- Also remembers
- The faithful departed
- Traditional pair
- Grace Before Meals
Why Catholics pray it
Why it matters
Christian gratitude is a response after receiving a gift as well as before it. This prayer forms the habit of recognising God's generosity even in ordinary necessities such as food.
When to pray
When Catholics use it
It is traditionally prayed after finishing a meal. It can be used privately, with family or in a Catholic community.
Meaning
What the words mean
The prayer thanks God for His benefits and then turns outward by remembering the dead and asking that they may rest in God's mercy.
History
Where this prayer comes from
Prayers of thanksgiving after food belong to ancient religious practice. The traditional Catholic form combines gratitude to God with a brief prayer for the faithful departed.
Scripture
Biblical connections
Deuteronomy 8:10
God's people are instructed that after eating and being satisfied they should bless the Lord for what He has given.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
St Paul urges Christians to give thanks in all circumstances.
Catholic teaching
Catechism connections
CCC 2637–2638
The Catechism describes thanksgiving as a fundamental form of Christian prayer.
CCC 958
The Catechism explains the Church's longstanding practice of praying for the dead.
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Common questions
Do Catholics pray after meals as well as before?
They can. Grace Before Meals is more commonly remembered today, but the Church also has a traditional prayer of thanksgiving after eating.
Why does Grace After Meals mention the dead?
The traditional prayer joins gratitude for God's gifts with remembrance of the faithful departed and trust in God's mercy.
Is Grace After Meals required?
It is a devotional practice rather than a requirement. Its purpose is to cultivate gratitude.
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