In Orthodox life, a special prayer is always read before meals. It is she who is considered a reminder to a believing person that a person does not live by bread alone and spiritual values are of greater importance to him. In a prayer address before meals, people thank the Lord for sending them food, and for the fact that they can share it with their households.
The Orthodox faith implies that food should not be used for gluttony, which is a sin. But if it is blessed with prayer, then it will give enough energy for the health of the body and mind. And this means that a person will learn to correctly prioritize life and live righteously.
Orthodox prayers before meals and after meals in Russian
As a rule, in Christian families, households gather at the table, and a prayer is said in the form of a simple and understandable blessing. At the same time, an icon must be installed in the dining room. A prayer is usually said by one person, and all other family members say her words to themselves or in an undertone. But each family has its own rules. For example, often prayer is carried out in the form of chants.
The holy fathers, revered in Christianity, argue that prayers before and after a meal are very important. Many of them believe that the cause of many human ailments is that the custom of blessing food has been lost. In today's world, many people sit down at the table in a bad mood with negative thoughts and anger in their souls. Food absorbs negative energy and negatively affects the state of the human body. Quarrels and conflicts in the kitchen also have a negative impact on the quality of food.
Prayer before eating
For prayer before eating food, there are special rules that should be followed. All participants in the meal should join hands or fold their hands in front of them, bowing their heads. Before starting prayer reading, it is necessary to sit in silence for some time, for the right mood.
The text of the prayer before eating may sound like this:
“Bless, Lord, this food for our body, and let us keep the faith in our hearts. We pray in the name of the Savior Jesus Christ. Amen".
Another version of the prayer before meals can also be used:
We thank You, Lord, for the daily bread and food given to us by You for a bright good. Do not let us succumb to the sin of gluttony and do not send us hunger to atone for our sins. Amen".
After pronouncing the prayer words, you can proceed to the meal. But it should be remembered that if there are invited guests at the table, then the prayer should be said to oneself. This will avoid an uncomfortable situation if there are people of a different religion at the table.
Prayer for the blessing of food and drink
Food and drink are necessary for a person to live a full life. But in order not to succumb to gluttony and get the most out of the food you eat, you need to bless it. After reading such a prayer, the food must be crossed. It is very important that in this case the prayer text be pronounced sincerely and in a good mood.
The prayer for the blessing of food and drink is as follows:
“Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, bless our food and drink with the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother, the Virgin Mary, and all Your saints. Amen".
Prayer after eating
Prayer after eating food should also be read without fail. After everyone has had a meal, the head of the family quietly pronounces a special prayer text. All other members of the household should repeat it in a whisper. It is also permissible to sit in silence with your head bowed and your hands folded in front of you.
Prayer after eating goes like this:
“We thank You, Lord, the Savior of the human race, Jesus Christ, for having satisfied all of us on earth and bestowed His blessings. Please do not deprive us of hope in Your Heavenly Kingdom. Come to us, save and save us. Lord, have mercy (pronounced three times) and bless. Amen".
In Islam, the requirements for food intake are very strict. For example, only dishes that belong to a Muslim should be used at the table. Otherwise, it should be washed for a long time and thoroughly under running water. Islam requires the observance of cleanliness, accuracy and moderation during the meal. In addition, prayer before meals is an obligatory ritual.
Before eating, Muslims pronounce special duas in Arabic.
Translated into Russian, they mean the following:
"In the name of Allah, and the Merciful and the Merciful." "Great, Allah! Your food is good for us, protect us from evil forces and from the devil.
Moreover, the first phrase, that is, the dua "Bismilyah" is pronounced before each change of dishes. If it so happened that, for some reason, a Muslim forgot to say a special dua before eating, then after eating he should say a phrase in Arabic.
Translated into Russian, it means:
“In the name of Allah I begin and end.”
Muslims must wash their hands thoroughly before and after eating. Moreover, it is noteworthy that hand washing is performed directly at the table. The youngest members of the family bring a basin and a jug to the household, from which they pour water on their hands. After that, a towel is offered. If there are guests of honor at the table, then the jug with a basin for washing hands is brought directly by the owner of the house.
What prayer should be read before eating
Prayer before eating food for every believer should become an obligatory custom. This ritual plays an important role in the upbringing of children. It has long been noted that when it was customary in the family to say prayers before a meal, the children began to respect the work of their parents and food. In addition, the importance of praying to God before eating is that such a ritual ensures the preservation of the integrity of the family. After all, prayer implies that all household members should gather at least once a day at a common table.
Prayer before meals should be clear and simple, its meaning should be understood by everyone gathered at the table, regardless of age. At its core, such a prayer is a thankful appeal to the Higher powers. It is allowed not to use standard texts, but to pronounce a couple of lines from yourself. Moreover, in this version, the prayers sound more sincere, while the texts proposed in the prayer books can create the impression of pretense. Each family can come up with their own thank-you words that will be understood by everyone. Sometimes the prayer before meals is replaced by the reading of a very strong prayer, known to every believer, "Our Father".
It is important to understand that the prayer before eating should not sound “by the way”, it must be read in full concentration. For this, the icon of the Savior or the Most Holy Theotokos must be in the dining room. At the same time, it is very important to sit down at the table in a good mood. If unpleasant events have occurred in life that have disturbed peace of mind, then you need to discard negative thoughts by an effort of will. If this is not possible, then it is better to postpone the meal for a while. Moreover, all household members should try to restore peace of mind to a loved one.
According to Orthodox customs, before eating food, a prayer is read before eating. This is an expression of gratitude to God for taking care of us, food for every day. Prayer is thanksgiving to the Creator for the assurance that His mercy always extends to us and our provision is in His hands.
The Importance and Necessity of Prayer
Prayer before meals gives the believer a reminder that not only natural food that supports the body is important for a person. Food for the spirit is also of great importance for a person. Before taking a meal, people thank the Lord for giving food for a person and his family. Food is not the pleasure of the flesh, and gluttony is a sin. If a prayer is read before eating a meal, then the food is blessed and will bring the greatest benefit to the body to maintain health.
Usually, before taking a meal, the whole family gathers at the table. One person prays out loud in simple words, blessing the set table, while the rest do it mentally. Each family has its own traditions. Some combine prayer appeal with hymns.
The Holy Fathers believe that it is imperative to read a prayer appeal before and after meals. In their opinion, many diseases come into the human body due to the fact that such a simple rule is not followed. It is not uncommon for people to take a meal in a bad mood, full of negativity and anger. In such cases, the food is poorly absorbed and over time leads to disturbances in the digestive tract. Also, you can not quarrel and conflict in the kitchen.
There are some rules to follow. Usually, all those present at the table join hands or fold their palms in front of them, bowing their heads in reverence. Before reading a prayer, you should tune in, sit in silence. If you are not at home or guests are invited to the house, you need to read the prayer appeal to yourself so that people of a different religion at the table do not feel discomfort.
After reading the prayer text, food should be crossed. After that, the products that enter the body will be as useful as possible.
Lunch in Orthodoxy is the main meal of the day. Before the meal it is better to read "Our Father". Also, when praying in their own words, in addition to giving thanks for their daily bread, they ask the Almighty to grant it to all those who need it. Words should not be mechanical repetition, but spoken from the heart. With these words, everything that is on the table is sanctified and recognized as a gift from Heaven.
If you forgot to pray before dinner and remembered already when the meal was coming to an end, then you should stop and pray. It is never too late to send an appeal to Heaven.
It is important to accustom children to this Orthodox tradition, setting an example. In this case, the younger generation will show respect for parental work and take care of the bread that the Lord gives. And since in the Bible the Word of God is bread from Heaven, then the Holy Scriptures will also be treated with reverence.
It is important that the whole family gathers at the table for prayer before dinner, since lately it often happens that family members rarely meet each other at all.
Alexei Mechev advised during each meal to separate a piece to those in need. John of Kronstadt did not advise eating with a negative attitude or irritated.
Our ancestors always ate food with thanksgiving and only after consecrating it with prayer. It is good that this tradition is being revived in the modern world.
Video "Prayer before meals in Christianity"
In this video, the archpriest talks about the meaning of prayer before meals, whether it is necessary to resort to it, and what role prayer plays in the life of a person and his family.
Prayer words
Before the meal
Our Father, Who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth. Give us our daily bread today; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
A variant of the prayer before eating: The eyes of all trust in You, Lord, and You give them food in good time, You open Your generous hand and fulfill every animal goodwill.
"Prayer for the blessing of food and drink to the laity"
Lord Jesus Christ, our God, bless our food and drink with the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother and all Your Saints, for you are blessed forever. Amen. (And cross food and drink).
After eating food
We thank Thee, Christ our God, for Thou hast satisfied us with Thy earthly blessings; do not deprive us of Your Heavenly Kingdom, but as if in the midst of Your disciples, Thou hast come, Savior, give them peace, come to us and save us.
Every Orthodox Christian knows that when sitting down to a meal, and getting up from the table, it is necessary to pray. Christian prayer before and after a meal has a great meaning - while praying, we simultaneously ask God to bless the food, thank Him for our daily bread, and ask Him not to leave us with His mercy in the future.
Orthodox prayer before and after eating food is of great pedagogical importance: children who are taught to pray to God from infancy respect the work of their parents more, treat food with care, and especially bread, understanding that God himself gives it. In addition, the custom of praying before and after meals involves the presence of the whole family at the table, and this is so lacking in our recent times, when everyone is in a hurry somewhere, everyone is busy with their own problems, and family members suffer from a lack of attention towards each other. .
Holy Fathers on the need to pray before and after meals
Many holy fathers wrote about the need for prayer before and after eating food. Among them are St. Athanasius the Great, Righteous John of Kronstadt, St. Seraphim of Vyritsky, St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, Righteous Alexei Mechev and others. In particular, St. Seraphim Vyritsky said that people get sick a lot precisely because they stopped praying before eating, and eat food prepared without prayer, with abuse, with bad thoughts; Righteous Alexei Mechev bequeathed to separate a piece from each meal to the poor, and the holy righteous John of Kronstadt advised not to sit down at the table in indignation and irritation, after a quarrel, because eating in such a state contributes to illness. The custom of praying before eating and after eating and drinking is very ancient; it was lost in godless years, but now, fortunately, it is being revived again.
Proper prayer before and after eating food
Each family has different customs, respectively, and in different ways they read prayers before and after meals. In some families, it is customary for the head of the family to read the prayers of blessing food aloud, in others - the youngest member of the family, in others - in turn. In order to make it convenient to pray, hang an icon of Christ or the Mother of God over the table. Appropriate in the kitchen are the icons of the Virgin Bread or the Conqueror of Bread. If representatives of another religion are present at the table, then it is not customary to read Orthodox prayers after eating, to be baptized yourself and to baptize food, so as not to cause them embarrassment. It is also not correct to pray aloud at the workplace and at a party if you are not sure that the owners profess the Orthodox faith and will support you.
Listen to the video prayer after and before eating
The text of the Orthodox prayer before meals
Our Father, Who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth. Give us our daily bread today; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
The text of the prayer for the blessing of food and drink for Orthodox believers
Lord Jesus Christ, our God, bless our food and drink with the prayers of Your Most Pure Mother and all Your saints, as blessed forever and ever. Amen. (And cross food and drink.)
The text of the prayer that believers read after eating
We thank Thee, Christ our God, for Thou hast satisfied us with Thy earthly blessings; do not deprive us of Your Heavenly Kingdom, but as if in the midst of Your disciples, Thou hast come, Savior, give them peace, come to us and save us.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen. Lord have mercy. (Thrice) Bless.
As before the beginning of any prayer, first of all, three bows with repentant prayers are supposed:
God, cleanse me a sinner. (Bow.)
(Bow.)
(Bow.)
Sem prayer before the meal
The eyes of all in Thee, O Lord, trust, and You give them food in good time, You open Your generous hand and fulfill every kind of animal goodwill.
Glory: (Bow.) And now: (Bow.) Lord have mercy. (Three times.) (Bow.) Bless.
Priest
And we: Amen.
PRAYERAFTER BREAKFAST
We thank Thee, Christ our God, as if Thou hast satisfied us with Thy earthly blessings, do not deprive us of Thy Kingdom of Heaven, but as if in the midst of Thy disciples, Thou hast come, Savior, give them peace, come to us, and save us.
Glory: (Bow.) And now: (Bow.) Lord have mercy. (Three times.) (Bow) bless.
Priest:
We: Amen.
God, cleanse me a sinner. (Bow.)
Created me, Lord, have mercy on me. (Bow.)
(Bow.)
PRAYERS BEFORE DINNER
Three short prayers of repentance with bows.
God, cleanse me a sinner. (Bow.)
Created me, Lord, have mercy on me. (Bow.)
I have sinned without number, Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner. (Bow.)
Then:
Our Father, Who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth. Give us our daily bread today; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Glory: (Bow.) And now: (Bow.) Lord have mercy. (Three times.) (Bow) bless.
Priest: Christ God, bless the eating and drinking of Your servant, for Thou art Holy, always, now and forever, and forever and ever.
(In the absence of a worldly priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, bless the eating and drinking of Your servant, as Holy ecu, always, now and ever, and forever and ever.)
All: Amen.
AFTERNOON PRAYERS
We create vacation: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.
And we: Amen.
Blessed be God, have mercy on us and nourish us from our youth, give food to all flesh, fill our hearts with joy and gladness, yes always every contentment we have, we abound in every good deed, in Christ Jesus our Lord: with Him glory befits you, power, honor and worship, with the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.
Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee, Holy One, glory to Thee, the King, as if Thou gavest us a brash for joy: fill us and the Holy Spirit, that we may be pleasing and not ashamed before Thee, when you reward someone according to his deeds.
We thank Thee, Christ our God, as if Thou hast satisfied us with Thy earthly blessings, do not deprive us of Thy heavenly Kingdom, but as if in the midst of Thy disciples Thou hast come, Savior, give them peace, come to us and save us.
Then the troparia are sung or read on that day of the serving holidays - the Lord's, the Theotokos, the Archangels, the Forerunners, the Apostles and the great Ecumenical Hierarchs (with a bow after each troparion).
Therefore, the troparion is Holy to All Russians m (voice 8):
Like the red fruit of Your saving sowing, the Russian land brings Thee, Lord, all the saints who shone in that. With those prayers in the deep world, keep the Church and our country with the Theotokos, O Many-Merciful.
And the troparia of the Russian saints celebrated that day (with bows).
Glory: Troparion to the prophet Elijah (voice 4):
In the flesh, an angel, the foundation of the prophets, the second forerunner of the coming of Christ, glorious Elijah, who received food from an angel and nourished a widow during famine, and be a blessed feeder to us who honor you.
And now: Theotokos (same voice):
To the Intercessor of our country, the Ever-Virgin Mother of God, and to the first-painted icon of Her, now we fall down, with faith calling from the depths of the soul: O Mother of God, save the Russian land, heal her distress, and comfort faithful people.
Thanksgiving for nourishment can be accompanied by a prayer for the organizers of the meal and benefactors. Then, at the end of the troparion to the Theotokos, the priest proclaims:
Merciful Lord, have mercy on Thy servants who have mercy on us. Everyone repeats this chorus. Priest: Glory. And we: And now. Then they sing the chant:
Deliver from the troubles and sorrows of Thy servants who feed us, Merciful, as we diligently resort to You, to our Merciful Nourisher and who promised mercy to all the merciful.
The priest pronounces the litany: Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your great mercy, we pray, hear and have mercy.
All: Lord have mercy. (Three times.)
Priest: We also pray for mercy, life, peace, health, salvation, visitation, forgiveness and remission of sins... (The worldly begins the petition: Have mercy, Lord ... further continuation of the general) all those who love, have mercy and nourish us, do good and serve us, commanded and we are commanded to pray for them, and all their relatives, about how to repay them for their love for us, remember their faith in the power of the prayer of your brethren and priests, and according to fulfill all their petitions in their faith, pour out spiritual and bodily blessings on them, bless their labors and undertakings with success, and save them from all sorrows (most of all, let them not grieve for this work of love done to us), we pray to You, Lord Mercy , hear us sinners praying to You, and have mercy.
All: Lord have mercy. (Three times.)
Priest: Like merciful...
All: Amen.
Glory: (Bow.) And now: (Bow.) Lord have mercy. (Three times.) (Bow) bless.
Priest: Blessed be God, have mercy and nourish us from His rich gifts, His grace and love for mankind, always, now and forever, and forever and ever.
(In the absence of the priest, the worldly: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.)
All: Amen.
In conclusion, three bows are required with the usual prayers and everyone thanks the organizers of the meal and the eldest of the companions.
PRAYERS BEFORE HONOR MEALS (TEA DRINKING)
Three short penitential prayers with bows:
God, cleanse me a sinner. (Bow.)
Created me, Lord, have mercy on me. (Bow.)
I have sinned without number, Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner. (Bow.)
Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Lord, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Your name's sake. Glory, and now. Lord have mercy. (Three times.)
Priest: Christ God, bless the eating and drinking of Your servant, for Thou art Holy, always, now and forever, and forever and ever.
[If only the laity eat, then the one who reads the prayer himself, usually the oldest, without blessing the meal, says:
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, bless the eating and drinking of Your servant, for Thou art Holy, always, now and ever, and forever and ever.]
And we: Amen.
PRAYERS AFTER HOLIDAY MEALS
It is worthy to eat, as truly, bless Thee, the Mother of God, the Blessed and Immaculate and Mother of our God. The most honest cherubim and the most glorious seraphim without comparison, without the corruption of God the Word, who gave birth to the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee.
glory, and now. Lord have mercy. (Three times.) bless.
Priest: God is with us by His grace and philanthropy, always, now and forever, and forever and ever.
We: Amen.
(In the absence of the priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.)
And three final prostrations with prayers:
God, cleanse me a sinner. (Bow.)
Created me, Lord, have mercy on me. (Bow.)
I have sinned without number, Lord, have mercy and forgive me a sinner. (Bow.)
PRAYERS BEFORE DINNER
God, cleanse me a sinner. (Bow.)
Created me, Lord, have mercy on me. (Bow.)
I have sinned without number, Lord, have mercy and forgive me, a sinner. (Bow.)
After three penitential prayers:
The wretched eat, and they will be satisfied, and those who seek Him will praise the Lord; their hearts will live forever and ever.
glory, and now. Lord have mercy. (Thrice.) Bless.
Priest: Christ God, bless the eating and drinking of Your servant, for Thou art Holy, always, now and forever, and forever and ever.
[If only the laity eat, then the one who reads the prayer himself, usually the oldest, without blessing the meal, says:
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, bless the eating and drinking of Your servant, for Thou art Holy, always, now and ever, and forever and ever.]
And we: Amen.
PRAYERS AFTER DINNER
Be Thy womb, Holy Meal, having Heavenly Bread, Christ our God, from Worthless, every poison does not die, as the speech of all, Mother of God, Feeder.
The most honest cherubim, and the most glorious seraphim without comparison, without the corruption of God the Word, who gave birth to the real Mother of God, we magnify Thee.
Thou hast rejoiced us, O Lord, in Thy creations, and in the deeds of Thy hand we shall rejoice. Signing upon us the light of Your face, O Lord, thou hast given gladness in my heart, from the fruit of wheat, wine and oil of thy multiplied. In the world I will fall asleep together, and I will rest, as You, Lord, alone in hope instilled in me.
glory, and now: Lord have mercy. (Thrice.) Bless.
Priest: God is with us by His grace and philanthropy, always, now and forever, and forever and ever.
We: Amen.
(In the absence of the priest: Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us.)..
