Lord, Jesus Christ, teach me to pray.
A Reading from the Gospel according to John [6:1-15]
After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himelf knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets.
“....and when he had given thanks...”
Many of us already have a practice of saying prayer before our meals, but do we really give “thanks”? Do we feel grateful for the food that is front of us and all of the blessings in our lives? Today, when you have meals, I invite you to practice true thankfulness for what has come to your plate and to remember how truly blessed you are to be so well fed. Practice this prayer of thankfulness with your family during your evening meal time especially.
Take a brief moment of silence. Remember God’s presence with you.
Look at your food, fruits, vegetables, meat, bread, water. Try to imagine where it all started and how it has come so very, very far to end up on your plate. Imagine the land on which the vegetables grew and the sun shining down upon it. Imagine the rain coming when it is needed. Imagine the animal grazing in a field, swimming in an ocean or wandering across the tundra. And now think about the farmers who grow the food and the people who harvest the food, many of them migrant workers whose work is very hard. Imagine factory workers and truck drivers and the people who load huge containers onto cargo ships. Imagine the people who fill the shelves in your grocery store and the checker who added up your bill and took your money. The food that comes to our plate is a small miracle, arriving from all over the world. Does a feeling of gratitude and possibly awe well up inside of you? Give thanks to God for the food that is in front of you. Give thanks and offer a prayer for all of the people who brought it to you. Give thanks for the earth that sustains us. And especially remember all of the people who don’t have enough to eat today.
For your journal: Do you and your family usually say a blessing with your meal? Is this a practice you would like to start or possibly change to become more aware of the miracle of your food? Do you think that it could change the choices that you make when you eat?
Loving God, May I take in each morsel of food today with gratitude and wonder. May I only take enough, always remembering those who don't have enough. Amen.
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