2006-06-23 17:22:27 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
My Pastor says you should pray before every meal, especially when you go out to eat 'cause you have no idea what the people who prepared the food did or are like. Besides, it's Biblical. Here's what the Apostle Paul said about eating different foods.
"Because every creature of God is good, and not one is to be rejected, being received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified through the word of God and prayer. 1 Timothy 4:4-5
2006-06-23 17:33:41 · answer #1 · answered by Martin S 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
It is always good and respectful of God to give thanks for a meal and for those involved in preparing it, and many of us also use that time to pray for those less fortunate than we who are about to eat. There has been a tradition, widely dropped now, of giving thanks after a meal too. As a child we would say both at the Catholic school I attended.
No one *has* to say Grace (what we call the thanksgiving prayer) but we should. And it doesn't matter when you pray, as long as you do.
2006-06-24 00:40:16 · answer #2 · answered by Aussiemum 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no right or wrong answer. In some cultures the prayer is done after the meal. The important key to prayer at mealtime is it is one way to pause during the busy-ness of life and feel gratitude--to slow down and really appreciate the food, the person you are with and the good things in life. So much of our life is surrounded by negativity, materialism, stress, fear....expressing gratitude at mealtime is a good way to re-center ourselves and focus on positive and good things....you don't even need to pray a prayer with words, just a few moments of silence is effective, too.
2006-06-24 00:40:59 · answer #3 · answered by Ponderingwisdom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Before you eat, it is good to think about where that food came from , how it got onto your table and give credit where credit is due. All good things come from God. In Japan they say itadaki-masu - A saying before a meal, thought of as "ready to recieve"
To get up and leave the table without thanking God is considered rude, nearly blasphemous where I grew up. It's all about deportment before God and man. Be polite and respectful to one another and to God.
2006-06-24 00:34:17 · answer #4 · answered by Shinigami 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
actually as per Hindu culture ...we are grateful to our meal , as we see the meal give us energy to live. its coz of our being in existence. we thank to god for it to provide us and pray to meal ..that after having it will increase our good thinking ,knowledge and wisdom.
2006-06-24 00:59:55 · answer #5 · answered by mahak 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A friend of mine was in a restaurant with his family and they had been served. They bowed their heads to give thanks and the man felt like he should look at his can of coke after the prayer. He looked at the top and what they had thought was ice, was really some broken glass. He felt that God had impressed on him to look.
2006-06-24 00:28:15 · answer #6 · answered by † PRAY † 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd pray after...that way if it was bad you could as god to ease the suffering...if it was good you could thank him that someone could cook
2006-06-24 00:40:54 · answer #7 · answered by yikes_its_a_humdinger 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can pray any time you want to
That why it is ok to eat pork, you have prayed over it.
2006-06-24 00:26:33 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I give thanks before I eat because it gives me a moment to connect and think about how blessed I am to have something to eat.
Giving thanks after a meal would be a personal choice. (jmho)
2006-06-24 00:29:54 · answer #9 · answered by Epona Willow 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I guess maybe.... because Jesus prayed before they ate at the last supper.....so it just kinda stuck......im not sure...just a guess! But basically your supposed to pray continuously...and give thanks always.
2006-06-24 00:28:25 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋