Meal Blessing for Easter

I have long been leading the Blessing Before Meals in our family. Long before I joined the Friars I was writing these prayers or crafting ones from the lines of good pray-ers for all types of celebrations. I continue to this day to write the Blessing Before Meals for my family for major celebrations. 

This year my parents asked me to write one for our family as we will not be able to be together during this time of pandemic. Below is the blessing I wrote. My parents included it in the Easter Baskets they were dropping off at each of my siblings homes. It is the prayer we will each pray before our Easter Feast tomorrow. I offer it to you as a gift from our family, for Easter Sunday and the Easter Season.

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!
Indeed He is Risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!

God of Life,
As we gather to celebrate 
the great feast of Easter,
the feast of your love for all people 
and all of creation,
we give you thanks and praise for the
life of your son Jesus, our Risen Savior.

The challenges we face this year because 
of the world wide pandemic reminds us
that we do have much to be thankful for 
and still have much to celebrate.

We ask your blessing upon 
those who are suffering this day, 
those who are alone and have no way to celebrate,
those who are homeless and hungry,
and those who will die this day.

We ask your blessing upon
our family and all families 
– spread out among various homes and countries.
We ask your blessing upon
our home and all homes
– may they be safe and healthy places.
We ask your blessing upon
our Easter Feast and all who laboured to 
bring this food to our table
– may it nourish us and fill us, 
reminding us that hope never dies and that love is here 
just like when the tomb was discovered empty 
on that first Easter Morning.

We ask this all in the name of Jesus – your Son,
risen from the dead, who lives for ever and ever.
Amen.