a) What are the Blessing and Thanksgiving prayers before and after meals?
The Blessing before meals is a short prayer to ask God to bless us and the food that we eat, knowing that everything that we have comes from him. After eating, we say the Thanksgiving prayer to express to him our gratitude not only for the food that we have taken, but also for all the gifts that we continuously receive from him.
God is our Father who loves us very much and provides for all our needs, even before we ask from him. Sometimes he does not grant our petition because he knows that it is not good for us, or he might have better plans for us, which we still do not know. And he may also delay in answering us so that we may grow in faith, hope, and charity by persevering in our prayers.
b) How do we do the Blessing and Thanksgiving prayers?
Before starting our meals, after waiting for the others to arrive at the table, all begin by making the sign of the cross, after which one can lead by saying the Blessing (see Appendix). Similarly, after meals, all make the sign of the cross and one can lead the Thanksgiving prayer (see Appendix).
An Altar Server should accustom himself to say “Thank you” whenever he receives favors from others, however small they may be. This also leads us to be always thankful to God for the gifts he gives us continuously. There are many occasions during the day to serve and make life a bit easier and happier for others. Let us look for those little occasions to serve, keeping in mind that our aim is not to be thanked nor to expect them to serve us in turn, but to please God by loving our neighbors.