Benedictions

Blessing of a Baby

V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Who has made heaven and earth.

V. May our God have mercy.
R. The Lord guarding the little ones.

V. Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry reach up to You.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

Let us pray

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God,
You were begotten before all time,
and yet desired to become an infant in time.
You are delighted with the innocence of tender years.
You lovingly embraced the children
who were brought to You,
and blessed them.
In the blessings of Your sweetness,
go before this infant
and grant that no evil may mar its intellect.
Grant too that,
growing in age,
wisdom and grace,
it may ever be pleasing to You,
who live and are King and God
with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
for ever and ever.

R. Amen.

Sprinkle holy water, saying:

May the peace and blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
descend upon you and remain always.

R. Amen.

Beer Grace

Bless, O Lord, this creature beer, that Thou hast been pleased to bring forth from the sweetness of the grain: that it might be a salutary remedy for the human race: and grant by the invocation of Thy holy name, that, whosoever drinks of it may obtain health of body and a sure safeguard for the soul. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Wine Grace

Be so kind as to bless and consecrate with Your right hand, Lord,
this cup of wine, and every drink.
Grant that by the merits of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist,
all who believe in You and drink of this cup
may be blessed and protected.
Blessed John drank poison from the cup,
and was in no way harmed.
So, too, may all who this day drink from this cup
in honor of blessed John, by his merits,
be freed from every sickness by poisoning
and from any harms whatever.
And, when they have offered themselves in both soul and body,
may they be freed, too, from every fault,
through Christ our Lord.

Book Grace

Father of light and wisdom,
we praise you for your gifts:
for giving us the power to see,
and the ability to write and read
and to use the arts of printing.

Help us to use these crafts and skills
for your greater honor and glory,
and for the salvation of all your people.

Blest + these books,
and grant that all who use them
may grow in wisdom and grace
before you and all your people.

Father,
we praise you through Jesus Christ your Son
in the love of your Holy Spirit,
now and always and for ever. Amen.

Lamb Grace

V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Who has made heaven and earth.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.

Let us pray

O God, when You freed Your people from Egypt You ordered, through Your servant Moses, that a lamb be killed and that the posts of the houses be sprinkled with its blood. Be so kind as to bless and sanctify this flesh which You have made, and of which we, Your servants, wish to partake in Your honor, through the resurrection of the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and is King with You for ever and ever.

R. Amen.

(Sprinkle Holy Water)

Chicken Grace

O God, Creator of all things,
besides the other kinds of creatures
Thou hast deigned to produce
the species of birds for the use of mankind.
With these birds, Noe,
as he was leaving the ark,
offered Thee an acceptable sacrifice;
and when Thy people were being led out of Egypt
by Moses Thy servant,
Thou gavest a precept
that they should eat of these birds,
separating the clean from the unclean.
We humbly beseech Thee,
graciously bless and sanctify
the flesh of these clean birds,
that all who eat of them
may be filled with Thy abundant blessing
and may merit to attain
the well watered gardens of eternal life.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Lent Grace

Lord Jesus Christ,
Thou the Bread of angels,
Thou the Living Bread of eternal life,
graciously deign to bless this bread
as Thou didst bless the five loaves in the desert:
that all who partake of it
may have health of body and soul.
Who livest and reignest forever. Amen.

Easter Grace

Lord, after forty days of prayer and penance
we are ready to rejoice with the entire Church
in the resurrection of Jesus our Lord.
Let us bow our heads now in prayer,
and ask our heavenly Father to bless us.

(Silent Pause)

Blessed are you, Lord our God,
creator of the universe and our Father,
you have guided us through prayer and fasting,
and now fill our hearts with joy
at the resurrection of Jesus
and our share in his life.

Remember that we are your holy people,
and bless + this food for our rejoicing.
Bless us too, and keep us in your love.

Blessed are you, Lord our God
by all your people for ever and ever. Amen.

Bedroom Blessing

Bless this bedroom, Lord,
so that all who live in it
may remain firm in Your peace
and persevere in Your will.
May they live a long life
and have children for many days to come,
and finally arrive at the kingdom of heaven
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Fire Blessing

Lord God, Father almighty,
You are the unfaltering light.
You are the creator of every light.
Bless this new fire,
and grant that after the darkness of this world we may,
with pure minds, come to You,
the Light that does not fail,
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Sprinkle Holy Water)

Sprout Blessing

We ask and beg of You, Lord,
to bless this sprouting seed.
Warm it with the gentle breath of soft winds,
make it fruitful with dew from heaven,
and be so kind as to bring it to its fullest maturity
for the good of our souls and bodies,
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Sprinkle Holy Water)

Four-Fold Fransiscan Blessing

May God bless you with a restless discomfort
about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships,
so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.

May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression,
and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for
justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer
from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may
reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that
you really can make a difference in this world, so that you are able,
with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

And the blessing of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator,
Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word who is our brother and Saviour,
and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide, be with you
and remain with you, this day and forevermore. Amen.