Bless Us, O Lord

A Family Treasury of Mealtime Prayers

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 11 Sep 2020 | Archive Date 29 Sep 2020

Talking about this book? Use #BlessUsOLord #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

Bless Us, O Lord belongs on the shelf of every Catholic family that wants to pray together daily. You can introduce children to original and traditional blessings, the lives of the saints, the rhythm of the Church year, and the practice of daily prayer in a way that is both appealing to them and a means to unite your whole family. 

Praying together at the table helps families recognize the presence of Jesus in their midst and make connections between their meal and the celebration of the Eucharist.

Robert M. Hamma brings his warm and gentle spirit to original prayers, which he combines with traditional blessings to offer an open-and-go resource for parents and caregivers. He provides the perfect words for every occasion—from observing saint feast days and liturgical seasons to celebrating a child's birthday and remembering the life of a loved one. Bless Us, O Lord will help you with fresh ideas and tools for living the liturgy in your home and nourishing the souls of your children with stories of the saints, including prayers for

days of the week;

Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, and Easter;

saints’ feast days and holy days;

national and cultural holidays; and 

special family celebrations to mark birthdays, anniversaries, and special achievements. 


Bless Us, O Lord belongs on the shelf of every Catholic family that wants to pray together daily. You can introduce children to original and traditional blessings, the lives of the saints, the rhythm...


A Note From the Publisher

Robert M. Hamma is the author of nine books and numerous articles on spirituality and family life. He retired in 2016 as vice president and editorial director at Ave Maria Press. Hamma earned a master’s degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame and a master of divinity degree from Immaculate Conception Seminary. He previously worked in parish ministry and as an editor at Paulist Press.

Robert M. Hamma is the author of nine books and numerous articles on spirituality and family life. He retired in 2016 as vice president and editorial director at Ave Maria Press. Hamma earned a...


Advance Praise

“I love this practical prayer book for families. Parents know that dinnertime is one of the few moments throughout the day when a family can sit down, slow down, and enjoy each other’s company. Catholic parents know that it is also one of the best times of day to pray with our kids. Robert Hamma has put together a creative collection of prayers to use as any family's dinnertime devotional. Hamma has a heart for the poor and the marginalized, and the prayers he offers in this Bless Us, O Lord invite us to share in that sentiment. This book will help families grow closer to God, closer to each other, and closer to the many people who go without food each day.”
Jared Dees 
Founder of The Religion Teacher website 
Author of Christ in the Classroom  

“In today’s busy world, the thought of praying together as a family may feel like a challenge. Thankfully, Robert Hamma’s wonderful resource Bless Us, O Lord offers a simple invitation to gather as a family around the table and to lift our voices in prayer. Hamma’s simple yet insightful words provide gentle structure and context for the moments and celebrations that fill our hearts and homes. Share them with your loved ones and witness how your lives are blessed and encouraged!”
Lisa M. Hendey
Founder of CatholicMom.com 

“Parents are often looking for ways to teach their children the rudiments of Catholic faith. Such education tends to occur in informal moments such as prayer before meals rather than through official catechetical curricula. In Bless Us, O Lord, parents will find a resource that will assist them in their work of teaching their children to pray. Eating together is integral to life within the domestic Church, not just because it’s a time to catch up with one another, but because it’s an occasion to develop the disposition of gratitude. Through these prayers before meals for nearly every occasion a family might experience, Robert Hamma has given Christian families a resource for developing a posture of gratitude in everyday life. The prayers connect as much to the daily events of family life as they do to the liturgical year of the Church. This book of prayers will be a gift to every family.”
Timothy P. O’Malley 
Director of Education
The McGrath Institute for Church Life
University of Notre Dame 

Bless Us, O Lord is simply beautiful. Each family knows the difficulties associated with family prayer—giggling, wiggling, crying, pinching. It’s the blessed chaos of the home, which as parents we try at least to calm for prayer if only for a moment. Often it’s at the mealtime table that prayer is the hardest, which is why Robert Hamma’s book is so wonderful and so welcome. This book is special first for its clarity and breadth. Prayers involving the whole of life—saints, seasons, special occasions and even secular heroes such as Helen Keller and Anne Frank—help families capture the world for prayer, teaching us to gather up in prayer all things children (and even parents) learn and celebrate throughout life. But what is even more profound is that if families use this book well they will in time bring two important tables closer together—the table of the Eucharist and the family table—in one organic rhythm of life. "
Rev. Joshua J. Whitfield 
Pastor
St. Rita Catholic Community
Dallas, Texas 

 “Sitting at the table to share a meal as a family is a true expression of being domestic church. At the table we eat together, talk, learn, argue, laugh, and cry. At the table, we share the joy of being with relatives and friends as God’s blessings. Robert Hamma invites us in this fabulous book to start this intimate moment as a domestic church and community in prayer. Bless Us, O Lord is a superb collection of prayers that traveled to us through history, born in different communities and circumstances and offered by a great diversity of women and men who saw God in all things. These prayers are summons to pray and eat together, knowing that we are part of a larger whole and that God always journeys with us.”
Hosffman Ospino 
Associate Professor of Theology and Religious Education 
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry 

 

“I love this practical prayer book for families. Parents know that dinnertime is one of the few moments throughout the day when a family can sit down, slow down, and enjoy each other’s company...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781594719813
PRICE $16.95 (USD)

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)
Send to Kindle (PDF)

Average rating from 6 members


Featured Reviews

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley for an honest review.

If you are looking for a great way to start praying with your family Bless Us, O Lord: A Family Treasury of Mealtime Prayers is just the book to help you. Robert Hamma offers prayers to say before a meal for every day through the year. I was very impressed with the feast days included and loved that he included feast days of lesser known saints. There were even a few saints I had never heard of. I also loved that he included prayers for all the federal holidays and for days that important figures in history died like Labor Day and Anne Frank. I would have never thought about incorporating those into our prayer life.

I plan to add this book to our shelf and recommend it to friends.

Was this review helpful?

A wonderful collection of prayers before meals. For many families, grace before meals and bedtime are the prime times for family prayer -- but I'd venture to guess that most of us don't venture too far beyond the familiar "Bless us, O Lord ..." that became the title of this book. If you and your family would like to incorporate the liturgical year into your mealtime prayers, this is a wonderful resource.

Was this review helpful?

This is such a cool book! I didn’t grow up Catholic, but converted when I was eighteen. I now have two children and am always looking for prayers to incorporate into our lives that are appropriate for them. These are meaningful, educational, and interesting prayers. I especially loved that there were prayers in multiple languages, as we are a bilingual family.

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: