Whenever a Catholic is called upon to say Grace before a meal, unless he is one of those rare people able to compose beautiful prayers on the spot, he seems to turn to the old formula: “Bless us O Lord, and these thy gifts, which through your bounty we are about to receive; through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
This is simply a translation of the ancient Latin Blessing: “Benedic, Domine, nos et haec tua dona, quae de tua largitate sumus sumpturi, per Christum Dominum Nostrum.”
This most commonly heard “Blessing” uttered over food in Catholic homes, is a prayer found in the Sacramentary, or Mass Book of Pope Gelasius, who was elected Bishop of Rome in 492 and died in 496 A.D.
St. John Chrysostom (344-407 A.D.), in commenting on St. Matthew 14:19-21 (referring to the blessing Jesus uttered over the bread and the fish, in feeding the five thousand) says that Jesus thereby taught us “that we should not touch food before giving thanks to Him who provides the food.” And the same Saint, in commenting on the account of the Last Supper, says: “He gave thanks before giving to the disciples, so that we might give thanks also. He gave thanks and sang hymns after distributing, so that we might do the same.