Prayer for Food

“Matt the trash can’s there oh…” Ms. Weng, one of my fellow teacher at La Salle told me as we walk out of the faculty lounge after lunch. I smiled thinly and said “There’s still some left, I’ll eat it later.”

***

It was my late grandmother who taught me how to pray before meals. She taught me, my sister, and my cousins a simple prayer—it was more of a song. It goes like:

Ama sa langit
Salamat sa’yo,
God bless our food
Amen

From then on, praying before eating became more of a habit, a ritual that should be done. Although as I grew up I learned the reason and importance for praying before eating, I seldom realize it—I think it’s human nature. We don’t see the importance of something we habitually do, or the importance of someone close to us.

***

“Will it not spoil?” she inquired. “No, I don’t think so, I’ve tried it last week,” I replied with a hearty laugh. For two weeks now, I’ve been cost cutting. I eat little of the viand during lunch time to save it for dinner. When it’s dinner time, I would be buying a cup rice from a nearby carinderia that costs 8 pesos. Through this, I was able to save around 30 to 50 pesos from my budget for meals—I spend an average of 120 pesos for food each day. This is when I started to realize and ponder deeply on the importance of the prayer before meals.

Contrary to what people assume, I am not profiting much nowadays. One reason—I’d like to believe—is that I’m on the adjustment stage, and that I have only received my paycheck. Another reason could be the poor economics of this country. Whichever reason is applicable to my situation—and to the rest of the Filipino workforce, there’s not much option but to keep one’s head up and surivive.

***

“Lola, why do we pray before we eat?” I would ask my grandma. “Because we have to thank God for the food we eat,” she would answer with her soft and sweet voice. “Did our food come from heaven?” I would curiously ask. She would smile and answer, “Yes Matt.”

***

Back then, I thought that our food was literally delivered from heaven. Later I realized that the terms “blessings” and “gifts from God” are more of spiritual than literal. As I grew up I realized that God would give gifts and blessings through people.
I didn’t realize how important food was, until I started buying them from my meager salary. I realized the rationale for praying; it’s simply to thank God for the opportunity to still have something to eat, for money to buy for food, for the resources He provides to sustain life.

With piles of bills to pay and problems to face, never forget that God is there to carry the cross and unburden us.

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