Blessing of the Easter Food | St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church

Blessing of Foods at Easter

Song: Table of Plenty, BB # 310

Greeting: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit….

Presider: May the grace and peace of Jesus Christ be with you always.

ALL: And with your spirit.

Presider: The foods traditionally blessed for Easter, the feast of the Lord’s Passover from death to life, are the foods which God prescribed for the ancient Passover meal: lamb, bread, wine and bitter herbs.

Reading:

Psalm: 42-43 (Sung)

Presider: Throughout Lent we have been preparing for the resurrection of the Lord by prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. Our Lenten fasting is a reminder of our hunger and thirst for holiness which is satisfied only by Christ who feeds and nourishes us by his word and sacraments. When we gather at our first meal of Easter may this food be a sign for us of that heavenly banquet to which the Lord calls us.

Blessing of the Paschal Lamb

Reader: The lamb, either made of meat or a symbolic lamb in the form of cake or butter is the ancient food by whose blood the Israelites were saved. Jesus is our Pascal (Passover) Lamb by whose blood we are saved.

Presider: Father, giver of all good things, you commanded our ancestors in faith to partake of lamb on Passover night. V Bless this lamb prepared for our celebration in honor of your Son’s Passover from death to life, for he is truly the Paschal Lamb by whose blood we are saved. As we enjoy the food which you sanctify for our nourishment, may we also obtain your V blessing through the cross and resurrection of your Son. Yours is the power, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and forever.

ALL: Amen.

Blessing of other Meats

Reader: Ham celebrates the freedom of the New Law which came into effect through Jesus’ resurrection, in distinction to the Old Law which forbade certain meats. Sausage is an ethnic addition to enhance the celebration; its links remind us of the chains of death which were broken when Jesus arose.

Presider: O God, through Moses you commanded your people in their deliverance from Egypt to kill a lamb and mark their doorposts with its blood. We understand this to prefigure our deliverance by Jesus’ shedding of his blood. May it please you to V bless and sanctify this meat which we desire to eat in praise of Him, our Paschal Lamb, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

ALL: Amen.

Blessing of Bread

Reader: Bread reminds us of Jesus, the risen Lord, who in the Eucharist is the food of our earthly journey and the true bread of everlasting life.

Presider: Almighty, everlasting God, be pleased to V bless this bread. May it be a healthful food for body and soul, a ward against every disease, and a defense against all harm. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, the bread of life, who came down from heaven and gives life and salvation to all the world, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

ALL: Amen.

Blessing of Dairy Products

Reader: God has created and given us bountiful gifts. We thank Him for these cheeses, butter and other dairy foods which help to sustain us.

Presider: O God, creator and author of all being, V bless these cheeses and butter and other dairy foods. Keep us in your love, so that as we partake of them, we may be filled with your bountiful gifts on account of our Lord’s glorious resurrection from the dead. We give glory to you, our Father without beginning, to your Son who is our true Food, and to your good and life-giving Spirit, now and forever.

ALL: Amen.

Blessing of Eggs

Reader: Eggs are a sign of hope and resurrection. Jesus comes forth from the tomb as the chick breaks the shell at birth. Because of the special meaning, it is fitting that the eggs to be blessed be decorated with symbols of Easter, Alleluia and so forth.

Presider: Father in heaven, let your V blessing come upon these eggs. When we break them, we see a sign of your Son rising to new life from the tomb. May we eat them in joyful celebration of his resurrection, for he lives and reigns with you forever and ever.

ALL: Amen.

Blessing of Cakes and Pastries

Reader: Cakes and pastries are brought for blessings as once the five loaves were blessed in the wilderness.

Presider: Lord Jesus Christ, living bread of everlasting life, V bless these cakes and pastries as you once blessed the five loaves in the wilderness. As we eat them may we receive the health we desire for body and soul. We ask this of you, our risen Lord, who lives and reigns forever and ever.

ALL: Amen.

Blessing of Horseradish (Herbs)

Reader: Horseradish represents the bitter herbs prescribed in the original Passover meal as a reminder of the bitterness and harshness of life in Egypt. It reminds us of the bitterness of Jesus’ Passion by which He entered into glory.

Presider: O God, through Moses you directed the Israelites to carry their sheaves to the priests for a blessing. Hear our prayers and shower abundant V blessings on us and these assorted foods which we gratefully present to you in honor of your Son’s resurrection. Grant that we may find them a remedy against sickness, a source of strength for our bodies, and a protection of soul by calling on your holy name. We ask this through Christ our risen Lord, who lives and reigns with you forever and ever.

ALL: Amen.

Blessing of Wine

Reader: Wine is the drink of the Passover meal and the Last Supper. Its sparkle reminds us of the glory of Easter. Wine gladdens our hearts and helps us enter into the joy of the resurrection.

Presider: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, in Cana of Galilee you changed water into wine. Be pleased to Vbless this wine which you have given us as refreshment. Grant that whenever it is taken as drink, it may be accompanied by an outpouring of your life-giving grace, for ever and ever.

ALL: Amen.

Blessing of Children

Reader: Our Lord has given us so much. We pray now that we may appreciate all that you have given our children and their families.

Presider: Father we ask you to V bless the children and their parents and friends. Grant that they and their families may appreciate all that you give them. V Bless their Easter Eggs and candy and all the gifts that they have received. Grant that they will learn to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, your Son and our brother. As they eat these foods and candies may their Easter joy increase. We ask this through Christ our Risen Lord who lives and reigns forever and ever.

ALL: Amen.

Intercessions

Presider: Please respond to the following intercessions with “Lord, prepare us for the feast of life.”

Presider: The Son of God who invites us to the Paschal feast stands ready to help. Let us call upon him in our need.