Praying

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

My wife and I pray often.
Regularly at meal time to thank HIM for providing our food and good health.
Specific prayers are made randomly when the need arises.
My question is this:
Is a "canned" prayer acceptable at meal time? In other words, can I repeat the same prayer at each meal, or should I change it up each time.
Specific prayers have their own wording.
Your thoughts?

[Subdeacon Joe]

I've never understood the ridicule heaped on "canned prayer."  Historically there were set prayers, and groups of prayers to be said at certain times.  Especially in corporate (group) prayer such as the regular gatherings.  I've noticed that a lot of  supposedly "spontaneous" prayers seem to be made up beforehand to impress the audience with the piety and education of the one giving the prayer rather than an actual praise of, petition to, or thanksgiving to God.  Not that there is anything wrong with heartfelt spontaneous prayers, after all, there had to be a first time for any specific prayer.  
 

In a letter to the Church in Corinth (seems they were a troublesome lot) St. Clement wrote, in about A.D. 90, ""These things therefore being manifest to us, and since we look into the depths of the divine knowledge, it behooves us to do all things in [their proper] order, which the Lord has commanded us to perform at stated times. He has enjoined offerings [to be presented] and service to be performed [to Him], and that not thoughtlessly or irregularly, but at the appointed times and hours. Where and by whom He desires these things to be done, He Himself has fixed by His own supreme will, in order that all things, being piously done according to His good pleasure, may be acceptable unto Him. Those, therefore, who present their offerings at the appointed times, are accepted and blessed; for inasmuch as they follow the laws of the Lord, they sin not. For his own peculiar services are assigned to the high priest, and their own proper place is prescribed to the priests, and their own special ministrations devolve on the Levites. The layman is bound by the laws that pertain to laymen.""  So before the last of the Apostles died we see that there were already established forms, prayers, and services, "canned worship" as some would say, as well as a hierarchy.  (in the 2nd and 3rd centuries some considered his epistle to be part of the canon of Scripture, but it didn't make the cut in the most influential lists of what to include in the New Testament.  If I recall, it didn't make it because it mostly dealt with a narrow problem and one likely to not be repeated elsewhere.  And, in the part I quoted, just reiterating common knowledge so no need to include it.  More of an internal memo rather than a statement of purpose and core beliefs.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

Your choice.  God will still get the message.

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770]

I think that if you mean it, He will hear you. 

[Subdeacon Joe]

"Canned prayer" can also be used for teaching:

[Finagler 6853 Life]

Canned prayer or spontaneous, God will hear what is in your heart.

[Eyesa Horg]

Don't know, but CAN tell you that the "Prayer Posse" works for all involved.

[Alpo]

When I was a kid we said "the blessing" at supper (I think I was in high school before I ever heard it referred to as "Grace"). Sometimes Mama said it, sometimes Daddy said it, sometimes they would call on one of us to say it. But whichever of the five of us said it, it was always the same. Three lines followed by Amen.

 

I saw nothing wrong with this canned prayer.

[Rye Miles #13621]

I say an Our Father, Hail Mary and an Act of Contrition and ask that He helps all those in need. I guess that’s a canned prayer. 

[Subdeacon Joe]

A couple of prayers before meals:

The poor shall eat and be filled, and they who seek the Lord shall praise him; their hearts shall live to the ages of ages.

 

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. 

Amen.

 

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

 

Christ our God, bless the food and drink of your servants, for you are holy always, now and forever and to the ages of ages. 

Amen.

 

===================

 

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. 

Amen.

 

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. 

Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread; 

and forgive us our trespasses 

as we forgive those who trespass against us; 

and lead us not into temptation, 

but deliver us from evil. 

Amen.

 

Christ our God, bless the food and drink of your servants, for you are holy always, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

 

===================

 

Often there will be an addition after "bless the food and drink of Thy servants" to say "bless the food and drink of Thy servants, and the hands which have prepared it..."

[Alpo]

Occasionally I would much prefer a canned prayer.

 

This guy was praying before something. This is been some years back and I don't remember what it was, but I remember his prayer. Because about every four words he inserted FATHER GOD

 

Example: and we ask you Father God to bless us Father God in our exertions today Father God so that we Father God...

 

And that lasted about 10 minutes.

 

Thinking back on it, I think he was doing the prayer before the Little League game.

[Rye Miles #13621]

My parents always said this prayer before meals

 

Bless us oh Lord for these gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord amen 

[Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619]

Canned or 'rote' prayers are especially good because they cover all the bases. The stuff you'd leave out if every day was extemporanious.

 

I use them all the time and add a few new petitions as needed.

 

Prayers before meals should have a regular form. We always say grace. As the head of a large progeny it usually falls to me. I have two or three that I will vary from time to time but they are 'canned'.

 

The Lord's Prayer is the ultimate rote prayer. "When you pray, say this......"

[DocWard]

If I may, in Buddhist Metta meditation, or what some call "loving-kindness" meditation, what is important is that one's intention is heartfelt. The words in Metta meditation are repeated to oneself over and over, so are, in a sense, "canned." I would tend to believe that regardless of the words recited in prayer, so long as they are heartfelt, the energy will go as it should.

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

In the interest if simplicity and brevity, at Scout Camp before meals we recite the "Philmont Grace:"  

 

“For food, for raiment, for life, for opportunity, for friendship and fellowship, we thank Thee, O Lord. Amen.”

[Texas Lizard]

Kinda like TV...At some point you are going to have reruns....It is the thought that counts...

 

Texas Lizard

[Sixgun Seamus]

23 minutes ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

In the interest if simplicity and brevity, at Scout Camp before meals we recite the "Philmont Grace:"  

 

“For food, for raiment, for life, for opportunity, for friendship and fellowship, we thank Thee, O Lord. Amen.”

As a Scouting family and a 12 time veteran of Philmont, we said that at every meal.

[Pat Riot]

As a kid we said a canned prayer at meals. 
 

“God is great. God is good.

Let us thank him for this food. Amen”

 

 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

I had some friends over and the man asked to say grace.  When he was finished we all said "Amen" and I added something I got from my Dad.  It's something I do religiously (pun intended) and it's just a whisper: "Thanks, Boss."

 

The man looked at me and at his wife and then asked if that is a cowboy thing.  I told him my Dad was Hillbilly from Missouri and his folk were unedicated share croppers.  My whole family thanks The Boss that way.  I just never give it any thought.