Before the first mouthful, a pause. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asks that the food be made heavenly and that those seated around it become life-giving to the world, so that an ordinary supper opens onto the Supreme Concourse and the strength it gives is already pointed toward service. Thanks at table is never only about the plate. It notices the earth, the rain and the many hands that brought the meal this far, and then it admits that the giving runs further than any thanks can reach; the finite cannot keep pace with the Infinite, and so the prayer ends not in settlement but in asking for more. Deuteronomy adds a sober warning for the well fed: satisfaction has a way of persuading us that our own hand produced the plenty [1]. Gratitude that remembers its source turns into hospitality, and the habit of pausing to give thanks at meals leads naturally into the wider life of prayer, where every need and every gift find their words.
O Lord! Make this food heavenly and make those assembled here of the hosts of Thy Supreme Concourse so that they may become life-giving and the cause of the enlightenment of the world of man, that they may arise to, guide all the peoples of the world.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words to the Baha'is, spoken at Parsons home on 1912-Nov-09 -- ABU3118)
02
O God! dispel all those elements which are the cause of discord, and prepare for us those things which are the cause of unity and agreement! O God! cause to descend upon us Heavenly Fragrance and change this gathering into a gathering of Heaven! Grant to us every benefit and every food! Prepare for us the food of love! Give to us the food of knowledge! Bestow upon us the food of Heavenly Illumination!
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken throughout the day on 1912-Jun-08 in Philadelphia -- ABU0003)
03
My Lord and My Hope! Praise be to Thee that Thou hast sent down upon us this spiritual table, this divine bounty, this heavenly blessing. O our Lord, enable us to eat of this food of the kingdom that its subtle essences may pervade the corners of our spiritual being and that there may be produced from that heavenly strength for the service of Thy cause, the spread of Thy revelation, and the adorning of Thy garden with lofty trees bearing branches near at hand, perfumed with fresh breezes.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1902-Sep-02, to Mary Morton -- AB05402)
04
Thou seest us, O my God, gathered around this table, praising Thy bounty, with our gaze set upon Thy Kingdom. O Lord! Send down upon us Thy heavenly food and confer upon us Thy blessing. Thou art verily the Bestower, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Grace spoken at Hearst estate in Pleasanton, CA, 1912-Oct-14 -- ABU3291)
05
How can we render Thee thanks, O Lord? Thy bounties are endless and our gratitude cannot equal them. How can the finite utter praise of the Infinite? Unable are we to voice our thanks for Thy favors and in utter powerlessness we turn wholly to Thy Kingdom beseeching the increase of Thy bestowals and bounties. Thou art the Giver, the Bestower, the Almighty.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken at Hearst estate in Pleasanton, CA, 1912-Oct-15 -- ABU1844)