Father, we thank Thee who has planted Thy holy name within our hearts.

Knowledge and faith and life immortal Jesus Thy son to us imparts.

Oh Lord, didst make all for thy pleasure, didst give man food for all his days,

Giving in Christ the bread eternal; Thine is the pow’r be Thine the praise.

This traditional hymn was translated in 1941 by F. Bland Tucker and is taken from an early second-century Greek text called the “Didache” or “The Teaching.” Chapters 9 and 10 of this ancient document describe the liturgical practices of an early Syrian-Christian community, and the present text is a paraphrase translation of prayers that were used within the celebration of the Eucharist.

These ancient words have continued to resonate across the centuries within our own celebration of the Eucharist. If you recall, during the Preparation Rite of the Mass, the priest offers thanks for the gifts being offered: “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you: fruit of the Earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life.”

A similar prayer is offered for the wine to be used as well. Just as in the words of the ancient hymn of the “Didache,” so in the words of the Mass a clear connection is made between the natural gifts of creation and the work of human hands and the greater supernatural gift to be realized in the Eucharist: the Bread of Life and the Cup of Eternal Salvation. We might consider then that the structure and words of the Eucharistic celebration are not just about how one is to celebrate Mass but how one is “to give thanks,” not just for the fruits of the Eucharist but for the fruits of all creation.

Many of you, like me, have planted your vegetable garden or strewn your deck and porch with a few pots filled with herbs and tomatoes. I have a small statue of St. Fiacre, the patron saint of gardeners, on the inside window sill of my porch, looking down upon my vegetable beds. Each day I offer a little prayer to St. Fiacre to help my garden grow and protect it from predatory squirrels. As to the squirrels, my prayers often go unheeded. I find that live trapping tends to do better. In the meantime, my garden grows well and is filled with thanksgiving for the abundance of God’s love and a reminder of the gift of eternal life that was began in the garden of the empty tomb of Jesus. In the words of another beautiful hymn:

We thank you, then, Creator, for all things bright and good, the seed-time, and the harvest, our life, our health, our food. Accept the gifts we offer for all your love imparts, and what you most would welcome: our humble, thankful hearts. All good gifts around us are sent from heav’n above. We thank you, Lord, we thank you, Lord, for all your love.

—Originally published in the Summer 2023 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine then in the August 5-11, 2023, edition of The Inland See.