Morning Prayer

In the morning, when you get up, bless yourself with the sign of the cross and say:

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Then, kneeling or standing, repeat the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. If you choose, you may add this little prayer:

I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and all evil, that all my actions and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

Then go to your work joyfully, singing a hymn, such as the Ten Commandments, or whatever your devotion may suggest.

Evening Prayer

In the evening when you go to bed, bless yourself with the sign of the cross and say:

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Then kneeling or standing, repeat the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. If you choose, you may also say this little prayer:

I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

Then go to sleep promptly and cheerfully.

Asking a Blessing

The children and the members of the household go the table, fold their hands and reverently say:

The eyes of all look to You, O Lord, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing (Psalm 145:15-16).

Then shall be said the Lord’s Prayer and the following:

Lord God, heavenly Father, bless us and these Your gifts which we take from Your bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Returning Thanks

In the same way, when the meal has ended, they fold their hands and reverently say:

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His love endures forever. He gives food to every creature. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love (Psalm 136:1, 25; 147:9-11).

Then shall be said the Lord’s Prayer and the following:

We thank You, Lord God, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, for all Your benefits, who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

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What is the Sacrament of the Altar?
It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself.

Where is this written?
The holy Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and St. Paul write: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper, he took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Take this and drink of it, all of you. This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the remission of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

What is the benefit of this eating and drinking?
This is shown by the words: “Given and shed for you for the remission of sins.” In the Sacrament, forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given to us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things?
It is not the eating and drinking that do these things, but these words: “Given and shed for you for the remission of sins.” These words are, along with the bodily eating and drinking, the main thing in the Sacrament. Anyone who believes these words has what they say: that is, the forgiveness of sins.

Who receives this sacrament worthily?
Fasting and bodily preparation are a fine outward training. But the one who is truly worthy and well prepared is the one who has faith in these words: “Given and shed for you for the remission of sins.” But the one who does not believe these words, or who doubts them, is unworthy and unprepared, because the words “for you” require wholehearted belief.

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This modernised version of Luther’s Small Catechism is based on the public domain text here, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please attribute it by linking back to this page. 

All Scripture quotations in this publication are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.