Strictly speaking, a benediction is simply a short prayer or entreaty asking for divine guidance and help. Through time, however, because the benediction was almost always relegated near the end of a service, it has also become synonymous with any closing prayer (dismissal prayer) to a service, meal, or event. The word itself comes from the Latin words bene, meaning “good” or “well” and dicere, meaning “to speak.”
On the other hand, the opening prayer to a service or event is called its “invocation.” This word, too, derives from Latin (invocare) and means “to call upon,” as calling upon God in prayer or for supplication.
