The Words We Speak: Amen

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Revelation 22:21 | The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

2 Corinthians 1:18-22 | As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we preached among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No; but in him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why we utter the Amen through him, to the glory of God. But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us; he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
The word amen echoes throughout the Mass. We are immersed in an unceasing refrain - the anthem of the Church Militant. 'Amen' is a golden thread woven through the Mass to bind us together in the truth, goodness and beauty of God. 'Amen' is the middle name of every Christian believer, received through Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion, a word through which the Eternal Logos, Jesus Christ, speaks His new commandment (St John 13:34-45). 'Amen' is the air that faithful Christians breathe, the breath of the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life.

The word amen has several important meanings in Catholic teaching:
  • It expresses assent and desire, signifying that the prayer to which it is appended has been heard and accepted by God.
    • As the Catechism of the Council of Trent states, "the word amen, with which the Lord's Prayer concludes, contains, as it were, the germs of many of these thoughts and reflections which we have just considered. Indeed, so frequent was this Hebrew word in the mouth of the Saviour, that it pleased the Holy Ghost to have it retained in the Church of God. Its meaning may be said to be: Know that thy prayers are heard."
  • It is a response of faith and trust in God's promises.
    • As the Compendium of the Catechism explains, "the Hebrew word Amen, which also concludes the last book of Sacred Scripture, some of the prayers of the New Testament, and the liturgical prayers of the Church, expresses our confident and total 'yes' to what we professed in the Creed, entrusting ourselves completely to him who is the definitive 'Amen' (Revelation 3:14), Christ the Lord."
  • It affirms the truthfulness and reliability of what has been said, as Pope Benedict XVI noted:
    • "The word derives from aman, which in Hebrew and in Aramaic means 'to make permanent', 'to consolidate' and, consequently, 'to be certain', 'to tell the truth'."
  • In summary, the word amen:
    • expresses the Church's confidence in God's faithfulness;
    • expresses the believer's trust in His promises;
    • affirms the truth of what has been professed or prayed.
    • is a profound expression of faith in the God who is the ultimate Amen - Jesus Christ himself.
References
  1. Catechism of the Council of Trent The Lord's Prayer - Conclusion: "Amen"
  2. Compendium of the CCC 217
  3. General Audience of 30 May 2012
  4. Compendium of the CCC 598
  5. CCC 1062
'Amen' signifies the soul's union with Christ. Faith, hope and love affirm the consummation of the soul and Christ.

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