Amen

There is at least one word in the sacred liturgy that is seldom used in ordinary life except, perhaps, ironically or emphatically: Amen. This word appears many times throughout the Mass and also in the Liturgy of the Hours. It means “so be it” or “truly.”

The Great Amen is proclaimed by all the faithful at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer. In it, we are saying ‘yes’ to all that has been prayed and proclaimed – to the saving power of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Again, when we receive Holy Communion and the minister says, “The Body of Christ” or “The Blood of Christ,” we respond “Amen.” In that moment, we are professing faith in the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ - not a symbol, but the real presence of Christ, whole and entire under the appearances of bread and wine.

Saying “Amen” is therefore costly, because it means following the One who was given and whose blood was shed.

As a saying attributed to the late American Jesuit Fr. Daniel Berrigan expresses it:

“If you are going to follow Jesus, you better look good on wood.”

We ought to be careful, then, the next time we say “Amen.”