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February 3, 2021Although it’s not unheard of for a priest to answer this question, the circumstances in which it now arises is certainly unprecedented.
In a rather embarrassing moment recently, U.S. Congressman Emanuel Clever II closed an opening prayer in Congress by saying “amen and a woman.” I’m sure that it came as obvious to most Catholics that the word “amen” contains no reference at all to men (not to mention the grammatical error of placing the singular “a” in front of the plural “men”).
I’ve noticed in recent years that there has been a battle over language and those who engage in it do so with an ideology in mind (as the saying goes, “He who controls the language controls the masses.”). That said, we need to understand that words have meaning, and that they should be used with their proper meaning, especially when they touch on matters of our faith.
That said, what does “amen” really mean? This word, Hebrew in origin (and assimilated directly into ancient Greek, Latin and nearly every modern language), simply means “so be it.” Furthermore, it has the same root as the Hebrew word for “believe.” It was used by the Jews in order to indicate their affirmation of prayers, blessings and curses.
This is precisely what we do whenever we pray. So, whenever you say “amen” at the end of your prayers, you are basically saying, “and I mean it!” Further, as the Catechism puts it, “‘Amen’…express[es] both God’s faithfulness towards us and our trust in him” (CCC 1062).
This word is also used to affirm the truth of what someone is saying. In fact, Our Lord did this often (think of the times when Jesus said “Amen, amen, I say to you…”). Certainly, this is not a usual way of speaking today and there is really only one instance in which we use it in this way: the Creed. Every time we recite the Creed (be it the Nicene or Apostles’ Creed), we always end it by saying “Amen,” which is to say, “What I have just said is true and I believe it!”
That might not seem like the most in-depth answer, but sometimes things really are that simple and this is one of those times (although I could write about how Jesus is the Amen, but I won’t get into that in this article). Let’s not over-complicate it. Amen.
Fr. Greg Luger is parochial vicar at the Churches of St. Joseph in Williston, St. John the Baptist in Trenton and St. Boniface in Grenora. If you have a question you were afraid to ask, now is the time to ask it! Simply email your question to [email protected] with the “Question Afraid to Ask” in the subject line.