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Why Do Catholics Say Amen?

05/05/2015

Why do we say “Amen”?

Amen is to say “I agree” or to say “it is true”. Amen is a word of commitment to what has been spoken. When we conclude a prayer with “Amen” we are firmly and definitively agreeing that God’s will be done, that we give this prayer, this offering to God. Amen is used often by Jesus in scripture to emphasize that what he is sharing is the truth and the way. We often are witness to Jesus beginning or ending a parable with the words “Amen, Amen, I say to you,” which in turn tells us that “this is true, this is true, what I am about to tell you.” Amen is the statement of affirmation in our faith lives.

Adapted from “The Catholic Source Book” pg. 282, Revelation 3:14, John 3:3, Mark 9:1 and Luke 9:27