13 Amens

There are 13 times when we say AMEN during Mass, and each time it has a special message.

-      At the Sign of the Cross – a welcome for me as we start Mass.

-      At the end of the Penitential Rite, affirming my sinfulness and also God’s forgiveness for any of my failures.

-      At the end of the Glory to God, leading me into a festive mood for the rest of the celebration.

-       At the end of the Opening Prayer, also called Collect, uniting us together as the people of God in prayer.

-       At the end of the Creed, the Amen is a great affirmation in all that I believe, and I say it loud and clear with the rest of the congregation.

-      At the end of the Prayers of the faithful, this Amen concludes the liturgy of the Word while sensitizing me to all the needs of the parish, my family, the rest of the world and church world-wide.

-      At the end of the Offertory Prayer we are offering to God, not only the Bread and Wine, but also our successes and failures, our Joys and our Sorrows, and he will take care of them for us.

-      The next Amen is frequently called the Great Amen, as it comes at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer, and is usually sung, leading us into the recitation of the Our Father.

-  At the end of the prayer inviting us to share a sign of peace with each other.

-       This is the only Amen that is said privately, but is probably the most meaningful, as we say it at Communion time when the priest says ‘The Body of Christ’ and ‘The Blood of Christ.’ This Amen means loud and clear ‘I believe’ that this is really Jesus I'm about to receive.

-     The Final post-Communion Prayer also ends with another Amen as we conclude the Mass before our sending-off by the priest.

-      This last Amen during the Mass comes at the end of the final blessing, and which is followed by an important message from the priest “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord."        
   -  The thirteenth Amen? The last Amen comes at night before going to sleep, as you thank the Lord for all the blessings you received during the day, with the hopes and expectations that tomorrow will be another faith-filled day, and experience 13 ways to say Lord, I Love You.