The Great Amen

"Can I get an amen?" That is a question that was often asked during the homilies of our former pastor--then Monsignor David Talley. Talley, who is now the Bishop of the Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana, was raised in the Southern Baptist faith tradition, where such appeals are  common.

The word amen is used in all major faith traditions. The word is believed to have its roots in Hebrew and means certainty or truth. Found throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, it was used to express agreement or affirmation.

A more unusual translation of amen is said to be found in the story of the Israelites who wandered in the desert for 40 years on their way to the Promised Land. Desert conditions made travel tricky and unreliable. Travelers were vulnerable to heat, cold and violent wind storms. Because they were on the move, they lived in tents and had to find solid ground in which to drive their tent pegs. When they found that solid place in which to anchor their tent, they could be assured of shelter and protection from the elements. For the Israelites, where they placed their tent pegs was a matter of life and death. The word amen came to mean, “Now that I can drive my tent peg into.” In other words, “That is the place where I can anchor my life,” or, “I believe it to be so.”

The word amen also appears in the New Testament and was often used by Jesus to teach a lesson. “Amen, I say to you …” could be translated as, “Truly, I say to you …” The word was adapted for use in the early Church and remains a regular part of our current liturgies. We say the word amen many times at Mass, usually at the end of a greeting or a prayer. But there is one amen that stands above the rest. After the priest says or sings the doxology, “Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever,” the people respond with what is supposed to be a rousing AMEN. This is often called the great amen perhaps because it follows the great prayer of thanksgiving.

Because we say the word so often, we might take it for granted, and our response can become lackluster. If we consider the meaning as interpreted by the story of the Israelites, we can note several parallels. We too, like the Israelites, are on a journey to the Promised Land. We too encounter harsh conditions and challenges. We too need to be able to anchor our lives on solid ground.

The Eucharistic Prayer reminds that we do well to stake our lives on Jesus who died and rose and remains with us until the end of time. Can I get an amen?

The Memorial Acclamation

The popular musical Fiddler on the Roof tells the story of a family who live in the town of Anatevka. In the story, the “Papa”, Tevye, talks to God as if God were sitting on a chair next to him, giving us a glimpse of his ongoing relationship with God. Tevye’s prayer often takes the form of a lament, “I realize, of course, it’s no shame being poor . . . but it’s no great honor, either.”

The relationship that Tevye enjoys is the fruit of the long history of the covenant relationship between God and the Jewish people expressed in the Hebrew Scriptures:

            “I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you

            throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your

            offspring after you.” Genesis 17:7

For Jews, being in a covenant relationship with God was grounded in the concrete experience of being delivered from slavery in Egypt. It was to know God as one who acts in freedom and out of love. For Christians, that covenant relationship is continued and renewed in the person of Jesus. We, like Tevye, are also partners in covenant relationship and in conversation with the God who continues to act in freedom and out of love.

This dialogue between God and God’s people is expressed throughout the liturgy, especially in the Memorial Acclamation. After the priest says the words of consecration in the Eucharistic Prayer, he says or sings “The mystery of faith” and we respond by singing one of the following acclamations:

            “We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.”

            “When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord,

            until you come again.”

            “Save us, Savior of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.”

Notice the dialogue between us and Jesus. We are conversing with God, which is why this is called an acclamation, a statement directed to someone, rather than a proclamation, a statement made about someone. We not only affirm our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, we acknowledge our share in the experience of the death and resurrection of Jesus. The first two acclamations remind us that we remain pilgrims on a journey, who await the Lord’s second coming. The third acclaims that we are set free for that very journey.

The Memorial Acclamation also serves another purpose in that it enables the assembly to participate in the lengthy Eucharistic Prayer which is said by the priest.

May these words help us, like Tevye, to be faithful partners in our ongoing relationship with God.

The Sanctus

Psalm 90 says, “Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong.” My Uncle Frank lived more than 90 years. A few weeks before he passed, I knew he was ready for the transition. His face said it all. His skin was ashen gray and he was awake but silent. His lips were parted and his eyes, wide open, were fixed with a gaze that looked beyond my presence. The hint of a sparkle in his eyes told me he was looking at something glorious. It was as if Uncle Frank had one foot on the earth and the other in heaven. 

Stories of the dying often tell us that those who are near death are able to see glimpses of what awaits them. These stories reveal that the world beyond isn’t so far away after all. It is very near, in fact, it is here, present among all the living, even now.

Our participation in the liturgy helps us to see a bit of heaven by giving us an experience of heaven on earth. Perhaps this is best expressed by the Sanctus, (Holy, Holy, Holy) as the priest’s introduction asserts: “And so, with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim: Holy, Holy, Holy …”

The Sanctus echoes several scripture passages. The first part of the Sanctus comes from the Book of the prophet Isaiah and the Book of Revelation:

“In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they hovered. One cried out to the other: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!’” Isaiah 6:1-3

“The four living creatures, each of them with six wings, were covered with eyes inside and out. Day and night they do not stop exclaiming: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.’” Revelation 4:8

Both of these passages present a vision of heavenly worship. 

The second part of the Sanctus, the Benedictus, comes from the Book of Psalms and the Gospel of Matthew.

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Psalm 118:26

     “The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying:

     ‘Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord;

      hosanna in the highest.’” Matthew 21:9

The psalm describes the psalmist as he enters the temple to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. The Gospel depicts the scene as Jesus enters Jerusalem prior to his passion and death.

When we sing the Sanctus, our voices and the communion of voices who have gone before us are gathered into one great choir of praise. As I sing the Sanctus, I hear the voice of Uncle Frank. Whose voice do you hear? 

The Gloria

At my parish, we are in the process of learning to sing new Mass parts, bilingual settings that are now being prayed by our entire community in our respective languages. It is our hope that these arrangements will make it easier for everyone to pray when we come together to celebrate a bilingual liturgy.

This is the first of several articles which will explore the sung parts of the Mass. Today we look at the Gloria, sometimes called the Glory to God.

The Gloria is a hymn of praise to God and forms part of the Introductory Rites at Mass. The Gloria follows the Penitential Act and sometimes the sprinkling rite, and precedes the Collect or opening prayer. The Gloria unites the community in the praise of God and prepares the people to hear the words of Sacred Scripture.

We sing the Gloria on Sundays outside of Advent and Lent. We also sing it on special occasions—solemnities, feasts, and even weddings.

The ancient text of the Gloria is believed to have had its origins in the Eastern Church. In the fourth century, it became part of morning prayer.

The first line of the Gloria comes from Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus:

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:8-14

This news of Christ’s birth was not announced to kings or queens or people who held power or nobility. It came to simple shepherds working the night shift. These men, inferior by society’s standards, were chosen by God to be the first to hear the Good News. The shepherds confirm God’s love for the poor and the lowly. They demonstrate that God comes to us in our common, ordinary, everyday lives, often when least expected. May we respond with hearts filled with praise as we sing this angelic hymn.

Burying Our Dead

Whenever there is a national tragedy, such as the shooting in Las Vegas, symbols of affection and remembrance abound. Flowers, candles, letters of condolence, and other items are placed at or near the site of these tragedies. These tributes help to express feelings when words alone are not enough. These memorials fill several voids. They offer us the opportunity to do something when we feel powerless. They provide solace for the grieving and they honor the dead whose lives were dishonored by the harrowing ways in which they died. When dying in horrific ways seems to strip us of our dignity, rituals such as these remind us that our dignity was never lost.

The Church’s rituals make paramount the dignity of the human person no matter how he or she died. At the beginning of the funeral rite, the body of the deceased is welcomed, sprinkled with holy water, and covered with a pall--symbols that serve to remind us that the dead were baptized into Christ and that they share in his life both then and now. Throughout the funeral liturgy, we pray for, we remember, and we bless the dead and their family. At the end of the funeral liturgy, we incense the body and we sing a song of farewell---a sign that we entrust our loved one to the love and mercy of God.

While the Church allows cremation, it does not share the same value as the presence of the body at the funeral liturgy:

“The Church clearly prefers and urges that the body of the deceased be present for the funeral rites, since the presence of the human body better expresses the values which the Church affirms in those rites.” Order of Christian Funerals #413

When cremains are present, they are treated with the same respect given to the body from which they come:

“This includes the use of a worthy vessel to contain the ashes, the manner in which they are carried, the care and attention to appropriate placement and transport, and the final disposition. The cremated remains should be buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium. The practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on the ground, or keeping cremated remains in the home of a relative or friend of the deceased are not the reverent disposition that the Church requires.”  Order of Christian Funerals #417

The Church sees interring the remains of the dead in the ground or in a columbarium as more dignified and respectful than keeping those remains at home. It is also safer because, should a house fire or burglary occur, cremains that are in the home could be lost. The guidelines help ensure the honor and dignity of the deceased, even long after they and we are gone.

Each year at St. Thomas Aquinas, a seminar is held designed to answer questions regarding end-of-life issues. As stated in this bulletin, this year’s seminar will be held on Saturday, November 4 at 9:00 am in rooms 201 and 202.