Amen!

One of the most important words in our faith is "Amen."  We say it all the time.  Every prayer end with it.  We use it as a response during mass multiple times.

Are way saying it without thinking?  When we say "Amen" what are we actually saying?

Jesus often started his teachings with saying, "Amen, amen, I say to you" to let his Apostles know what he was about to say was important and true.  When we say "Amen" we should be saying it with the same conviction.  We should be affirming that what we are responding to is accurate.

• When we do the Sign of the Cross we say amen to show we believe in the Trinity.
• We say amen after the creed to verify that those are true statements of our faith.
• We say amen after the Our Father to verify those are the actual words and sentiments of Jesus when he taught his Apostles to pray.
• We say amen when we receive communion to show we believe that the Eucharist is the actual Body and Blood of Christ.
• We say amen at the end of mass to verify we understand our duty to spread the gospel.

So don't just say "Amen" without realizing you are expressing your faith in the belief in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Be proud of your belief in the tenants of the Catholic Church when you say "Amen!"