By Fr Joseph B Francis –
We have come to the conclusion of the Creed and we conclude with a resounding act of faith: AMEN. This is a Hebrew word and the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that the root Hebrew word for the “I believe” is also “amen”.
In Hebrew it has only three letters: NMA (read from left to right and the vowel is not written but understood). The first letter meant for the Hebrews God was faithful and the middle letter meant that he continues to be faithful and the last letter meant their ardent faith that God would be faithful to them in the future too and keep his covenant with them. It is an assertion of faith: it is so and will always be so.
Similarly the dogmas of the Church can never change. In the sense in which they are proclaimed by the Magisterium (the Teaching of authority of the Church) according to the times and cultural meaning attached to the words. In that sense it always remains the same for all eternity.
Could there be a deepening in the understanding of the dogma (declared doctrine formulated in human words)? Yes, there could be but never in direct opposition to the once declared doctrine. One may ask why do we saying that these do not change. It is because God remains the same. He does not change. We may change and do so very often but he is steady. His love remains forever and he is often called the rock of salvation (Deut 32.4+15+18+31).
The Psalms repeatedly call God as rock on which we are set and he will not fail us at any time (Ps 27.5;28.1;31.3;71.3;40.2;61.2;62.2+6; 89,26;92.15;95.1.). Book of revelation wants to use the same amen with the meaning of God’s fidelity but the book is written in Greek and “amen” obviously has four letters so the author invents another way of saying. He says that Jesus is Alpha and Omega i.e., the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet. In short he is everything (Rev 1.8).
It is also interesting to note that sometimes they used the word “Amen” as a replacement for the sacred 4 letter Hebrew word for God which became so sacred that when reading aloud it was passed over in silence and listeners understood what was passed over in silence. The sacred tetragrammaton (4 letter word) was pronounced only by the High priest once a year when he went into the Holy of Holies on the expiation day carrying the blood of the sacrificed animal to sprinkle on the hilasterion (the seat of Mercy) [Lev 16.15-19].
So instead of the word they used other words and one such word is amen. It is at the same time a faith in the fidelity of God, his enduring love and his assurance; it is a trust that God would do this for us. In the New Testament we see that Jesus uses this sometimes “Amen, amen I say to you…” to emphasize that what he says is trustworthy and certain. Book of Revelation calls him the “amen” (Rev 3.14) and Paul tells the Corinthians who had begun to say that Paul does not keep his word; he had been saying I am coming but did not come.
Writing to them he asserts in Jesus he tries to be always “yes” and this is to be like Jesus: “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why we utter the Amen through him, to the glory of God” (II Cor 1.20). You also notice that all our prayers conclude with amen expressing our faith in God who loves and is faithful to his promises. The canon (the central Eucharistic prayer) “Through him with him and in him…” concludes with the resounding “Amen” by the congregation. So we conclude the Creed with the “amen” not only of our lips but of our lives. Read CCC 1061 to 1065