About the Mass: Eucharistic Prayer Part 8

6. ‘Doxology and Great Amen’.

The Eucharistic Prayer comes to a climax as the priest holds up the consecrated host and chalice and proclaims our thanks and praise with the words: 

‘Through Him, with Him, and in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all glory and honour is yours, Almighty Father, for ever and ever’.  To this we respond ‘Amen’ either spoken or sung.

Although this doxology text is Trinitarian in nature, it still has a special emphasis on Christ as the mediator.  The doxology summarizes the Eucharistic Prayer, which concludes, as it began, on an explicit note of praise. The Church offers praise and honour to the Father through Christ who is the High Priest, with Christ who is really present and in Christ who gives himself in the Eucharist to us.  The Church at prayer is united to the Holy Spirit. The priest proclaims the Eucharistic prayer in the name of the congregation. We confirm and approve this action by our response of ‘Amen’, the Hebrew word for ‘So be it’; either in song or loud voice.

Liturgically, it makes sense therefore for the priest to proclaim these words, as this links him in a very real way his ministerial priesthood, as he is the one who is ‘representing Christ the mediator’ in our midst. By our response, we link ourselves to our ‘own baptismal priesthood’.  Both are important and both need to be liturgically respected in the Mass.

 

Sound liturgical practice therefore, is for the priest to proclaim the doxology and for the congregation to respond enthusiastically ‘Amen’, rather than being spoken by both priest and congregation together. The priest is representing Christ the mediator in our midst and is being linked with Christ’s priesthood.

Our ‘Amen’ (known as the ‘Great Amen’) completes the Eucharistic prayer and liturgically should be sung where possible.   

Sound musical and liturgical practice for the Great Amen favours either 4 or 8 Amen's when it is harmonized, repeated or augmented, as it is our ‘Amen’ to each of the three persons of the Trinity, and the final one unites us to our fellow parishioners assembled- the faith community gathered.  

Sound liturgical and theological practice indicates the congregation remain kneeling until the Paten and chalice are placed back onto the altar by the priest, rather than the congregation standing up in the middle of the Great Amen especially when it is sung with 8 Amens.

What an amazing conclusion to the Eucharistic prayer!!