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Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Doxology and Amen

“Doxology” comes from a Greek word meaning “words of praise.” The Eucharistic Prayer ends with a doxology addressed to the triune God: “Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever.” It is an exclamation of praise, honor, and glory to God, reminding us that we receive everything from God through the Son, in the power of the Spirit. At the consecration, the priest held up the host and then the chalice for us to see and adore.

During the doxology, the host and chalice are held up again, but this time they are held up and offered to God the Father. With the doxology, the Eucharistic Prayer ends, as it began, with words of praise addressed to the Father: truly, it is right and just to give God praise, and we assent to this in our whole-hearted acclamation, “Amen.” Never was more meaning packed into so short a word. This “Amen,” sometimes and fittingly called “the great Amen,” is our response to the entire Eucharistic Prayer.