One Hell of An Amen

As we prepare to dive into the spiritual meaning of our next song let us once again begin by recalling the quote from Maria von Trapp: “Music acts like a magic key, to which the most tightly closed heart opens.”As we listen to the music it is important to be aware of which doors of our heart are being opened and which ones are being closed. Sometimes music can open doors that help us become the people God intended us to be but sometimes music through its lyrics in particular can open doors that lead us into temptation and if we are not careful into sin.

"One Hell Of An Amen" by Brantley Gilbert
As you can imagine, the song title was the first thing to catch my attention. The word “hell” and the word “amen” don’t normally go together. The main use of the word hell according to the dictionary is “a place regarded in various religions as a spiritual realm of evil and suffering, often traditionally depicted as a place of perpetual fire beneath the earth where the wicked are punished after death. The word “amen” is normally used as a way of declaring something to be truthful in the way that God is true. It is a statement saying “I believe”. The title of the song makes more sense when you read the second definition of the word “hell”: a word used to express annoyance or surprise or added for emphasis. So in the sense Brantley Gilbert is saying “The statements are exceedingly and extremely true.”

The first verse is all about the funeral of a young soldier who died for his country. I have celebrated many funerals for veterans and have seen the flag being folded and heard the sound of guns being fired in salute. It is quite literally a startling reminder that “freedom is not free.” I am only able to enjoy the freedom that I do because there are men and women who serve in our armed forces that are willing to lay down their life to protect all of us. I think it is important to note that religions around the time of Christ were not always accepting of soldiers because soldiers were often seen and thugs for hire. Christianity has I believed always seen being a soldier as a noble profession (if fulfilled for the betterment of the community and not out of a need for personal wealth or power). Many of our early saints were once soldiers like St. Martin of Tours and St. George. “Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.” ― George S. Patton Jr. Men and women who have paid the ultimate price and who are serving our country now deserve nothing but our respect and admiration.

The second verse is about losing a friend who has cancer. The man becomes an inspiration around them because of how he live out his life. The following three quotes are from Fr. Nouwen’s book Beyond the Mirror: Reflections on Death and Life. In his book Fr. Nouwen talks about lessons he learned from a near death experience. The last quote is from Fr. Nouwen’s book A Letter of Consolation. In this book Fr. Nouwen shares his deep reflections on his mother’s passing.

What most prevented me from dying was the sense of unfinished business, unresolved conflicts with people with whom I lived or had lived. The pain of forgiveness withheld, by me and form me, kept me clinging to my wounded existence. In my mind’s eye, I saw the men and women who aroused within me feelings of anger, jealousy, and even hatred. They had a strange power over me. They might never think of me, but every time I thought of them I lost some of my inner peace and joy. Their criticism, rejection, or expressions of personal dislike still affect my feelings about myself. By not truly forgiving them from the heart, I gave them a power over me that kept me chained to my old, broken existence. I also knew that there were still people angry with me, people who could not think about me or speak about me without experiencing great hostility. I might not even know that I had done or said to them. I might not even know who they were. They had not forgiven me but held onto me in their anger. – Fr. Nouwen

In the face of death, I realize that it was not love that kept me clinging to life but unresolved anger. Love, real love flowing from me or toward me, sets me free to die. Death would not undo that love. To the contrary death would deepen it and strengthen it. Those whom I love dearly and those by whom I am loved dearly may mourn my death but their bonds with me will only grow stronger and deeper. They would remember me, make me part of their very members, and thus carry my spirit with them on their journey. . – Fr. Nouwen

No the real struggle was not a matter of leaving love ones. The real struggle had to do with leaving behind me people whom I had not forgiven and people who had not forgiven me. These feelings kept me bound to the old body and brought me great sadness. I suddenly felt an immense desire to call around my bed all who were angry with me and all with whom I was angry to embrace them, ask them to forgive me, and offer them my forgiveness. – Fr. Nouwen.

It is the idea that the meaning of death is not so much the meaning of our death has for us as the meaning it has for others. – Fr. Nouwen