A couple of months ago, a Congressman named Emanuel Cleaver did something strange to conclude the opening prayer at congress by saying “amen and awomen.”  His purpose was to promote inclusive language and gender equality.  There is a time and place for inclusive language, and the equality in dignity of creation is Biblical between men and women.  The problem with his conclusion centers on the fact that the word amen is not a gender word, thus his attempt at inclusivity comes profoundly forced and takes the direction of the prayer away from God and makes it about humans.  What is the true meaning of this word amen and why is it important?

The last word of any prayer is amen, and the Creed is no different.    It also is the word that concludes the entirety of Scripture.  The word Amen is a Hebrew word that means “to confirm, support, or upheld.”  A simple understanding of the word means “so be it.”  The word’s intention as a conclusion at the end of a prayer is to confirm the belief that was just spoken in a prayer.  In fact, amen can be associated with the Hebrew word emet, which means ‘truth.’  Amen then is a confirmation of the truth of God and all we believe.  As the Catechism states, “the Creed’s final ‘Amen’ repeats and confirms its first words:  ‘I believe.’  To believe is to say ‘Amen’ to God’s words, promises, and commandments; to entrust oneself completely to him who is the ‘Amen’ of infinite love and perfect faithfulness” (CCC1064).  We have found the truth, and amen confirms the truth we believe. 

A Biblical understanding of the word can go even deeper.  In Scripture, the word amen is used to confirm an oath or acceptance of what was just spoken.  For example, in the beginning of the First Book of Kings, David uses the word amen as a confirmation before God that Solomon shall be king after his death (1 Kings 1:36).  An oath in this way can even be seen as a covenant, thus the word amen can arguably be the word to seal a covenant with God.  It would explain why the word we use after receiving the Eucharist is amen.  We are doing so much more than just saying we believe in something.  We are reconfirming the covenant we have with God every time we receive.  The covenant we first enter into at our baptism.  A covenant affirmed at our confirmation.  An everlasting covenant that, if we believe and live out, will be fulfilled in eternal life. 

With all of this in mind, we need to remember that all prayer is directed towards God.  The amen is a word that we use to look towards God, proclaim our belief in the truth of who He is, and seek to affirm it in our lives by living it out.  I think the last part is the most important to remember.  Amen leads us to how we live.  When we say amen, we are confirming the Truth, our belief, and the covenant we have with God.  If we confirm the covenant, but do not live out what we just proclaimed, then we break the covenant we sealed.  Amen should not be a word we used lightly or passively.  It is a word that constantly reminds us and reconfirms our covenant with God and need for His constant help to live out.  So let us not just let our amen be a word we use as a conclusion of a prayer, but a word that is a renewed beginning of living what we believe.