For the Sake of the Gospel # 12 Faith and Evangelization “What We Believe”
For the past several weeks, I have been writing about the central theme of my ministry at St. Mary’s this year: “faith and evangelization.” Thus far, I have discussed the act of faith, which I have described in terms of the trust and confidence we have in God. Viewed from this point of view, faith is an act of profound trust and confidence in the God who raises the dead. Like Abraham we trust that God will fulfill his promises. We trust that God is reliable and trustworthy, and so we believe in the God who raises the dead. In this week’s column, I will consider the content of faith. What do we believe as Christians? What distinguishes us from those who do not believe?
The answer to this question is found in the Creed we recite each week at Mass. This creed, which is called the Nicene Creed, was developed in the early church as an authentic summary of what Christians believe. It continues to serve that function even today. And so it is a good place to begin.
The creed is Trinitarian in nature; that is, it focuses on the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the first part of the creed we express our faith in one God who is the Father almighty, the maker of heaven and earth. In the second part of the creed we express our faith in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father, who was incarnate (took on flesh) of the Virgin Mary, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, raised from the dead, and sits at the right hand of the Father. In the third part of the creed, we confess our faith in the Holy Spirit who is the giver of life. Finally, in the fourth part of the creed we confess our faith in the church and one baptism for the forgiveness of sins as we await the resurrection from the dead.
What we believe is both simple and profound. We believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and we believe in the church. This means that the essential content of our faith is both Trinitarian and ecclesial. We believe in God who was incarnate in Jesus Christ, and we believe in the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us in the community of the church as we await our resurrection from the dead.
There are others things we believe, which distinguish us as Catholics, but the essence of our faith is found in the creed we recite each week. This creed recounts the story of salvation in term of the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and it reminds us that we belong to a community of believers who form one church that is holy, Catholic (universal in scope) and apostolic. We belong to a community of believers who eagerly await the return of the risen Christ and their own resurrection from the dead.
Reflect on and pray over the creed that we recite each week, for in this creed is the essential content of what we believe. Our faith is as simple and as profound as this creed.