I Believe [Apostle's Creed]

CatholicExchange. com ^ | 10-04-06 | Mickey Addison

[Salvation]

by Mickey Addison

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I Believe

10/04/06

We begin each rosary with the words, "I believe," the first words of the Apostle's Creed. It is our "statement of faith," one that is more written on our hearts rather than in a book.

To “believe" is something more than "guess" and something slightly less than "know." In fact, the first dictionary definition of "believe" is to "have confidence." This, of course, describes our Catholic faith quite precisely. We have great confidence in our Lord and His Church, and we have a number of good reasons for this confidence.

We have confidence because we have been taught by someone with authority to teach. The Christian faith is not a "religion of the book," that is, not based strictly on the Sacred Scriptures. Surely the Bible informs and strengthens our faith because it is the Word of God, but our Lord didn't flip an armload of scrolls to His disciples and tell them to figure it out for themselves. St. Paul enjoins his priests to “stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours (2 Thes 2:15). The Apostles were eyewitnesses to the inauguration of the Kingdom of God, and their successors had confidence in them. Because of the unbroken line of bishops succeeding the Apostles, we can maintain this confidence through their faith, thereby strengthening our own and opening our hearts to the working of the Spirit.

Our confidence is confirmed in the revelation of what we see around us. When I was stationed in Hawaii, I was mesmerized by the deep Pacific skies. I could sit for hours and stare out into space, marveling at the vastness of the cosmos yet completely aware that the same Creator Who willed this vast ocean of stars into being was not distant, but near. This nearness was underscored by the unpretentious complexity of the living things around me, and the decidedly un-complex love I shared with my family. Both the unimaginable yet obvious order to the universe, and the indescribable but delightful bond with my loved ones, speaks of a God both awesome and close.

It must be plain, even to the most hardened atheist, that there is something greater than what our mere senses detect. Even Carl Sagan, the famous cosmologist, couldn't reject God altogether; he acknowledged that there was "something" out there that numbers and theory couldn't quantify.

We can also have confidence in our own experience as humans who encounter the Living God in person. As Catholics, we have the tremendous privilege of approaching God in word and sacrament. Inviting Jesus into our hearts and accepting Him as Lord and Savior is powerful, but it pales in comparison to a physical encounter with our Risen Lord in the Eucharist. In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we can see Him, touch Him, speak to Him, and incorporate Him physically within us just as we open our hearts to invite Him in. Our worship is spirit and body, as is Christ. The confidence born of what we see and hear and taste open our hearts to the Breath of God, the Holy Spirit, Who in turn conforms us to Christ; it is Christ Who presents us to the Father.

None of this is possible without God reaching for us, for as St. Paul writes in his Epistle to the Philippians: “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." In the Catechism this search for God and His call to us is described as written on our hearts by our Creator:

The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to Himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for. The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being. For if man exists it is because God has created him through love, and through love continues to hold him in existence. He cannot live fully according to truth unless he freely acknowledges that love and entrusts himself to his Creator. (#27)

With the reason He has given us, coupled with the very "God-shape" of our human hearts, God tends the garden of our faith. Through the Church, we have a teacher in whom we can have confidence. With our hearts and our hands we can accept Christ, literally taking Him inside our own bodies in the Eucharist. Our faith is a very gift from God and our hearts a vessel for His love.

It is through the assurance born of these remarkable graces that we can confidently proclaim, “Credo,” I believe.

© Copyright 2006 Catholic Exchange


Mickey Addison is a career military officer, and has been a catechist at the parish level since 2000. He and his wife have been married for 19 years and they have two children. He can be reached at addisoncrew@gmail.com.

This article was previously published on the Rosary Army’s website and is used by permission.

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[Jaysun]

God Bless you, the Catholics. I myself am not one but I recognize your role as essential to our cause and would only caution against the over deification of Mary.

Anyway, we are brothers in Christ. Let us continue the good fight as we've been commanded.

[Titanites]

God Bless you, the Catholics. I myself am not one but I recognize your role as essential to our cause and would only caution against the over deification of Mary.

Nice sentiments, but why do you have to bring up Mary? This thread is about the Apostle's Creed.

[IrishCatholic]

I am on NY'rs ping list. I don't recall if I am on yours too. If not would you please add me?
Thanks
IrishCatholic

[Fudd Fan]

Thanks for your kind thoughts.

Just want to say though, that Mary is not deified. She intercedes for us and we pray to God through her.

God bless.

[Fudd Fan]

Credo in Deum, Patrem Omnipotentem, Creatorem Caeli et terrae;
et in Jesum Christum, Filium ejus unicum, Dominum nostrum:
qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine,
passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus.
Descendit ad inferos; tertia die resurrexit a mortuis;
ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei, Patris
omnipotentis; inde venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos.
Credo in Spiritum Sanctum, Sanctam Ecclesiam catholicam,
sanctorum communionem, remissionem peccatorum,
carnis resurrectionem, et vitam aeternam. Amen.

[Jaysun]

Nice sentiments, but why do you have to bring up Mary? This thread is about the Apostle's Creed.

Because some Catholics are dangerously close, in my opinion, of worshiping her in place of Jesus Christ. I've seen it firsthand.

[Jaysun]

Just want to say though, that Mary is not deified. She intercedes for us and we pray to God through her.

There's a fine line. I've seen it crossed by some Catholics firsthand. The Word is the authority and to rely on anything else is to open yourself up to anything. Nevertheless, this isn't a debate as to the merits of Catholicism. I said earlier that I recognize Catholics as important and saved and I stick by that.

[frogjerk]

Catholics don't deify the Virgin Mary.

The back handed slap in your compliment is not appreciated.

[frogjerk]

There's a fine line. I've seen it crossed by some Catholics firsthand.

Please explain what you have witnessed.

[Fudd Fan]

I believe you've seen it; however we're not supposed to put her on the same level with God.

Not trying to prolong an argument, just wanted to point it out. There certainly are some people who don't get the difference and it's an important one.

[Mad Dawg]

I think you have Mary confused with my mother-in-law. I would caution her against deifying herself, but I'm afraid of her. (Only kidding. My MIL is a great woman of prayer and I have no hesitation in asking her to pray for me. I also have no hesitation in asking Mary to pray for me. She is also a great woman of prayer -- possibly even greater than my mother-in-law, though I'm not going to say that, not too loudly anyway)

Mary is not a god or goddess. She's a great saint. Our Lord talks about the psalm which says,"You are gods," and it is certain that great saints, those who show forth most fully what God intended for each of us, at least in some degree, could be confused with a diety.

But, nope: Only one God. A bunch of angels, one of whom is rooting for me in a special way, and then the blessed. And yes, I ask the angels and the blessed (and some of them more than others) if they wouldn't mind rooting for me. And I do so because I am confident that the God whose Son described what He had to offer in terms of overflowing abundance -- shaken down, pressed together, running over -- told me so because He wanted me to take heart, to know that HE and not He alone (which would certainly be MORE than enough!) but a great heavenly host are cheering for me, wincing when I fall, yelling all the louder when I stagger to my feet, yelling themselves hoarse, exchanging high fives, waiting with eager longing for me to finish the race and join as partners with them and even with God, El Shaddai, the great and terrible, Lord of Armies, as we struggle to the best of our ability to haul, to cheer, and encourage, and when needed, rebuke and scold, our brothers and sisters into the kingdom.

Nope, not a diety, but a remarkable woman who shines like a light, but still only reflects (or maybe refracts, like a lens) the dazzling light of Him who overwhelms the darkness and sends it, chagrined and ashamed, scurrying off vainly looking for a place to hide from His Love.

Nope, not a diety at all. But it's time for my to pray my rosary.

[Tribune7]

Nice, thanks.

[Iscool]

The Christian faith is not a "religion of the book," that is, not based strictly on the Sacred Scriptures.

This is not true at all...You can ascribe the Catholic faith to that position but don't delude yourself into thinking there are no Christians outside the Catholic church...

[Pyro7480]

The fact there are so many little denominations proves the point. When you rely solely on Scripture and personal interpretation thereof, chaos insues.

[Titanites]

I've directed this post to Jaysun, who I think you meant to address.

[Pyro7480]

Because some Catholics are dangerously close, in my opinion, of worshiping her in place of Jesus Christ.

In place of? The moment a "Catholic" does this is the moment they become an apostate. The devotion to the Blessed Sacrament is far above that of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

[Titanites]

Because some Catholics are dangerously close, in my opinion, of worshiping her in place of Jesus Christ.

Fine. Start you own thread, don't hijack this one, which is about the Apostle's Creed. I think you guys spend more time talking about Mary than do Catholics.