I Believe [Apostle's Creed]

by Mickey Addison

Other Articles by Mickey Addison

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.

41 posted on 10/04/2006 9:22:45 PM PDT by William Terrell (Individuals can exist without government but government can't exist without individuals.)

don't delude yourself into thinking there are no Christians outside the Catholic church...

Eh? What Catholic here or elsewhere has said that? You're straining.

Naw, this line came from the article...

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

My 'Christianity' IS based strictly on the scriptures...The author is wrong...And the article is cleary a Catholic piece...I'm not straining at all...

Did you read his original post?

Thank you William but I'm afraid that reason may now be out of the question (partly because he's been unreasonable and partly because I have). It's easy to get caught up in a debate with Catholics when your not a Catholic. Yet we should all remember that we owe our souls to Jesus Christ.

Pity me if you'd like. Perhaps you can put in a prayer for me to Saint Tooth Fairy, or whomever.

Yeah, you were here just to spread a little love. With comments like that, you've exposed yourself.

And yes, I do have pity for hateful persons like you.

Yeah, you were here just to spread a little love. With comments like that, you've exposed yourself.

And yes, I do have pity for hateful persons like you.

I don't hate at all. I was overzealous and I apologize. Let us move on, if you please.

Jaysun, thanks for your words about the Creed.

We do not "worship" Mary as you say.

What we do is approach her in a respectful manner and ask her to intercede for us, with her Son, Jesus Christ.

Do you ask friends to ask friends to pray for you? Same thing. Mary the Mother of Jesus Christ, Son of Man and Son of God, is our friend and intercessor. And, yes, we pray to Christ too.

The fact is that even Jesus did things he didn't want to do when His Mother asked him..........His Self-Manifestation at the Wedding of Cana being the most prominent.

My 'Christianity' IS based strictly on the scriptures...The author is wrong...And the article is cleary a Catholic piece...I'm not straining at all...

Ok, thanks for the clarification. However, I still disagree. Even Protestants (or to the sensitive, just Christians) employ some extra-biblical aurhority, even if very indirectly or unconsciously.

Discuss the issues all you want, but do NOT make it personal!

Click on my profile page for Religion Forum guidelines.

Actually, Jaysun, it might be the Christian thing for you to just send him a FReepmail with an apology and leave the thread. Please.

If I can bring up a criticism, this is probably the first time I've seen the offending non-Catholic ever get the "Don't make it personal" admonishment. Yes, posts have been removed but IMO it seems the Catholics on a Catholic thread who feel that low blows are being made and respond to and about the offenders's behavior are the ones that seem to get the "Knock it off" and "Don't make it personal" admonishment the most.

Doesn't really seem fair to me.

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