The Creed

The Nicene CreedThe summation of the Christian faith? 2005 Daniel E. Mayne, Sr., DD

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1From: Catholic Update 1991 Thomas BokenkotterMany Catholics Have DifficultyMany Catholics have difficulty distinguishing between the essential and the non-essential matters of faith.This isnt a new problem, rather it is a problem that has existed since the beginning of the Church.The creed we say at Sunday Mass is called the Nicene Creed and was developed in 325 A.D. at the Council of Nicaea.The Nicene Creed is regarded as an ideal statement of Catholic orthodoxy.What Does The Catechism Say?CCC {Creeds are} A brief summary statement of Christian faith.Examples would be the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed.The word Creed, comes from the Latin word Credo, meaning I believe, with which the Creed begins.Creeds are also called Symbols of Faith.

The Nicene Creed The Nicene Creed soon spread throughout the Eastern and Western Catholic Churches. It is also seen as a basis for religious agreement between Catholics and subsequent Protestant religions.

We Believe in One GodWe not I believe in one God.Faith is a personal act which is embedded in our own understanding of religion.True faith is a faith that is shared with our Christian Community.Faith is strengthened and deepened by long-standing traditions.

Belief in GodBelief in God is a free choice.It is an act of fundamental trust.Darwin believed in God but his theory of evolution is seen by some as not requiring Gods intervention in our human experience.Atheism on the other hand is the belief that God doesnt exists.

The Problem of EvilOthers believe but feel the absence of God rather than his presence.They read the newspaper, watch TV and see images ofPeople sufferingDegradationHumans killed by their own government to test a nerve gas.Images of HiroshimaJews tortured in Nazi concentration campsAnd ask, If God exists, how can He allow such enormous, and senseless evil?Whats The Catechism Say:CCC 418 As a result of original sin, human nature is weakened in its powers; subject to ignorance, suffering, and the domination of death, and inclined to sin.This inclination to sin is called "concupiscence. Its always difficult to understand how suffering can make us grow, but TRUST IN THE LORD is necessary to help us through our times of trouble.We may even be able to understand the reason behind the suffering at a later time.The Father, the Almighty The Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.The nagging questions:Why are we I here? What is the meaning of it all?In the very first pages of Scripture, the Book of Genesis gives us the answer:God created us to be happy in the universe of his creation with him and with each other (Gn.1:27-31).

We Believe In God, The MakerWe believe in Gods desire that we join him in heaven.We believe in the dignity of each human beingWe believe that life has meaningWe believe that God made every person and every thing with a purpose in mind.Jesus ChristWe believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made.

One of the first controversies of the early Church was the relationship of Jesus to the Father.

God the Father & Jesus His SonJesus is one in being with the FatherThe Council of Nicaea answered the question of Jesus divinity.Yes, he was both human and divine. Belief in Christ as divine and as Lord of Creation is a central belief of the Church

Everyone Needs A Faith of Some KindMany believe in God and struggle against injustice because they believe its the RIGHT THING to do.These people will make great sacrifices to help the victims of poverty and oppression.Christians Commit to JesusJesus is the shepherd that leads us along the path of righteousness and reveals to Christians the goodness of the Father which is the center piece of Christian life (Mt. 5).It is our trust in God that stimulates our HOPE for the world.This hope is what draws us to fight the good fight of the faith (1 Tim. 6:12).

For us men and for our salvation he came down from heavenHow did Jesus bring us salvation?The Bible tells us about the good, the bad and the ugliness of humanity.It tells us about adultery, bloodshed, war and the potential results of each crime.There is hatred, lying, injustice, oppressionand open or secret hostility, ignorance and just plain old fashioned stupidity.War after war has killed our young and spilled the blood of innocent people. Self-serving humanity quickly turns to violence in order to attain their goals.Gods GraceWhen Jesus came he demonstrated and taught about a new way of life.Christ asked people to repent of their sins and to enter a life of love and compassion.For our salvation Jesus established a new way of thinking about God and eternity.A new way not of laws and fears but of love.

By the power of the Holy SpiritBoth Matthew and Luke describe how Jesus was conceived in Marys womb through the action of the Holy Spirit.Being conceived by the Holy Spirit means that the power of God rather than man brought a Savior, a new Adam, and a New Creation into the world.By the power of the Holy Spirit He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

Pontius PilateFor our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered, died, and was buried.In saying that He was crucified, the most horrible death possible, the creed tells us what is most important.God loves us so much that he allowed his only Son to die for our sins.

First Letter of JohnThe first letter of John speaks about Gods total and unconditional love for each of us.

8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 Gods love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us (1 Jn. 4:8-13).

On the third dayThe Resurrection requires faith.The Gospels differ about when, and where Jesus first appeared because each Gospel writer had a different experience based upon when they first saw or heard about Jesus after his death.Jesus appeared to a large number of people over a period of time and in different places.The reason that Christians began worshipping on Sunday is that is the day of the Resurrection.

On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the ScripturesThe AscensionHe ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.Jesus now lives with his Father and watches over the Church.The Gospel is the standard by which we all will be measured.

We BelieveThe Spirit supports the church through the love it pours into each heart.The Spirit dwells in believers now while waiting for the Lords return ( 1 Thessalonians 4:16).We see the Spirit is alive in many areas of the Church.Those taking stands on peace and justiceThose laboring for the Right to Life.The list is endless.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.We Believe In One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic ChurchWe Believe In One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic ChurchPre-Vatican II thinking was that only the Roman Catholic Church possessed these four traits.One = unified under the Pope.Holy = Divine powerCatholic = Universal

Apostolic = Able to trace leaders back to the apostles.

Vatican II said:Vatican II said: the four marks are shared to some degree by other Church communities.No one community has a monopoly on the marks at the complete exclusion of all other communities.When we understand the wisdom of this statement we can better understand other Christians.

We acknowledge one baptismWe acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sin.God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are the vine and through baptism we are the branches that are grafted onto Gods vine (Jn. 15:1-6).Baptism also forgives sin and is the entry sacrament of the Church.

ResurrectionWe look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.Hebrew Scriptures does not give a complete picture of life after death; that had to wait for the coming of Christ (2 Tim. 1:10).Only in Christian, New Testament Scripture, is this belief fully revealed by Christ.

Lk. 20:37 That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;

38 and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.Second ComingChrist came not only as truth but as the model of a new way of life.We will be finally judged by how we carry out his great commandment:37 . . .You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Mt. 22:37-39).

I HopeI hope you can see that the Nicene creed is in fact the summation of Christianity and the basis for a common understandings between all Christian religions.

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