THE CREED: PART ONE Prayer Initial Discussion 2 Catechist leads a five-minute discussion. The following are suggested questions to prompt the initial discussion. When you pray, to whom are you speaking? How do you perceive God? Sharing Human Experience The first words of the Creed are I believe indicating the faith of Catholics. Some other Christian denominations recite the same Creed with only slight difference in wording. Almost every Christian religion shares a common creed because of belief in Jesus. A creed determines what a group stands for and what it believes is true. A creed states the articles of belief that determine the foundation of a given organization. Creeds are beliefs that are professed by members of a given organization. Creeds express what the believer holds to be true about the organization or about the person or entity that started the organization in the first place. I believe the truths that are expressed in the Creed we recite Sunday Mass. I won t be able to give you concrete proof of what I believe; the human mind is not able to truly understand the mind of God. All I can do is tell you what my soul accepts in peace, the peace promised by Christ to his disciples. Religious faith means belief in something that cannot be proved. Those things are called sacred mysteries. Your hearts will instantly recognize many things you and I already believe in common, like there is only one God. Tonight I ll share the faith that I feel is a gift given to me. Catechist Input The word creed comes from the Latin word credo, which means "I believe." A religious creed is a concise statement of faith or belief. Such creeds are formalized summaries of a community's beliefs or convictions about God, humanity, and humanity's place in salvation history. Creeds have been used in various ways:
They can be statements or professions of faith for persons wishing to enter the community and embrace its beliefs. They can be used as catechetical instruction in the faith itself-just as we are doing here. Creeds have also been used as baptismal professions of faith. They have been used in liturgy as prayers of praise in worship. Creeds have been formulated as dogmas that regulate and dictate what is to be believed. Those who are preparing to enter the Catholic Church are asked to profess the Creed as part of that entrance. Catholics recite the Creed at every Sunday Mass. Catholics also say yes to the tenets of the faith embodied in the Creed annually as they renew their baptism promises at Easter. It is important that those preparing to enter the Church, as well as Catholics who say the Creed each week, know and understand what it is we say yes to so that we can embrace it more and more, making it our own. Sharing God's Story Mark 8:27-29 Now Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" They said in reply, "[ohn the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets." And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said to him in reply, "You are the Messiah." Peter professed Jesus as the Messiah-what a leap of faith that must have been. The longawaited Messiah-and here he stood in their midst. Peter was able to see the signs that pointed to this truth. He was given the eyes to see and the faith to believe. He professed what he believed by saying, "You are the Messiah." That is what we do when we profess the Creed; we say, "I believe!" Let us consider the creed that Catholic Christians pray every Sunday. These beliefs are what we call "non-negotiable" truths. In order to be a Catholic, this is what one must believe. Catechist distributes the copies of the Creed, which have been divided into sections. Then the
catechist invites all to say the first section together. A. I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. Catechist Input Why do you suppose we say one God? We are saying there are no other gods; it is a statement against polytheism and idolatry. Why Father? We begin by affirming our basic belief in God-that God is our Father. What does almighty imply? God is all-powerful. God created us, the world, and all that is in it. We are saying that we believe in God who entered into relationship with human beings at the creation of the world. God promised to be with us, to love and care for us, and in return God asked us to care for one another especially those who cannot care for themselves. We express belief in a God who constantly creates and recreates humanity. word maker in Genesis implies ongoing creation We express belief in a God whose works are evident, but whom we cannot see. We express belief in what we cannot see. What are the invisible things? Angels, our souls We express belief in a God who wants to be in relationship with us. Questions for Reflection 3 Do you believe in this God, the Father almighty? Can you name evidence of this creating God in our world? In your life? If God is all-powerful, how do you account for human suffering and tragedy? Catechist Input God does not cause calamity. God is present to us in the tragedies of life, but God does not cause them. So important is human freedom that God will not get in the way of it. Thus, human beings are responsible for most of the evil and suffering in the world. God is a mystery, and we can never fully understand divine
wisdom. God is at work in the world to bring about the divine will in the lives of God's beloved. Catechist invites everyone to read the; next section together. B. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven. Catechist Input 4 Lord replaces the name God which the Hebrew people did not voice aloud. To say that Jesus is Lord is to say that Jesus is God. I believe in one Lord means I believe in one God. I believe in one Lord By stating that God is one, we are saying there are no other gods; it is a statement against polytheism and idolatry: There is a unity of the persons of the Trinity, yet there is only one God. The word Christ comes from the Greek word christos, a translation of the Hebrew word Messiah which means anointed. Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name that means God saves, so Catholics believe that Jesus is Savior. 5 Lord Jesus Christ is not Jesus full name. Jesus is his name. Lord and Christ tell who he is. Questions for Reflection 6 What are the idols in our world that we can allow to take the place of God? What are the idols in your life that often get in the way of your relationship with God? Catechist Input
the Only Begotten Son of God begotten, not made We believe in the Divine Sonship of Jesus. To me the clue to understanding this is the word begotten. When a couple begets a child, they beget someone of the same nature as themselves. When people make something, they make something different in nature from themselves. Begotten indicates that the Son is of the same nature as the Father, not created by him. Jesus came among us as a human male begotten by God, not by man. Therefore Jesus is God's Son. Jesus is truly God and truly human all at the same time. He is the "Christ" (anointed one); that is, he is the Messiah the world has been waiting for and that the Old Testament foretold would come to save humanity. "Born of the Father before all ages" means that, like the Father, the Son always was. There was never a time when Jesus did not exist. He is part of God--he and God are the same because he is God. God sent God's own self--god's Word--to become one with human beings. God only had to speak the Word and Jesus--God's Word--took human form. Jesus came from God in order to save the human race. God came down to walk in our shoes. This is very difficult language; it can be confusing when we first hear it. The bottom line is that we as human beings would never truly believe that God loves us. We could always say, "Sure, you love us, but you don't know what it is like to suffer like we have to suffer, so you really are not one with us. Until you walk a mile in our shoes you do not know what it means to be human." God understood the human dilemma and sent the Son to walk in our shoes--to know and understand the human condition. God sent the Son--God sent God's self to save us. Christian Witness Catechist names a time he or she was aware of Christ's presence in the midst of life's difficulties. Mama s funeral. Catechist may also invite a parishioner to share a similar story. This should take no more than five minutes.
Questions for Reflection 7 Catechist then invites the participants to respond to the following questions. What do you think of a God who loves us enough to walk with us in the difficulties of our lives-to really understand what it means to be human (in all things except sin)? Why do you think it is so important for us to give so much attention to Jesus? The Son of God is the first-born of all creation; before anything was created he existed. All that has come into being has come through him whether the physical world or the invisible spiritual creatures or the new creation that results from his death on the cross. Why is this important? Sin is an offence against God and therefore only God can forgive sin. In salvation history as God has revealed it, human salvation and sanctification are only possible if our Lord Jesus Christ is God, of the same substance of God, true God, one God. Genesis 15 tells us of God's covenant with Abram. Typically, in a covenant, after the sacrifice both parties pass between the slaughtered animal (Jer 34:18 Those who violated my covenant and did not observe the terms of the covenant they made in my presence I will make them like the calf which they cut in two so they could pass between its parts ). In God's covenant with Abram God alone passes through the sacrifice swearing by Himself to do as he promises. On the cross, God alone acts even as the very sacrifice, the Lamb of God. If Jesus is not God there is no redemption in the Cross. If Jesus was sent to save us, from what do you need saving in your life right now, at this time? At home Catechist invites everyone to read the next section of the Creed together: C. and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. Catechist Input 8The word incarnate professes our belief that the Word became flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Jesus did not become a human when he was born; he was incarnate [given flesh] in the womb, and in that event became man.
Mary conceived God's Son through the power of the Holy Spirit. She did not conceive through normal human means. Her conception of Jesus was extraordinary, miraculous. Imagine the implications. Her pregnancy could have caused her to be stoned to death. She was not fully married to Joseph, only espoused to him but not yet living with him. Yet still she said yes to God. She abandoned herself completely to the will of God. Mary, a model for all Christians, said yes to God. In so doing she became favored among all women, blessed of God. We believe Mary was always a virgin, before and after the birth of Jesus. Her virginity was understood as being in accord with the tradition and belief in the exaltation of virginity. A virgin is one who is an example of pure holiness; one who remains single-hearted, faithful, and steadfast in all things. Virgins consecrate themselves, lose themselves in complete and utter holiness and abandonment to the will of God. Mary's life of virginity looks to the resurrection and the final days when marriage, it was believed, would pass away. As virgin, Mary represented for all humanity perfect holiness, perfect kenosis (pouring oneself out), and the ideal state for all believers. Mary's holiness is a call to holiness for each and every one of us. (See What the Church Believes about Mary if an argument is made.) Questions for Reflection at home Catechist asks the following questions and then invites several moments of quiet reflection. Catechist then encourages participants to respond to this question either in some time allotted or in their prayerful reflection at home. In what way have you said yes to God? God created us good and created us holy. In what way are you holy? Describe the holiness that is you. What is it about Mary's holiness that you most admire and would like to model in your own life? Catechist invites everyone to read the next section of the Creed together. 9 At Passover a paschal lamb was sacrificed in the Temple for each family and its flesh eaten to make present the memory of God saving them from slavery in Egypt. Jesus is the new Paschal Lamb. The Paschal Mystery refers to Jesus suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension in glory which freed us from slavery to sin.
The Paschal Mystery is made present in the Mass where we consume the Lamb in Eucharist. D. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He 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. Catechist Input For two millennia Christians have proclaimed belief in the resurrection of Christ. Belief in Jesus' resurrection impelled the early church to spread the message of the Good News and empowered the apostles to preach the Good News of Jesus. It enabled them to cast aside the terror they experienced as a result of Jesus' crucifixion and continue to work for the reign of God Jesus came to establish. The early belief in the Resurrection went beyond Jewish belief in the resurrection of the dead. Jesus ascended to God's right hand. He was exalted. He returned to his rightful place on the throne of God. It is because of the Ascension that the gates of heaven were opened for all believers. Yes, Jesus' resurrection saved us, but it was not complete until his ascension to the throne of heaven, where he judges both the living and the dead. Because of his exaltation to the throne of God Jesus is able to offer new and everlasting life to believers. We believe in the kingdom of God on earth and the eternal kingdom of God in heaven. Another way to express it is the kingdom now and the kingdom not-yet. We are to work to establish the kingdom of God now on earth as we await the final kingdom of God in heaven.
Questions for Reflection 10 Catechist invites participants to engage in a wider group discussion. What are the implications of Jesus' resurrection for your life? Why is the Resurrection so important to Christians? What is its impact on the way you live? In what way has it already done so? Making Appropriate Life Connections Catechist invites the participants to respond to the following questions in their journal. Give about five to seven minutes to write, then invite large-group responses to highlight the insights gleaned. Think about all we have shared today. What one pearl of wisdom do you want to take with you into the coming week? What will give you the greatest comfort or the greatest strength? Questions for Reflection at home If Jesus was sent to save us, from what do you need saving in your life right now, at this time? In what way have you said yes to God? God created us good and created us holy. In what way are you holy? Describe the holiness that is you. What is it about Mary's holiness that you most admire and would like to model in your own life?