225. Out of
the early preaching of the Good News of Christ’s resurrection developed the liturgical
acclamations of the early Christian communities: “There is one Lord,
one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all, and works
through all, and is in all” (Eph 4:5-6). As the early churches
developed, so did the creeds. For they were needed in catechetical
instruction to prepare converts for baptism. These creeds quickly took
on a fixed form as St. Paul
explicitly states:
Brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I
preached to you, which you received and in which you stand firm. You are being
saved by it at this very moment if you hold fast to it as I preached it to you.
Otherwise you have believed in vain. I handed on to you first of all what I
myself received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the
Scriptures; that he was buried and, in
accordance with the Scriptures, rose on the third day; that he was seen by
Cephas, then by the Twelve (1 Cor 15:1-5).
226. The early creeds were “professions of
faith” used in Baptisms that narrated the saving events which grounded the
faith of the Christian communities (cf. CCC 187-89). Three events dominated
the Christian story: God’s creating act, His redeeming
act in Jesus Christ, and His sanctifying presence in all in the
Holy Spirit. From these narrative elements grew the Trinitarian pattern
of the classic Creeds. First the Father as Creator, then
the Son, who became man, died and rose from the dead for our redemption,
and third, the Holy Spirit uniting us in Christ’s Church (cf.
CCC 190-91). But this Trinity is seen through a Christocentric focus,
for it is through, with, and in Christ that we learn and
experience the Father and Holy Spirit.
C. The Creed Today
227. But for most Filipino Catholics, the
Creed is usually just something memorized as children in school or with the
local parish catechist. It is recited __ more or less
attentively, together at Sunday Mass.
Rarely perhaps have Filipinos been taught how the twelve articles of the
Creed form an organic unity. That is, how they fit together in
wonderful harmony and coherence. Nor have ordinary Filipino Catholics been catechized in how the creedal statements
are not dead propositions but living truths which have developed
through the history of Christian communities, the Church. Unfortunately,
few Filipino Catholics have been taught how relevant the Creedal
truths are today for us because they are saving, liberating truths
(cf. NCDP 172-79).
II.
Objections to the Creed
228. One basic objection today is that for many
Filipino Catholics the Creed remains too often merely an impersonal, abstract,
and irrelevant dead formula. Through a renewed catechesis that PCP II is
calling for, we must be able to show how the Creed is an irreplaceable means
for renewing our Faith. It proclaims a personal and communitarian
faith-narrative of the mighty acts of God, in striking images and story, drawn
from God’s own inspired biblical word.
229. Others
object that the Creed and Catholic doctrine in general impede Christian unity.
“Doctrine divides, service unites,” they claim. But to neglect the truths
proclaimed in the Creed can soon lead to mindless activism that cannot sustain
itself because it lacks a solid foundation. The Creedal truths provide the
basic ground for the Christian moral criteria needed for judging what is
morally right and justified and what is not. Creed, in Latin: Credo, has
been likened to the Latin cardo, meaning “hinge”, that upon which
everything in the Christian Faith turns.
230. A more serious objection against the Creed
is that it makes Catholic Faith seem like a list of doctrines rather than a
personal commitment to Jesus Christ. But this mistakenly separates “personal”
from truth, pious enthusiasm from God’s own self-revelation in Christ Jesus.
What is true, however, is that many who recite the Creed in public
together do not seem to relate it to the Bible. They do not see the connection between the Gospel and the
personal/ communitarian Creedal proclamation of God in Christ. In this they
fail to follow St. Paul:
We proclaim the truth openly. .
.the splendor of the gospel showing forth
the glory of Christ, the image of God. . . For God. . . has shone in our
hearts, that we in turn might make known the glory of God shining on the face
of Christ (2 Cor 4:2,4,6).
231. The Creed, then, brings us to Jesus by
situating him in the great acts of God, and
so liberating us from misguided piety and possible superstitions. The Creed is
like a skeleton, a framework of truths that undergirds our
relation to Jesus, to God, to our fellowmen, and to our whole life. A human
skeleton is not the whole living person, but gives a framework and rigidity
without which no one could live or move. Likewise
the Creed is not the whole of our living faith. But its twelve articles or
“joints” give the structural support necessary for the authentic growth and
vitality of our personal commitment to Christ (cf. CCC 191).
III. Functions
of the Creed
232. Through the centuries the Creed has served
the Church and individual Catholic believers in many different ways. Three
functions have been especially valuable: 1) as a summary of Catholic
beliefs; 2) as a pledge of loyalty to God and Church; and 3) as a proclamation
of self-identity. Each of these main functions covers a number of
particular roles which the Creed has played in Christian tradition.
A. Summary of Beliefs
233.
As a summary of basic Catholic beliefs, the Creed has been an
indispensable means of Faith for both the Church and the individual Catholics.
For the Church, the Creed was created: 1) for communicating the
Christian message to the world; 2) for grounding its own ever deepening
insight into Christ’s truth; 3) for uniting Catholics in their common
commitment to Christ; and 4) for inter-religious dialogue with
non-Christians (cf. NCDP 169).
234. The
history of the Creeds actually manifests three basic aspects of Catholic
doctrine. First, the Creeds bring out in a unique way the inner unity
and coherence of the doctrines of the Faith. Second, they show
the doctrinal development. As the early Church moved from
proclaiming Christ as the Risen Savior to a more developed teaching, so credal
statements developed from the kerygmatic to the catechetical. Third,
the Creeds have proven their “relevance” to every age. The Creeds of the
early Church councils became accepted as the standard or “rule of faith,”
flowing from the New Testament’s insistence on “sound doctrine” (cf. 1 Tim
4:6; 6:20; 2 Tim 1:13f; 4:3). They have consistently fulfilled this
function up to the present day (cf. NCDP 172-76).
B. Pledge of Loyalty
235. The Creed functions as a pledge of loyalty
to God and the Church. The Creeds are public confessions of Christian
faith in the Triune God. “For if you confess with your lips that Jesus
is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will
be saved” (Rom 10:9). Thus the Creed offers praise and thanksgiving
since it proclaims the truth of Christ “so that at Jesus’ name, every knee must
bend, in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth, and every tongue
proclaim to the glory of God the Father: Jesus Christ is Lord!” (Phil
2:10-11)
236. Besides praising God, the Creed also
professes loyalty to the “Church of the living God, the pillar and
bulwark of truth” (1 Tim 3:15).
In this sense the Creed becomes an apologetic for the Church’s faith,
giving “reason for this hope” (1 Pt 3:15)
and defending the faith against all who would “oppose the truth, and with
perverted minds falsify the faith” (2 Tim 3:8).
The Creed thus responds to PCP II’s insistence
on an “apologetic catechesis”: Since its birth, Christianity has
been the subject of attacks from which it has had to defend itself. Jesus had
to answer to objections to his teachings, as the Gospel testifies. St. Paul had to answer
early Christian errors, and charged his disciples to protect the faithful from
them while keeping pure the deposit of faith. Apologetics has always been part
of the pastoral and theological tradition of the Church. We must today be
willing and able to defend our teaching in public fora. (PCP II 222)
C. Proclamation of Identity
237. The
Creed helps ground the Catholic believer’s self-identity. In proclaiming the
Creed, we Filipino Catholics acknowledge that our basic personal identity is
drawn from God’s initiative in recreating us through Christ and the Holy Spirit
into one community. Each of us, as baptized
Catholics, can declare with St. Paul:
“The life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me. I still live my
human life, but it is a life of faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me” (Gal 2:20).
To each of his disciples Christ says: “It was not you who chose me, it
was I who chose you to go forth and bear fruit” (Jn 15:16).
238. For individual Filipino Catholics, the Creed, then, identifies
who we Catholics are and what we stand for as disciples of Christ, united in
his Church. In this function, the public recitation of the Creed at Sunday Mass
helps us in a number of ways. First, it unites us into one wor-shipping
Catholic community which offers each of us strength and support. Second,
it supplies the basis for guiding our affective religiosity and devotional
piety, and for judging the numerous religious groups and sects that have
multiplied so quickly in our country in recent years. Third, it helps
especially in interpreting our daily life-experiences in a truly Catholic
manner. Fourth, it grounds an open and free dialogue with non-Christian
Filipino groups and individuals (cf. NCDP 170).
239. Proclaiming together our common heritage as
Catholics in the Creed can unite us as few other things could. We have the
assurance in standing before others of enjoying a common ground that is deeper and
more lasting than anything we could possibly create ourselves. The Creed can be
an effective means by which we gradually develop a real personal “sense of
belonging” in the Catholic Church, a feeling of “being at home.”
INTEGRATION
240. Catholic doctrine presenting the
truth of Christ, as summarized in the Creed, has already been shown, by its
very nature, to be linked to public worship and thanksgiving to
God. Without solid grounding in Christ’s truth, prayer and worship inevitably
slide into pious sentimentalism, ritualism, and even superstitious idolatry. On
the other hand, without sincere, authentic prayer and worship, many are led “to
give credence to falsehood, because they have not opened their hearts to the
truth in order to be saved” (2 Thes 2:11,
10).
241. The inner link between the doctrinal
truth of Christ and Christian moral behavior is well stressed
by St. Paul. He
contrasts how pagans live with empty minds and darkened understanding with the
Ephesians who have been taught the truth that is in Jesus, namely:
that you must lay aside your former way of life and
the old self which deteriorates through illusion and desire, and acquire a
fresh, spiritual way of thinking. You must put on that new man created in God’s
image, whose justice and holiness are born of truth. (Eph 4:21-24).
242. A Scriptural example of this integration
can be easily composed: to “believe in the Lord Jesus” (Acts 16:31) means to “keep his
commandments” (1 Jn 2:3), and to pray “through him, with him, and
in him” (Eucharistic Prayer), repeating the ancient Christian plea
“Come, Lord Jesus” (Rv 22:20).
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
243. Where do Catholics find the
basic truths of their lives?
Catholic doctrine expresses how we Catholics find in
Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit, both sent to us by our
heavenly Father in the Church, the basis of who we are, why and how
we are to live, and where our final destiny is.
244. Is it not enough to love one
another, without knowing Catholic doctrine?
No,
we need to know Catholic doctrine to be able to:
• determine how to love
authentically as Christians;
• give reason for our
service and worship as Catholics;
• grow in our relation to
Christ and one another, and so build up the Christian community.
[“By
obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves for a genuine love of your
brothers” (1 Pt 1:22).]
245. What is Catholic doctrine?
Catholic doctrine is the expression of the
truth which Christ brings us, addressed to our minds (what really
is), our wills (how to do the truth, act in truth) and our
hearts (true love and worship).
[“Let
us love in deed and in truth, and not merely talk about it” (1 Jn 3:18).]
246. What are the basic Catholic
doctrines?
The
basic Catholic doctrines are summarized in the Creed which, grounded in
Sacred Scripture, presents God as Father Creator, who sent His Son
Jesus Christ to redeem us, and the Holy Spirit in the Church to draw
us to life everlasting.
247. Why is the Creed important?
Creeds
have had an important role in evangelizing “all nations” in the Christian
Faith, as the New Testament and Church liturgy and catechesis clearly testify.
All Creeds manifest the same Trinitarian pattern, and Christocentric
focus.
248. How are Catholics initiated
into Catholic truths?
At
Baptism, the Creed is used to express the new life of commitment
to Christ in the Holy Spirit, within the Christian community, the Church.
The Creed proclaims the truths upon which
our lives as sons and daughters of the Father depend.
249. How does the Creed relate us
to Christ?
The
Creed presents the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, from a
Christocentric perspective. It highlights Christ’s saving Paschal Mystery as
the key to understand God’s total relationship with us, from creation to our
final destiny.
250. Why
do some raise objections against the Creed?
Some
reject the Creed as a collection of impersonal, abstract and irrelevant dead
formulas that make Christian Faith into a list of “things to believe”.
These
objections completely misunderstand the true nature of the Creed. Yet,
unfortunately, they represent how the Creed appears to many of the faithful.
251. How
do we respond to these objections?
Our
response is simply to show how the Christian communities from the New Testament
times used the Creeds to evangelize, proclaim their Faith in Christ, and
discern between Gospel truth and error.
252. What does the Creed do for
our life of faith?
The
Creed acts like a skeleton supplying the framework and support needed
for living and growing (maturing) in our Catholic Faith.
253. What are the principal
functions of the Creed?
The
Creed functions in three principal ways:
• as a summary of
Catholic truths needed to communicate and instruct in the Gospel;
• as profession of loyalty
to God and to the Church; and
• as a declaration of our own
self-identity as disciples of Christ, reborn in his Spirit within his
body, the Church.
254. How does the Creed foster
Christian living?
The
Creed provides the basic doctrinal ground for authentic Christian
living. This includes:
• our loving service of one
another in building up the local Christian community, and
• our sacramental worship
of God in Spirit and truth.
Chapter 6
God, the Father Almighty
“I am God the Almighty. Walk in my presence . . . ”
(Gen 17:1)
“For us there is one
God: the Father, from whom all things come and for whom we live; and one Lord,
Jesus Christ. . . ”
(1 Cor 8:6)
OPENING
255. The central focus of religious Faith is
God, “the first and the last” (Is 44:6). All important, then, is how we
perceive and “picture” God. From the Mosaic Covenant at Mount
Sinai, Christians inherit a very
positive image of God. “The Lord, the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow
to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity” (Ex 34:6). The Psalmist
sings “Praise the Lord, for he is good. . . . Great is our Lord and
mighty in power” (Ps 147:1,5; cf. Rv 15:3-4). Today more than ever an
accurate personal understanding of God is urgently needed.
256. The Christian Creed, of course, presents a
Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three Divine Persons structure
the Creed and this whole Catechism: the Father in this Part 1, with the Son,
whose moral teaching is taken up in Part 2, and the Holy Spirit in Part 3. Like
the Creed, we begin immediately with God the Father, to whom Christ our Lord
taught us to pray (cf. Lk 11:2).
CONTEXT
257. One thing noticeable about Filipinos is how
spontaneously they relate to God. A typical example of this is the following
excerpt from the Tagalog Pasion.*
O Dios sa
Kalangitan, O God in heaven
Hari ng
Sangkalupaan, King of the universe,
Dios na
walang kapantay, God without
equal,
Mabait,
lubhang maalam Kind, wise
At puno
ng karunungan. And full of knowledge.
Ikaw
ang Amang tibobos Thou art the
Absolute Father
Na
nangungulilang lubos, [Who
art] completely alone
Amang di
matapus-tapos, Father eternal,
Maawai’t
mapagkupkop Merciful and adoptive
Sa taong
lupa’t alabok. Towards earthen men.
258. Nor is this God-relatedness only a thing of
the past. Even now, wherever you see a new housing development going up, a
chapel is sure to rise. There seems to be no limit to the number of different
religious groups throughout the land. Among Filipinos, it is taken for granted
that God is central to their community life and welfare, as well as family and
individual interests.
259. But who is this God so central to
life? How is He served and worshipped? Some who contribute to building a
church or chapel are rarely seen afterwards in Church worship or activities.
The old phrase “Kasal, Binyag, Libing Christians” describes not only
these generally absentee believers. It also points out the common fact that so
many Filipinos have never been properly catechized in their Christian Faith.
Many complain “I never understood what we were doing.” For such Christians, who
is this God that is so taken for granted that He is often seemingly ignored?
260. The Creed is presumed
to be the official source for clarifying who God is, and how we
are related to Him. But the reality is often quite different. When Filipinos
are catechized in the authentic Christian image of God and of His worship, they
are usually surprised to discover so many of their Filipino cultural
values within the basic Christian catechesis. For example, children’s respect
and “utang na loob” to their parents exemplify our common human
gratitude to our heavenly Father. “Bahala na,” understood positively,
relates the Filipino to God’s providential care. “Malasakit” pictures
well God’s unrelenting care for man, his creature. Even our value of “kagandahang-loob”
expresses God’s perfect interior goodness that ever seeks to bring out the best
in us.
261. The opening line of the Creed presents us
with three descriptions of God: God is the Father, the Almighty,
and the Creator of heaven and earth. In this chapter we shall focus on
the first two, Father and Almighty, leaving the detailed treatment of “Creator”
for Chapter 7. But three preliminary points must first be made.
EXPOSITION
I. PRELIMINARY POINTS
262. The first point is the power of these
descriptions to lift us out of ourselves and focus our eyes on
God, and what He has done for us through history. There is no false
religious sentiment about what we do for God, or on our
obligations. The Creed liberates us from such self-centeredness by directing
all our attention to the ONE GOD who is Love. As a prayer,
the Creed teaches us to believe, to trust, to ground ourselves not in what we
feel, we do, we want, or we are, but rather in what God is, God does,
God wills, and God offers in us and for us.
263. The second preliminary observation concerns
the proper identity of God described by these terms. It is true that the
Creed responds to the general, universal human need for God. “As the deer longs
for the running waters, so my soul longs for you, O God. Athirst is my soul for
God, the living God” (Ps 42:2-3). Throughout history, men and women have
related to God as they have experienced Him in the beauty and goodness of
nature and in their own history (cf. Rom 1:20).
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