Every Sunday we stand and boldly proclaim our faith. The creed we use is ancient and is the result of many discussions and even a few councils. During the infancy of the Church, many people made assumptions about who Jesus was, whether or not He was really the Son of God, and just how He was the Son of God. These Christological Controversies led to some very serious study. From this study came pages and pages of theology that even today are valuable in our pursuit of holiness.

The problem with all that was gleaned from this study is that it is of a scholarly nature. It is information that probes the depths of the Divine and the roots of our faith. The tomes that were written about these controversies are some of the greatest works of the first century, but truth be told they are not easy to read. They are not what would be called page turners.

During a time when only a few could read and many were joining the church, there needed to be a way of training new Christians in the tenets of our faith. This way needed to be simple, memorable, and thorough. What came out of this need is the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicaean Creed which we use today. In these creeds we are able to simply, boldly, and concisely list what we believe, what we hold to be the true teaching of the faith. Each time we profess the creed we join our voices with the generations who have come before us. As we profess our faith, we proclaim that we are in communion with the saints who now see with their own eyes what they professed with their faith.

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing some thoughts about a particular part of the creed that we recite each week. The section that I will be discussing is toward the end of the creed and speaks of the four marks of the Church. It is a phrase that rolls off the tongue easily but should cause us to pause and ponder. “I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” This belief is packed with meaning for those of us who call ourselves Catholic Christians. More than just things we say about the church these are truths that remind us of the unity, the other worldliness, the universality, and the foundation of our Church.

Next time we are praying the creed we need be more attentive to the words we are saying. These are powerful words that draw us deeper into our relationship with God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These are words that reveal to us the immensity of the church to which we belong. Next week the Church is one…

As you are well aware, over the last few months we have been asking your help to “fill the gap” in our budget created by the cancellation of our parish fair because of COVID. I am happy to report that, because of the generosity of so many parishioners, this campaign has been a great success. As I write this, our parish has raised close to $50,000. The monies raised will help stabilize our parish budget and help us to continue the work that needs to be done. Thank you all for your generosity and for taking good care of our spiritual home.