understanding our faith: the creed€¦ · collected under god's inspiration. god speaks to us...
TRANSCRIPT
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 1
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible
and invisible...
What does it mean to believe? What is faith? Faith is not just a "shot in the dark." It is not choosing to
believe something is true without evidence. Faith most certainly is not opposed to science or human reason.
It is not something that is purely someone's view or opinion.
Faith begins with some basic facts: God exists. God has revealed Himself to human beings in history.
God is present and active in our lives today, continuing to reach out to every one of us. There are two ways
of knowing about God: our natural human reason, and divine revelation. Great Christian theologians in
history have demonstrated that it is possible to know that God exists and to know many of the attributes of
God just by using our natural human ability to think and reason. But human reason can only take us so far.
We also need divine revelation to know God.
Divine revelation simply means that God has taken the initiative to communicate with humanity
throughout history. God has revealed things we could never figure out on our own. Divine revelation takes
two forms: the Bible and the Church's sacred Tradition. The Bible is the collection of writings created and
collected under God's inspiration. God speaks to us through the Bible. Of course, many parts of the Bible are
challenging to understand because they come from historical and cultural circumstances very different from
ours. There are many different types of literature in the Bible and not everything is meant to be taken
literally. One of the core ideas behind Protestantism is personal interpretation of Scripture. However, the
Catholic faith does not espouse this idea. We realize that we need help to correctly understand the Bible and
avoid misinterpreting it. The Church's Magisterium (the Pope and bishops in communion with him) is the
teaching authority responsible for correctly interpreting the Bible because, we believe, the Magisterium is
guided by the Holy Spirit in its work of teaching the faith.
The second way revelation comes to us is in the Church's sacred Tradition. The Bible alone does not
contain everything! Revealed truths were first of all passed on from Jesus Christ to the Apostles to future
generations of Christians. The Church's Tradition is also a form of divine revelation. (Protestantism does not
believe in Tradition as a form of revelation. For Protestants, the Bible is the only authority they recognize.)
The Bible and Tradition work together, and both are handed down and authentically interpreted by the
Magisterium, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Faith is based on everything discussed above: our natural human ability to think and reason, working
together with God's revelation, which is passed down through the Bible and through the Church's Tradition.
To believe is to choose to accept the truths of faith with our minds and hearts.
The Bible and the Church's Tradition are public revelation. There is also such a thing as private
revelation, such as when someone sees or hears Jesus or Mary or the saints. If private revelation is truly
authentic, it will never contradict, add to, or subtract from public revelation.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 2
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible
and invisible...
In Latin, the first word of the Creed is credo, meaning "I believe." Our previous English version of
the Creed began with the words "We believe." Actually, the words "I" and "We" reflect two different aspects
of faith that are both correct and inseparable: faith is both personal and communal.
Faith is personal. God has revealed Himself to humanity in the course of history. This revelation calls
for a personal response. Will we accept it as true and authentic or not? Do we choose to believe in the truths
of the Catholic faith as taught to us by our parents, teachers, clergy, the Church, or not? Our choice to believe
or not to believe will affect how we live our lives on earth and what happens to us after we die. However,
faith is not just something intellectual. It is also a relationship with God. It is not enough to believe in the
truths of faith in our heads. We must also live the faith. We must live our lives in a relationship with God,
who is a real, live Person, someone present with us at all times with whom we communicate by prayer. We
must live the way our faith teaches us, always striving to grow closer to God and to let our relationship with
Him shape the type of persons we are.
Faith is both a gift from God and a choice we ourselves make. Why do many people seem to believe
very easily while many others do not, either because they have never encountered the Catholic faith or
because they just seem to have a very difficult time accepting it? Why doesn't God give the gift of faith to
everyone? This will always be a mystery. But it is clear that every person is unique and every person's
relationship with God is unique. God wants everyone to be with Him in heaven someday and He desires to
meet every person wherever he or she is in life and make His presence known to them. God uses us to help
bring Him into other people's lives and help them believe. When we are confronted with the reality of God
and our Catholic faith, we must make a choice. We must respond in faith. This response is not a one-time
"yes." It is a "yes" that we must live out every single day of our lives, in our thoughts, attitudes, words, and
actions.
Faith is communal. The Catholic Christian is not alone in his or her faith. We believe in the truths of
our faith as a community. In fact, we are more than a community. The Church is the Body of Christ, the
family of God united by our Baptism into Jesus' death and resurrection. We profess our faith together as one
Body just as we worship God as one Body. The individual Catholic Christian cannot simply have faith in
God while remaining apart from the Church. We must be part of the believing, worshiping community. We
need the Church to authentically teach the faith and to provide us with the means of salvation in the Mass
and the sacraments.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 3
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible
and invisible...
What is your image of God? Is He a grandfatherly figure with a long, white beard? Is He just a
"force" out there? Is He more like a loving father we can always turn to or is He more like a strict lawgiver
always watching us from above? How certain can we be that God exists? Many atheist thinkers argue that
believing in God is like believing in the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny: a childish fantasy that a little
science and maturity will wipe away. Are they right?
When God revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus), Moses asked God what His
name is. (Pagan gods all had names.) God responded: "I AM." This revelation foreshadows what philosophy
would eventually demonstrate: God is existence itself. God's very essence and nature is to exist. He is pure
being. As such, God is the cause of everything else that exists. Take away "existence" and you are left with
nothing. Christian philosophers and theologians such as St. Thomas Aquinas have thought out "proofs" for
God's existence. For example, look at the world around us. Things don't just pop into existence by
themselves without a cause. Everything that exists has a cause. If we try to trace the causes of things back to
the very beginning, there must be an "Uncaused Cause" that is pure existence. We call this "God." Or, as
another example, if we look at the world around us, we see that where there is order, there must be some
intelligence to put things in order. By themselves, things tend toward chaos. (Look at your desk if you don't
keep on top of things.) If we look at the incredible order throughout nature and the universe, an order not
caused by human beings, we must conclude that there is ultimately some "Intelligence" responsible for this
order. We call this "God."
There is much we can know about God just by using our natural ability to observe the world around
us, think, and reason. But this is not enough. God has revealed Himself to humanity throughout history. He
revealed Himself to the patriarchs and leaders of what would become the Jewish people: Abraham, Moses,
etc. The ultimate revelation of God to humanity is in Jesus Christ. Through this revelation, God shows us He
is not just some impersonal force behind the universe. He is a Person. His essence, besides being pure
Existence, Truth, Goodness, Beauty, etc., is also pure Love. We are created in God's image and likeness: we
are made for love. We are made to enter relationships with God and with each other. We each have a heart (or
“will”) that desires love and goodness, and a mind (or “intellect”) that desires truth. These human desires for
love, goodness, and truth, whether we realize it or not, are rooted in the very fabric of our existence and they
can only be fulfilled by the infinite Love, Goodness, and Truth that is God. We can only be satisfied by God.
We are made for eternal life with Him. Nothing less can perfectly satisfy us, although the things of this
world, the things God created, can help lead us to God.
Although pagan religions believed in the existence of multiple gods, we believe in one God. To the
people of Israel God revealed that He is the only one. Furthermore, if we have a correct understanding of
God as Being, Truth, Goodness, etc. as explained above, we can see that it is logically impossible to have
more than one God.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 4
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible
and invisible...
One of the most difficult mysteries of faith to understand is that God is a Trinity: a communion of
three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Yet, we believe in one God; we know there cannot be three
Gods. How can this be? How can God be three Persons? This is a mystery we cannot expect to fully
understand. That does not mean believing in the Trinity is irrational. It is simply something above our ability
to reason. We do know that God is three Persons. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are real, distinct Persons.
One is not either of the others. The three Persons are not simply three different "masks" of one God. Yet, the
three Persons are inseparable. They all share one divine nature and so are truly one God, not three Gods.
The Trinity has profound implications for us as human beings. We are created in God's image and
likeness. If God is a community of three Persons, in a relationship of perfect love, then we as human beings
are meant to reflect this. The human person is not meant to be isolated. We are made to be in relationships
with God and each other. Pope John Paul II in his Theology of the Body explained how we see this most
clearly in the relationship between man and woman: marriage is a life-giving union between man and woman
which reflects the very mystery of God Himself. Our final destiny as human beings is to share in the perfect
loving communion of the Trinity.
The three Persons of the Trinity always existed. One did not come before the other. Yet, the "first"
Person is God the Father. He "begets" the Son (Jesus), not in the sense of bringing Him into existence at a
certain time; rather, the Father "eternally" begets the Son, outside of time. Why is the first Person of the
Trinity Father and not "Mother"? It is true that God does not have gender. It is true that God, in His love for
us, has both fatherly and motherly qualities. But God revealed Himself to us as "Father." Masculine language
is used to speak of God because masculinity is associated with action while femininity is associated with
receptivity. God's identification as "Father" is an expression of His sovereign role in creating and sustaining
the world.
We must keep in mind that our attempts to understand and describe God will always fall short. There
is much we can know about God, but there is also far more that transcends our limited human minds. Yet, we
must always keep in mind that knowing God (in the sense of being in a relationship with Him) is much more
important than knowing about God.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 5
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible
and invisible...
One of God's attributes is omnipotence. Because God is pure Being, He is almighty. Nothing is
impossible for Him. We can see that God is almighty in His acts of creating the world out of nothing,
creating every human person out of love, and redeeming us through Christ. God has stepped into human
history in many different ways for the good of His people; for example, liberating the people of Israel from
slavery in Egypt. There is no limit to God's power.
Many people have misunderstood God's omnipotence. People have believed that, since God is
almighty, He could create, for example, a four-sided triangle if He wanted to. But, we must keep in mind that
God is not only omnipotent; He is also Truth or Reason. God is almighty but He cannot contradict Himself
by doing something irrational, or unreal, such as creating a four-sided triangle. By definition, a triangle is a
figure with three sides. The very idea of a "four-sided triangle" is nothing more than a meaningless
combination of words.
The fact of God's omnipotence raises the question: "If God is almighty, why is there evil in the
world?" This is known in philosophy as the "problem of evil." How do we explain the presence of evil in the
world, especially evil that causes innocent people to suffer, if God is good and loving and all-powerful?
Atheists point to evil in the world as "proof" that God does not exist. Why God permits evil is a mystery we
cannot expect to fully understand in this life. But there are some truths of reason and some truths of faith that
help us begin to understand why there is evil:
1. There are two kinds of evil. Moral evil is evil caused by human beings. Physical evil is not caused
by human beings (e.g. earthquakes, floods, terminal illnesses). Man has only himself to blame for moral evil.
God gave us free will. He could have created human beings without free will, but without free will, it is
impossible to love, and we could not enter into relationships with God or with each other. It is an incredible
act of love on God's part to take the risk of giving us freedom, knowing we would misuse it.
2. What about physical evil? If God created the world good, why are there disasters and sickness that
harm innocent people? God is perfect but this does not mean He had to create a perfect world. We may think
of God's creation as continually developing, continually moving toward a goal, continually moving toward
perfection. We must also keep in mind that one of the effects of original sin (the first sin against God by
human beings, the "fall of man" which damaged our human nature from the way God originally created it) is
a profound change in creation itself. Original sin damaged man's relationships with God, with each other, and
with the created world. Was it God's original intention for the world that natural disasters and sickness claim
innocent lives? Perhaps not.
3. Through faith, we know that God's love for each and every one of us is limitless. We trust Him as
our loving Father that He would not permit bad things to happen unless there was some greater good to come
out of it. Who can know the mind of God? We often cannot see the big picture. Our view tends to be very
narrow, especially when we are in the midst of our own suffering.
4. Thanks to the redemptive suffering and death of Jesus Christ, our suffering does not have to be
meaningless. Suffering can be redemptive for the one who is suffering and for other people. When we
experience suffering, how do we handle it? What do we do with it?
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 6
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible
and invisible...
We believe that God is the Creator of everything that exists. Although the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit are inseparable and all three have a role in creation, we identify God the Father more specifically as
the Creator. The universe did not always exist. It did not develop by chance, or by necessity, or by purely
mechanical processes. The universe came about through God's creative action. The universe as it continues
to unfold and develop is part of God's plan. God creates ex nihilo -from nothing. He creates the world out of
love, as a reflection of His Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.
But do the claims of modern science challenge our belief in God as Creator? What about evolution, a
very popular theory today? God or evolution: must it be one or the other? Did God really create the world in
six days as the book of Genesis tells the story? The book of Genesis conveys the truth that God created the
world, but it does not tell us how God created the world. God creates through the natural processes that
science uncovers and explains for us. If evolutionary theory is true (which is not certain), God's plan is what
is guiding the process. It does not matter how things came about. Whatever the process, God is ultimately the
Intelligence behind it. We who believe in God as the Creator have no reason to be afraid of the discoveries of
science. In fact, without God's reason, His intelligible plan behind created reality, modern science would not
even be possible!
Many people have believed that God is like a clockmaker who made the world and then let it start
running on its own, without having to do anything more. But creation was not once and done. God is
continually creating and sustaining the world right now, indeed at every moment. Things would cease to exist
if it were not for God continually sustaining them. Keep in mind God's nature: Existence, Truth, Goodness,
etc.
Despite the claims of people who believe human beings are simply part of the evolutionary flow of
nature like all other animals and have no inherent special dignity (and note that this is a philosophical, not a
scientific claim), the human person is God's greatest creation. The human person is unique because he is the
only creature that is part of both the material and the spiritual worlds. We are each made in God's image and
likeness. This is the foundation of our inherent human dignity, which has strong moral implications. As
human beings, we each have a body and a soul. Our souls have two "faculties:" an intellect and a will. Unlike
other living creatures, our intellect enables us to think and reason, to look at the world around us objectively,
which animals cannot do. Animals lack the ability to reason. They can only relate to the world around them
from their own perspective and operate on instinct. Our intellect desires to know the truth, which is
ultimately God. We also have a free will. Because we have a will, we have the ability to determine ourselves
as persons for good or bad. Free will opens the arena of morality: how ought we to live our lives? Our will is
the seat of our desires. We all desire love, which is ultimately God.
God creates human beings male and female. A human being is "incomplete" without someone of the
opposite gender. This attraction of man and woman is a sign of the communion we desire with each other
and with God. Marriage is a reflection of the mystery of God Himself: a Trinity, a communion of perfect love
that brings forth new life. When a new human being is conceived, God creates a new soul out of nothing at
that very moment of conception. At that moment, the new human being is a person with an immortal soul.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 7
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible
and invisible...
God is the Creator of everything that exists, "visible and invisible." There have always been many
people who do not believe in anything other than what we can see or hear, touch, taste, or smell. But, there
are many things that are very real that we cannot know through any of our five senses. The human soul is
real, even though it is not something we can sense. The very fact that we can think, or experience emotions,
or love, demonstrates that there is more to us than just a material body.
We believe that God created angels. Human beings are creatures of God with a body and a soul.
Angels, however, are purely spirit; they do not have bodies, and so we cannot sense them. One of the ways
we know angels exist is that God has used some of them to communicate with or help human beings (e.g. the
angel Gabriel communicating to Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus). The word "angel" comes from
a word that means "messenger." It has also been part of our faith tradition to believe that every human being
has a guardian angel. Guardian angels are not meant to protect us from all harm during our lives on earth but,
we believe, they play a mysterious role in keeping us from spiritual harm and helping us reach heaven. Of
course, our guardian angels cannot force us to make spiritually healthy choices in life. Yet, one might
speculate that they do much more for us than we could possibly realize in the course of our daily lives.
To dispel a popular false belief: when we die, we do not become angels! When a human being dies
and goes to heaven, he/she does not become an angel. A human being who goes to heaven is still a human
being even though body and soul are temporarily separated.
Not all angels are good. Like human beings, angels have free will. Demons or evil spirits are angels
that chose to reject God and live only for themselves. Satan, or the Devil, is the foremost evil spirit. We must
keep in mind that Satan is not the "source" of evil the way God is the source of all good. Satan is not all-
powerful like God. Satan is a real person with real power to cause trouble in our world. But God is always
supreme. A person with true faith has no reason to fear Satan or engage in superstitious beliefs or activities.
We must avoid two opposite errors about Satan. One mistake would be to believe he doesn't exist.
Yet, people have speculated that one of Satan's strategies for leading us away from God is to get people to
believe he (Satan) doesn't exist! (Think about that one.) The other mistake people make is blaming all the
evil in the world on Satan. This is a mistake because so much of the evil in the world is not the work of
Satan; it is the work of human beings. Only by honestly facing our own sinfulness and taking responsibility
for our immoral choices will we be able to experience salvation.
One more bit of food for thought: a frequently asked question is "why doesn't God just destroy
Satan?" We must keep in mind that Satan was an angel of God who decided to reject God. Yet, God loves
Satan just as He loves everyone and everything He created. God is Love. He never stops loving His
creatures. That is good news for us when we find ourselves guilty of sin.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 8
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.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, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin
Mary, and became man...
The second part of the Nicene Creed is what makes us Christian: we believe in one Lord, Jesus
Christ. We believe Jesus is not just a man who lived a long time ago in history. He is truly God along with
the Father and the Holy Spirit. He is our Lord and we are His followers. It helps us understand Jesus' identity
if we know something about His names or titles.
Jesus: The name Jesus was a common Hebrew name which literally means "God saves" or "savior."
This name was revealed to Mary and Joseph by God. (Luke's Gospel describes the Annunciation to Mary in
which the angel Gabriel reveals the name Jesus. Matthew's Gospel describes Joseph's dream in which an
angel tells him to name the child Jesus.) Jesus' name indicates His mission, which is inseparable from His
identity. He is our Savior. By His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus saves us from sin and death. He made it
possible for us to live forever when our lives on earth come to an end.
Christ: This is the Greek word for Messiah, which literally means "anointed one." When someone or
something is anointed, it is a sign that the person or object is consecrated: permanently set apart to fulfill a
special purpose for God. (Priests, altars, persons receiving the sacraments of Baptism or Confirmation are all
anointed as a sign of consecration.) Jesus is the Anointed One. He is the Messiah the people of Israel had
been expecting. However, the people of Israel had a variety of ideas about who and what the Messiah would
be. Many thought he would be a great king or military leader, perhaps one who would overthrow the Roman
occupation of Judea. The Messiah would be someone who would inaugurate a permanent golden age for
Israel in God's name. Jesus was not what most people were expecting. He did not come to change the
political situation or bring worldly prosperity. The true Messiah would do what no one ever dreamed: liberate
every human being from the oppression of sin and death.
Lord: In the Old Testament God revealed His name to Moses as "I AM" or, in Hebrew, "Yahweh."
This is the divine name, held so sacred by Jewish people that they do not pronounce it. Instead, they
substitute the word Adonai ("my Lord"). In the New Testament, St. Paul and other Apostles frequently refer
to Jesus as Kyrios, the Greek word meaning "Lord." In other words, they are referring to Jesus as God. Every
Christian of Jewish background during the time of the Apostles would understand this reference. Jesus truly
is God and has absolute sovereignty over all creation with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 9
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.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, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the
Virgin Mary, and became man...
Jesus has two natures: divine and human. In other words, He is 100% God and 100% human. This is
extremely important and has many implications for our faith. Jesus is not God who simply "appeared" as a
human being. Nor is He simply a man who somehow received divine power. He is truly God and truly man.
In the early centuries of Christianity, there arose a false teaching called Arianism (named for the
priest Arius). Arians believed that Jesus was only human, not divine. In response to this widespread heresy
(false teaching), the Church affirmed the truth about Jesus' divinity by adding various expressions to the
Creed: Jesus is "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." All these
expressions are meant to make it as clear as possible that we believe in Jesus' divinity. Jesus is of the same
divine nature as God the Father.
This brings us back to the Trinity. In the Gospels, there are many occasions when Jesus refers to God
the Father or prays to God the Father. But there are many other places where Jesus makes Himself out to be
God. Which is it? Is Jesus God Himself, or is He God's Son? The answer is that He is both. God is a Trinity:
three distinct Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but all three are one God. All three are inseparable and
share one divine nature. Thus, Jesus is truly the Son of the Father, but both Father and Son (and Holy Spirit)
are truly one God.
Twice the Creed mentions that Jesus was "begotten" by God. This does not mean the same thing as a
human father "begetting" a son. Jesus was not made or created by the Father. As God, Jesus always existed
along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. But the word "begotten" is an attempt to capture the sense of a
Father-Son relationship between the Father and Jesus. We must keep in mind that the language we use to
speak about God will never completely capture the mystery of God.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 10
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.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, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin
Mary, and became man...
We may have a tendency to think that Jesus, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, was
not doing much until it was time for Him to become man and be born into our world to redeem us. On the
contrary, Jesus has been quite busy from all eternity. Even though the work of creating the world is attributed
mainly to God the Father, the three divine Persons of the Trinity are inseparable. The Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit act in unison. This means that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are also active in creation along with the
Father.
In the story of creation in the first chapter of the book of Genesis, God creates by speaking a word.
God said "Let there be light" and there was light... God said "Let the earth bring forth vegetation..." And so it
happened. God said "Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures..." And so it happened. God creates
through His Word. When God speaks, things happen. The Gospel According to John begins with the
beautiful prologue: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He
was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be...
And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us..." In just these few verses John tells us that
Jesus is truly God, yet Jesus and the Father are distinct Persons. Jesus is the Word through whom God creates
the world. Jesus is the Word who takes on human flesh and is born into our world to redeem us.
Paul's Letter to the Colossians includes an early Christian hymn that sums up some of these truths
about Jesus and His role in creation from all eternity. "For in him were created all things in heaven and on
earth... All things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold
together" (Colossians 1:16-17). All things were made by the Father through Jesus. All of creation is for
Jesus, meaning that perfection in Jesus is the goal of all creation. All things hold together through Jesus,
meaning that Jesus is the sustaining force that holds all things in existence.
The words of the Creed, "Through Him all things were made," point to many truths: Jesus'
relationship with the Father, Jesus' role in creation, Jesus as God's Word.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 11
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.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, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin
Mary, and became man...
If we want to more fully understand and appreciate our faith, it is essential that we understand our
need for redemption. Maybe one reason many people have little or no faith or do not practice any religion is
that they do not realize their need for redemption. All human beings have need of redemption -every single
one of us. Every single person must face the reality of death. Every single person must face the reality of his
or her own sinfulness and imperfection. We all know there is a difference between the way we should be and
the way we really are. We all fall short in some way and we know it. Why is it so often hard to be good?
Why do we so often know the right thing but fail to do it? Why do many people try to "change the rules" or
make up their own rules for life -could it be that it is hard to live the way we know we should live; could it be
that people want to escape the reality of their own imperfection? Why do we seem to be tossed around by our
emotions and urges and desires instead of obeying our reason? Why does life so often seem hard? Why do
we experience physical or emotional suffering?
We are all born into a condition called "original sin." This does not mean that, as newborn babies, we
are guilty of sin and deserve punishment. Original sin simply means that the first human beings sinned
against God, which damaged their relationship with God. Thus, every human being born into the world is
born into a humanity that is in a damaged relationship with God, a state of alienation from God. Because
humanity is in a damaged relationship with God, the Creator, the source of life, we experience all sorts of
unpleasant consequences: suffering, difficulty in doing the right thing, and most of all: death. God did not
intend these things for us. They are results of the damaging of our human nature by the first sin of the first
human beings.
This is illustrated in the story of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis. Adam and Eve were the first
human beings and lived in a condition where life was not difficult, there was no suffering, they were in a
perfect relationship with God and with each other, and they were perfectly at home in their environment.
God asked that they simply not eat from the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil." This tree is a symbol
that we are human beings; we are not God; there are certain lines we must not cross. Only God can decide
what is good and what is evil. However, the Devil, in the form of a serpent, tempts Adam and Eve to eat the
fruit from the tree so that they can be like God. Adam and Eve, by their own free choice (the Devil did not
force them to eat the fruit) disobeyed God. By doing this, they damaged their relationship with God and the
consequences naturally followed. God did not arbitrarily punish the first human beings and He is not
punishing the rest of us either when we inherit original sin. The unpleasant consequences of the first sin
naturally follow from the fact that man has turned his back on God, the source of his life.
Thus, if we desire to live forever, if we desire to overcome our sinfulness and imperfections, if we
desire to deal with the difficulties of life, we need redemption. We need to be saved. This is where Jesus
comes in...
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 12
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.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, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin
Mary, and became man...
The two greatest mysteries of our Christian faith are the Incarnation and the Resurrection (celebrated
on Christmas and Easter, respectively). The Incarnation is the birth of Jesus into our world as a human being.
Without giving up His divinity, Jesus, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, took on human flesh.
He took on our humanity and was born into our world in a specific place at a specific time in history. Jesus is
fully God and fully man. He has two natures: divine and human. This does not mean that Jesus is somehow
two people in one body. He is one Person who is both divine and human. As God, He is in perfect harmony
and communion with the Father. But as man, He shares everything about our human experience, with the
exception of sin.
Why did Jesus become man? By sharing our humanity, Jesus reveals God to us in a way that is more
complete and more profound than any previous revelation. Jesus is the fullest revelation of God to us.
Furthermore, every human being is in need of redemption but, by ourselves, there is nothing we can do to
repair the relationship between God and humanity. It takes an act of God. The Incarnation is the first step. In
His love for us, God steps down and enters our world to save us. Just as disobedience put us in the state we
are now in, a state of alienation from God with all its consequences, it is the obedience of Jesus that saves us.
Throughout His historical time in our world, Jesus was perfectly obedient to His Father, despite the fact that
this perfect obedience would get Him in trouble with the religious authorities and lead to the sacrifice of His
life. But it is in this ultimate sacrifice -not only Jesus' life but His will- that Jesus opens the path of salvation
for us.
How did the Incarnation happen? Well, redemption is not only an act of God. It also requires the
cooperation of humanity. God awaits our consent to give us the gift of salvation. This consent is given on
behalf of all humanity by Mary. God chose Mary to be the embodiment of His Chosen People, the people of
Israel. He chose Mary to be the embodiment of His new people, the Church. God kept Mary free from sin
throughout her entire life so she could give a totally pure "yes" to His plan of salvation (we call this mystery
the Immaculate Conception). The angel Gabriel revealed to Mary that she was chosen to be the mother of
Jesus and she accepted. Her "yes" on behalf of all humanity was the consent God was looking for in order to
extend the gift of salvation to us. Mary's perpetual virginity is a sign of her total dedication to God and the
purity of her "yes." By the power of the Holy Spirit she miraculously conceived Jesus, the Son of God. Yet,
Mary's marriage to Joseph is authentic and very important. Although not the biological father of Jesus,
Joseph is Jesus' legal father, which connects Jesus to the line of King David and other great figures in the
history of Israel: Jesus fulfills the Old Testament. Thus begins the re-creation of humanity...
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 13
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
...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...
The death and resurrection of Jesus (the "Paschal Mystery") is at the very center of the Christian faith
because it brought about our redemption. Jesus' total faithfulness to the Father in heaven led to trouble with
the religious authorities of Israel. The people of Israel were deeply committed to living by the Law (the
"Torah" -God's instructions for life, God's instructions for living out the Covenant He established with Israel
through Moses). However, even though the Law contained fundamental, unchanging moral precepts (such as
the Ten Commandments), it also contained mere human precepts, rules meant only for Israel, rules never
meant to be permanent. Jesus measured the Law against the highest standard possible: the pure will of God
that is Truth and Goodness itself. But people misunderstood. To the religious authorities: the Sanhedrin, the
scribes and priests, and most of all the Pharisees (a sect of Judaism known for strict adherence to the Law) it
seemed as though Jesus was breaking the Law. Accusations of blasphemy and speaking against the Law and
the Temple led to the eventual arrest and condemnation of Jesus.
Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Palestine, who condemned Him
(urged along by accusations that Jesus declared Himself a king and posed a threat to the Roman authorities).
Jesus was put to death by crucifixion, the most shameful form of execution for criminals. In spite of His
power to free Himself from suffering and death, Jesus willingly embraced it because in this is our
redemption. The night before He died, Jesus struggled with the Father's will while praying in the Garden of
Gethsemane. In His humanity, Jesus experienced fear and a desire to escape the suffering in store for Him;
yet, He willingly embraced the Father's will. In this Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures and brought about our
redemption.
The night before Jesus died, He celebrated the Last Supper with His Apostles. He instituted the
Eucharist, changing bread and wine into His Body and Blood. He empowered the Apostles and their
successors to do this until the end of time, making them the first priests. The Eucharist makes the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ present. Every Mass is a remembrance of the Paschal Mystery: the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ that redeems us.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 14
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
...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...
The Resurrection is the center of our Christian faith. Jesus was faithful to the Father's will even unto
suffering and death. In this ultimate sacrifice, this perfect obedience, Jesus brought about our salvation and
redemption, healing the rift between God and humanity caused by the disobedience of the first human
beings. The Resurrection profoundly confirms Jesus' act of salvation. It is a sign that the Father has accepted
the sacrifice of His Son. It is a sign that Jesus has conquered sin and death. It is a sign of hope for all of us:
just as Jesus rose from the dead, we have the possibility of rising again and living forever despite the fact that
our lives in this world will end someday. It is possible to be free from sin. Suffering is not the end; it is not
hopeless or meaningless. Death is not the end. Jesus' Resurrection shows us that heaven is real.
The Resurrection has implications for all of humanity in all times and places but it is also a historical
event that happened at a particular time in a particular place. The women who followed Jesus, the Apostles,
and other disciples witnessed the Resurrection: they found the tomb empty and Jesus later appeared to them.
They were so moved by this experience of Jesus coming back from death that they could not help but spread
this message, this "Good News." They realized everything Jesus had said during His earthly life was true. In
light of the Resurrection, they were able to look back on the things Jesus said and did and they began to
understand more profoundly. Thus began the spread of the Gospel and Christianity.
It is important to understand that the risen Jesus was not simply an apparition. It was not as though
the disciples were seeing a ghost. The risen Jesus was physically present. The Gospel accounts show the
disciples (such as Thomas) touching Jesus and Jesus eating in front of them. The wounds from the
crucifixion were still present (perhaps as signs of victory?). However, the Resurrection was not simply a
"resuscitation." Jesus' risen body was not like His earthly body. He could pass through locked doors and
cover great distances instantaneously. There was something about His appearance that made it difficult for
people to recognize Him at first. Jesus' Resurrection was a profound bodily transformation. His risen body is
a sign of what our risen bodies will be like someday.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 15
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
...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...
What does it mean when we say that Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures? By the "Scriptures" we are
referring, of course, to the Bible: the collection of writings that we believe are divinely inspired. The Old
Testament is the collection of books held sacred by the people of Israel. The Old Testament represents a long
historical time span from Abraham, father of the nation of Israel (around 1800 BC) up to around the time of
Jesus. The New Testament is the collection of writings held sacred by Christians: the Gospels, the letters of
St. Paul, etc. Why do we as Christians retain the Old Testament? Why do we believe the Old Testament is
divinely inspired?
We believe the Old Testament is not complete in itself. Rather, it represents God's action throughout
the history of Israel leading up to Jesus Christ, the true Messiah anticipated by the people of Israel. Many of
God's saving deeds in the Old Testament foreshadow salvation through Jesus Christ. For example, God
liberated the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, leading them through the Red Sea to the Promised Land.
Through Jesus, He liberates us from sin and death, leading us via the waters of Baptism to the Promised
Land of heaven. The words of the Old Testament prophets often contain deeper meanings that point to Jesus.
Take, for example, the words of Isaiah: "Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he
endured, While we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced for
our offenses, crushed for our sins, Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we
were healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5). The prophet spoke these words in a particular historical context but we can
easily discern a deeper meaning applicable to Jesus.
Jesus Christ fulfills the Old Testament. This is why Christians hold the Old Testament sacred. God
truly speaks to us through the words of the Old Testament just as He speaks through the words of the Gospels
and the other writings of the New Testament. It has been said that the New Testament is hidden in the Old
and the Old Testament is revealed in the New. At Sunday Mass, the first reading is usually taken from the
Old Testament to correspond to that day's Gospel passage in order to demonstrate how Jesus fulfills the Old
Testament.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 16
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
...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...
Forty days after the Resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven. During those forty days, the risen Jesus
continued to walk among His disciples as He did before His death and Resurrection. He continued to instruct
them and encourage them. The risen Jesus did not appear to everyone in the world but to His own selected
witnesses who would spread the Gospel message and constitute the beginnings of the Church, which would
carry the message and the means of salvation to everyone in the world until the end of time. However, at the
end of these forty days, the disciples witnessed Jesus physically ascend upward, out of their sight, a scene
described at the end of the Gospels and at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles.
How do we understand the Ascension? Heaven, of course, is not a physical place up in the sky. It is a
state of union with God, with all of the peace and happiness and new life this entails. Jesus' Ascension does
not mean that He left us, that He left our world, that He is somehow now absent from us. Because He rose
from the dead, Jesus is alive. He remains with us, He remains present in our world with each and every one
of us. Perhaps we might understand the Ascension as the end of Jesus' public appearances in His risen body.
If Jesus never ascended, that is, if He continued to walk around here on earth in His risen body, He could
really only be in one place at a time. However, by ascending into heaven, He is no longer bound by time and
space. He can be everywhere. He can be with all of us at once.
Jesus is truly present in our world in many ways. The Eucharist is the Real Presence of Jesus: His
Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity under the sensible appearances of bread and wine. Jesus is also present in
the Word; this means that whenever we read or listen to the inspired words of Sacred Scripture, Jesus is
speaking to us. He is present in the sacraments: when one goes to Confession, Jesus is present in the priest
who speaks the words of forgiveness; Jesus is present in Baptism, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick; He is
present when a man and woman exchange vows and enter the bond of marriage. Jesus is present in priests
when they celebrate the sacraments and otherwise speak and act in His name. All of these things are means
by which the presence of the risen Jesus is extended to all people in all times and places so that they may be
drawn into a closer relationship with God and experience the benefits of Jesus' death and Resurrection: the
gift of salvation. When we reach heaven, we will see our Lord face to face, no longer hidden behind signs
and symbols. Then our union with Him will be perfect.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 17
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
...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...
Our faith teaches us that Jesus will come again (which is not to say He is absent from us and our
world now) but He will come again "in glory." At the end of the world He will be fully manifested to
everyone, to those who believe in Him as well as to those who do not believe in Him. The "Second Coming"
or the "Parousia" at the end of the world is a truth expressed in Sacred Scripture (from Jesus' own mouth)
and it has been passed down through the Church's Tradition from the very beginning. In fact, the first
generation of Christians thought that Jesus meant to return soon: within their lifetimes! Paul's First Letter to
the Thessalonians is a response to the concerns of some Christians who were worried about what would
happen to their fellow Christians who were dying before Jesus' Second Coming. Paul reassures them that, at
Jesus' return, it doesn't matter whether one is still alive or has already "fallen asleep." All will be raised up.
What will the end of the world and Jesus' Second Coming be like? We do not know exactly. The
Gospels and the Book of Revelation suggest that the end will be foreshadowed by what we call "apocalyptic
signs" (perhaps natural disasters, war, persecution, etc.). All throughout history, people have never tired of
trying to predict when and how the world will end. Many people have tried to interpret events in history as
signs of the end. However, Jesus is perfectly clear: the Father has not revealed to us when the world will end.
It is perfectly natural to be curious about the end of the world but the faithful Christian does not engage in
serious speculation about how or when the world will end. Instead, the faithful Christian is far more
concerned about growing in his / her relationship with Jesus and living a good life right now in the present so
as to be prepared for the future. The season of Advent, besides preparing for Christmas, is intended to remind
us that Jesus will return at the end of the world, so we should be prepared by faithfully following Him right
now.
Jesus' first coming was the Incarnation: He was born into our world as a human being to redeem us
by His sacrificial death and resurrection. The first coming of Jesus was only seen by a few people (Mary and
Joseph, the shepherds and Magi, later the disciples and the people of Israel). He was born into our world to
save us. The Second Coming at the end of the world will be much different: Jesus will be plainly visible to
everyone and all things will be brought to an end. For us, this entails the "Last Judgment." Those people who
lived their lives in union with God, honestly seeking to do good, will find themselves in heaven. Those who
separated themselves from God through their immoral choices in life will find themselves in hell. We
experience this same type of judgment when we die: if we lived in union with God during our lives on earth,
we will remain in union with Him when we die (heaven); if we separated ourselves from God during our
lives on earth, we will remain separated from Him after death (hell). There also exists the possibility of
purgatory: a state of purification for those who are going to heaven but still need healing from the sinfulness
of their lives.
The end of the world will not actually be the end. It will be the fulfillment of God's Kingdom which
will be perfect peace and happiness and which will have no end.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 18
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
...I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and
the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through
the prophets...
The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. The Spirit is truly God along with the Father and
Jesus the Son. The Holy Spirit "proceeds" from the Father and the Son: He is the love between the Father
and Son, the bond between the Father and Son. As God, the Holy Spirit is not just some thing or some force;
He is a true Person who is worshipped and glorified. He shares the same divine nature and substance as the
Father and the Son.
What was the Holy Spirit's role in history? Since the three Persons of the Trinity are inseparable, their
actions in history are inseparable. Yet, there are distinctions in the roles of the Father, Son, and Spirit. It was
the Holy Spirit who came upon Mary so that she conceived Jesus. The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus Himself
at His Baptism by John the Baptist. This was a sign that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ, God's Anointed
One whose special mission was to redeem humanity.
The Holy Spirit was manifested most of all on Pentecost. Fifty days after Jesus' resurrection, He sent
the Holy Spirit upon His disciples. While the Apostles hid themselves for fear of the authorities who had put
Jesus to death, the Holy Spirit came upon them in the form of a strong wind and tongues of fire. The Spirit
gave them the courage and the ability to go out and begin to proclaim the Gospel message. Pentecost is the
birthday of the Church. The coming of the Spirit was the final step in forming Jesus' followers into the "new
Israel," the new People of God, the Church.
What is the Holy Spirit's role today? Just as the Holy Spirit's coming began the Church, the Spirit is
actively guiding the Church today. The Spirit works through the Pope and bishops to preserve the faith
through the ages and authentically teach it. The Spirit also works in the lives of individual Christians. Three
of the seven sacraments involve a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit. In Baptism, the Holy Spirit comes
to dwell in the person. Baptism permanently transforms a person into an adopted child of God so that divine
life truly dwells in him / her. In the sacrament of Confirmation, the Holy Spirit comes upon a person to
impart the gifts and graces that will enable him / her to live the Christian life. Confirmation, in a sense,
brings Baptism to its maturity. In the sacrament of Holy Orders, the Spirit comes upon a man to transform
him into a deacon, a priest, or a bishop, imparting a share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit may also impart gifts, or "charisms," to individual people to help them live their faith
and contribute to the good of the Church. Some charisms are somewhat unique and unusual such as
"speaking in tongues." Others are more common such that we might not think of them as gifts of the Holy
Spirit, such as a talent for preaching the faith or a talent for ministering to a certain class of people, for
example.
The Holy Spirit has spoken through the prophets. The Bible is the inspired Word of God because the
Spirit has spoken through the prophets of the Old Testament and others who put the Word into writing. The
Scriptures contain God's revelation. The same Spirit who spoke through the writers of Scripture also speaks
through the Pope and bishops so that the Scriptures will be correctly interpreted and the the faith
authentically handed on.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 19
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
...I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the
forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world
to come. Amen.
When many people think of "church" they think about the building where they go to worship on
Sundays. When many people think of "The Catholic Church" they think of some bureaucracy based across
the ocean: a group of old celibate men, out-of-touch with the modern world, who impose rules concerning
some of the most intimate aspects of our lives. When some people think of "The Catholic Church" they
immediately cite examples of corruption and scandal throughout history. But, really, what is the Church?
Perhaps we can come to a more mature and accurate understanding of what we mean when we speak of "the
Church."
To put it simply, the Church (note the capital "C") is God's family. Baptism makes us the adopted
children of God the Father by uniting each of us to the death and resurrection of Christ, and so opening for us
the possibility of salvation. The Church is the community of all those who are baptized. Thus, the Church is
primarily a spiritual reality. However, the Church also has physical manifestations: it has a hierarchy to guide
it and to pass on the faith and to provide the sacraments. The Church has buildings and material goods for
worshipping God and serving people.
"The Church" subsists in the Catholic Church (to use technical language). This means that the
fullness of "the Church" is found in the Catholic Church. Other Christian churches and denominations share
in some of the means of salvation (the Scriptures, Baptism, possibly the Eucharist and other sacraments) but
not completely, or not in their fullness. It is popular in some scholarly circles to believe Jesus never intended
there to be any kind of organized church; the institution that we call the Church was just an invention of the
Apostles that does more harm than good. On the contrary, Jesus made Peter the "rock" on which He would
build His Church. He made the Apostles the first priests. He sent the Holy Spirit on the disciples on
Pentecost to empower them to spread the Gospel. Pentecost is the birthday of the Church. The institution of
the Church is the visible community of God's People and it embodies the means of salvation. The Church has
both human and divine aspects. It takes faith to see the spiritual realities embodied in the visible elements of
the Church.
There are several images to help us understand the Church. The Church is the "Body of Christ."
Christ is the Head and we are members of His Body. This image expresses the fact that being members of the
Church is not like belonging to an organization. We share God's divine life within us by the indwelling of the
Holy Spirit, thanks to our Baptism into Jesus' death and resurrection. We are members of the same Body:
each a unique individual, but inseparable. We are united to Christ as our Head. This is expressed when we
receive the Eucharist: to receive Communion -the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ- is to say "I am
a properly initiated member of the Catholic Church, I believe and profess everything contained in the
Catholic faith, and I try to live my life in a manner consistent with these beliefs." The Eucharist is the
ultimate sign of our unity with each other and with Christ as the Church.
Another image for the Church is that it is the "Bride of Christ." Even in the Old Testament, the
relationship between God and His People has been described using marriage imagery. This continues in
describing the relationship between Jesus and the Church. Once again, this image captures the fact that
membership in the Church is far more profound than belonging to some other organization.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 20
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
...I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the
forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world
to come. Amen.
The words "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic" are called the four "marks" of the Church. They help to
describe what the Church is.
The Church is one. The Church is God's family, which we share in by our Baptism into Jesus' death
and resurrection. In the Church we are united together with Christ and with each other; the Church is the
Body of Christ. We share one faith, one sacramental life, one apostolic hierarchy, and one hope for eternal
life. The one Church subsists in the Catholic Church. However, divisions have occurred among Christians in
history: the division between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches, the formation of various
Protestant denominations, and countless new independent Christian communities springing up even today.
Many of these churches and communities possess various elements of truth and some of the means of
salvation (such as the Scriptures). All baptized Christians, Catholic or not, are in a relationship with the
Church and so are our brothers and sisters in Christ. But, we must constantly pray for and work for the
restoration of unity among Christians.
The Church is holy. This (obviously) does not mean that the members of the church are perfect, or
never make mistakes, or are guaranteed to go to heaven. The Church is made up of human beings, and we are
all sinners. But the Church is described as holy because it is the work of Jesus Christ and He has made the
Church the source of sanctification. God wants all of us to be saved. The Church offers us a path to holiness
so that we can overcome our sinfulness, be reconciled with God, grow in love and virtue, and receive the gift
of salvation.
The Church is catholic. Notice the small "c" in "catholic." Here we are not referring to the proper
name of the Church but to one of its qualities. The word catholic means "universal." Wherever the Church is
present in the world, there is Christ. Wherever Christ is, there is His Church. Even the smallest parish church
in the most remote corner of the world manifests the universal Church because it contains all the means of
salvation. Another way the Church is catholic is that it seeks to embrace everyone in the world. Through
evangelization and missionary efforts, the Church invites everyone to embrace the truth and enter into full
communion with the Church. One of the most misunderstood sayings is that "there is no salvation outside the
Church." This does not mean one must be Catholic to go to heaven. It simply means that everyone who is
saved is saved by Jesus Christ through some relationship with His Church. Being a member of the Catholic
Church exposes one to the fullness of the means of salvation, but some of the means of salvation and
elements of truth are found in other Christian and non-Christian religions. God extends the gift of salvation
to those who try to live a good life and, through no fault of their own, never come to a full knowledge of the
truth embodied in the Catholic faith. Yet, we as Catholics fail to live up to our mission if we do not share our
faith with the world around us or if we act as though all belief systems are equally true.
The Church is apostolic. The Church was founded when Jesus called His twelve Apostles and sent
them out to spread the Gospel message. The Church to this day preserves the teaching of the Apostles that
comes from Christ. The Gospel message and the sacramental life of the Church are passed down through
history through apostolic succession. Apostolic succession is the passing of the priesthood down through the
ages via the sacrament of Holy Orders. The bishops of the Church are successors of the Apostles and inherit
their mission.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 21
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
...I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the
forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world
to come. Amen.
The whole purpose of salvation history, the whole purpose of Jesus becoming man, suffering, dying,
and rising from the dead for us is forgiveness. The first human beings, "Adam and Eve," committed sin: in
doing this they damaged their relationship with God. Because they were the first human beings, every one of
us ever born after them is born into a humanity alienated from God. This is what we mean when we say that
we are all born with original sin. We are all in need of salvation. Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection
makes salvation possible for us. In other words, it makes it possible for us to be forgiven and reconciled with
God.
But, salvation is not forced on us. We each have to freely accept it. We do this by being baptized.
Baptism unites us to the death and resurrection of Christ: Baptism takes away original sin and radically
changes our relationship with God and each other. We truly become the adopted children of God and
members of His family, the Church. Baptism not only takes away original sin but it also forgives any
particular sins an individual may have committed.
What happens if someone commits sin after being baptized? (Of course, there is no "if" about it. We
are all in this category.) Once we are baptized into the Christian life, it is impossible to be baptized again.
But, Jesus gives us another sacrament which allows us to experience His forgiveness: the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. As recounted in John's Gospel, on the evening of Easter Sunday, the day of the resurrection,
Jesus gave His Apostles the duty and the ability to forgive sins. Whenever we go to Confession, Jesus is
present in the priest (or bishop) who speaks the words of forgiveness. In God's great mercy, we are free to
use the Sacrament of Reconciliation as often as it is available and as many times as we need it. Although we
are only obligated to confess serious sins, it helps us grow in holiness when we bring even minor faults,
weaknesses, and bad habits to our Lord in Confession.
Jesus' death and resurrection, which happened one time in history, is what makes salvation possible
for us. In the sacraments of Baptism and Reconciliation, that gift of salvation touches each of us individually
and personally.
Understanding Our Faith: The Creed 22
Rev. Kevin J. Bobbin, M.Div., M.A., S.T.B.
...I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the
forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the
world to come. Amen.
As human beings, we each have a body and a soul. When we die, body and soul are separated: the
body decays while the soul goes on to exist in the state of heaven, hell, or purgatory, according to the choices
we have made in life. At the moment of death, we experience the particular judgment. If we have died in
union with God, we will remain in union with Him in the perfect happiness of heaven. If we have died in a
basically good relationship with God but we still need healing and purification from our sins, we enter
purgatory: a state of purification before we enter heaven. If we have died in a state of alienation from God,
we will experience hell: the pain of eternal separation from God. Many people do not believe in hell because,
they argue, a loving and merciful God would not let people suffer eternally. Yet, hell is precisely the result of
one's own choices to reject God's infinite love and mercy and separate oneself from God.
After death, one's body and soul are separated. But this is not the way it is meant to be. By definition,
a human being has a body and a soul. Just as Jesus rose from the dead, we (as His baptized followers) look
forward to our own resurrection at the end of the world when even our own bodies will be raised and
reunited with our souls. How is this possible if one's dead body returns to dust in the grave? For God who
created the world out of nothing, anything is possible. What will our resurrected bodies be like? We do not
know, but the descriptions of the risen Jesus in the Gospels may provide some clues. In the resurrected state
we will surely not experience any of the pain, weaknesses, or imperfections we experience in our mortal
bodies.
The resurrection will occur when Jesus returns at the end of the world. At this point, the final
judgment will take place, confirming the particular judgment of each individual at the moment of his / her
death and extending to those still living. At this time, the resurrected body will join the soul in eternal
happiness or eternal punishment. The world itself, in some way we cannot yet understand or imagine, will be
freed from decay and transformed to share in Christ's glory. Then the Kingdom of God will be fully
established and God's plan of salvation to unite all in Himself will be accomplished.