Today’s Gospel has one of the simplest and most beautiful prayers that we can utter. The Gospel is from Mark 9:14-19 and is the one about Jesus curing the boy possessed by a demon. The distraught father wants desperately for Jesus to cure his son, and literally begs Jesus to drive out the evil spirit. He tells Jesus, your disciples tried, but could not. “If you can do anything have pity on us and help us”. To which Jesus replies, “If you can! All things are possible to him who believes.” He is telling the father, it is up to you and your belief. Immediately, the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe, help my unbelief”.
The father recognizes his own failings, his shortcomings. He needs assurance that God will make everything right. On being told that all things are possible to him who believes, the man cries out, using words such as: I believe, I believe, Oh God I want to believe. Help my lack of belief. I want my son to be cured.
Doesn’t this touch all of us? Deep within us, we know our faults, our short comings, our laziness, our pride. We don’t want the evils of the world to touch us, or our families. We want to be above all of those trials. “I know”, we think, “I will pray to God and He will make everything alright.” So we hurriedly rattle off a few prayers, maybe even from the depths of our souls… and then we look around. What has happened? What has God done for us? We prayed as we are supposed to do. What happened? “Nothing???, Nothing at all???” Dejected, we shuffle off, muttering to ourselves, “There is no God”. Or “God doesn’t care about me.” We move on to our next distraction to help us forget the pain that we feel.
Jesus alerted the man, and all the generations since, that belief in Him accomplishes the miracles we desperately crave. We pray the Creed, at Mass, “I believe in…” Say that prayer. Dissect every phrase. What does it mean? What does it call from us? Do we passionately believe that God created all things? The Earth? Sun? Moon? MAN? Do we REALLY believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Do we really believe that He died and rose for all of mankind? These are not pretty phrases designed to fill a void. Our belief structure is being laid on the line. We are not saying we understand these things. But, we are saying we believe in them.
Belief is defined as the mental act, condition, or habit of placing trust or confidence in another, even when logic struggles. Trust, there’s that word again. Not my will, but Thine be done. I trust you, Lord. Yes, I trust and accept whatever you send my way, because you love me… but don’t let my house burn down… but let me be happy the rest of my life… but don’t make me give up everything I want and like. I will do your will, but not right now. This moment is for me.
These are all human exclamations. But they can be so much more. Jesus wants us to rise above ourselves. He wants us to blindly put ourselves in His hands, to trust him, and let Him raise us still higher. I believe Lord. I want to believe, Lord. Lord, help my unbelief.
You may wish to click on THE INDEX TO THE APOSTLES CREED which is located at the top of this page. (Right above The Stepping Stones heading.) It will branch you to a blog that was presented earlier. There you can go to any one of sixteen different topics on the Creed.
Tag Archive: The Creed
Amen to ALL
(16th and last, in a series of a presentation on The Apostles Creed)
When we apply for a loan, or a promise to be responsible for the use of a car, or anything of legal importance we sign our name at the end of the document. By applying our name, our reputation so to speak, at the end we are showing our acceptance to the terms. The “Amen” that we use so often in religious prayers and actions dates back to the Old Testament. Its meaning is Yes, I believe, So be it, I accept. It is our verbal signature of what just happened, of what was just said.
We have just enumerated in the Creed all the articles of faith that a Catholic Christian believes. And just like all of the other prayers and significant actions, it too ends with an “amen”. This is not like a period at the end of a sentence. This is our TOTAL acceptance of what just happened. It is not to be taken lightly. It is our bond, our belief, it is who we are.
In keeping with this understanding, let’s take a look at the “Great Amen” within the Mass. It, too, means Yes, I believe, So be it, I accept. What then makes it great? In the Mass, the priest holds up, for all to see, the newly consecrated bread and wine, now the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Christ is present on our altar. The sacrifice of the cross is once more offered up for our sakes. At this moment, the priest says, “Through Him, with Him and in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory are yours, Almighty Father, forever and ever.” The implication is indisputable. Only through Christ can honor and glory be given to God. Why are we at Mass? Because of an obligation? To see our neighbors? We are there to give honor and glory to God. We are there to join ourselves, our lives to Christ through love. In this unity with Jesus, we sanctify our actions that we do for others, we make holy the sufferings and anxieties that we experience and willingly accept. Our lives and everything that they entail, we humbly associate with Christ. So that together with Christ, we can give our measure of honor and glory to God, as well. AMEN. AMEN. AMEN.
Welcome Home
(15th in a series of a presentation on The Apostles Creed)
Man was created both body and soul, both physical and spiritual. He was placed on this earth to live and enjoy the beauties of this world, the beauty of God. God did not put man on earth to live for just a limited time and then die. No, man brought this on himself. “When did this happen”, you ask? It happened the moment man chose to follow his own wishes and not God’s. At that exact moment, the need for redemption was born. The sin happened in time, thus redemption must be completed in time, in the physical world. In the resurrection of Jesus, God’s original intent for mankind is fulfilled. We were created for a bodily existence. In a bodily existence we turned our back. And so, in Christ’s bodily existence, we are redeemed. His resurrection, a victory over death, told us we were back on track.
Our own resurrection would take place after our death. This is not speaking only to the soul, but rather to the whole person, as he had been created. Both body and soul will be re-united, trumpeting the victory over death, as God had intended it, all along. These are not just words. Man’s first sin brought sickness and death into this world. And so it is still today. We do grow old. We do get sick. We do die. But Christ has shown us, through His resurrection that belief in Him is to believe also in our own resurrection. “And every one that lives, and believes in me, shall not die for ever”-1 All of this is predicated on our living and believing in Jesus.
We cannot stop here, though. Our bodies rising and re-uniting with our souls is a pleasant enough thought….but then what? Tied closely to this is “Life everlasting”. We are coming close to speculation here. But what is heaven? We all can close our eyes and imagine what heaven might be like. Strumming on a harp and sitting on a cloud doesn’t really sound like something I could do for more than five minutes. Whatever we do imagine it to be, I know it will fall far short of reality. “…eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for them that love him”-2
My belief is that we are all made by God, with a potential and beauty that only God knows. We will finally be free of the effects of sin, either through a Purgatory required, or a life of suffering willingly endured, out of a love for Christ. When we attain that potential and beauty envisioned by God, and can feel the love of God pulsing within us and surrounding us then we are in Heaven, we are united with God. In that union with infinite Goodness, there is no time, there is no future, there is only now. The peace of being at one with our Maker will permeate us, and happiness and joy will be ours, forever. goto next segment
-1 John 11:26
-2 1Cor 2:9
(14th in a series of a presentation on The Apostles Creed)
The gift of free will enables man to rise to the heights of heaven, itself. But this same gift, when misused, will turn man away from God and focus inwardly on his own wants, desires and pleasures. We know what is to be done. We know what loving unity with God will result in when we act in accord with that unity. But we willingly choose to ignore this path. Rather, our thoughts flow out, “That path is too hard”, or “Just this time, I want to do this, experience that”. And so we move steadily away from God, as “this time”, happens again and again.
God in his infinite goodness recognizes the weakness of man. Would an infinitely loving God, allow man to wallow in this wretched state? Christ said to His Apostles, “Receive the Holy Spirit, whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.” -1 Christ’s references to the Holy Spirit are always a reference to the Spirit of God, of Truth, of Love. Receiving the Spirit, the Apostles, the known Church at that time, were given the power of forgiving or retaining sins. So, in addition to Baptism, “…He who believes and is baptized, will be saved”-2, Jesus provides still another way that man may be freed of his sins.
The words, “God loves us, not because we are good, but because He is good” should shake us out of our complacency, our smugness. Viewing our lives with their many false starts, with their fleeting promises to do better, we realize just how fickle and insincere we can be. And yet, in spite of our weakness, God loves us with a love incomprehensible. He saw our weakness and provided us a means to overcome even that. He says to each of us, “Just love Me in return. Love Me so thoroughly, so completely that your sole desire is to be always united with Me.” With such a love, our focus cannot be on our own petty wants.
And so, in the Creed, we proclaim yes, we believe in God and the Resurrection and the Ascension, and all the other articles of faith. But because of the love that God has for us, because of the words of Christ that ring down through the ages, we believe in the forgiveness of sins, as well. God created us in love. He redeemed us because of love. He promises His love to be with us for the remainder of time. And all He wants is for us to love Him back.
-1 John 20: 22-23
-2 Mark 16:16
Intercession of Saints
(13th in a series of a presentation on The Apostles Creed)
This phrase is really a continuation of the presentation on the Church. The Church, as was stated, flows directly from Christ. In this unity with Christ, the Church (all of us, not the building) is sanctified, is made holy. Christ ascends into Heaven, so that He may send to us the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the binding love of God. It all blends together, think about it. From the start of time, God’s love is being bestowed on creation, on mankind. Christ’s entrance into this world, a result of God’s love; Jesus’ life and death, a fulfillment of God’s love; the sending of the Spirit to His people, a promise of love for all time. Christ establishes His church, a means to grow in love and at the same time attain fulfillment in love. All mankind is called to be part of this holiness. We are called to be holy, to be saints.
The holiness of Christ flows through to His Church. Christ then is the Head of this Mystical Body. We, the believing Church, make up the rest of the Mystical Body. Our belief in Christ, our desire to be one with Christ, these enable us to participate in this Mystical Body. We are the eyes, mouth, hands and feet of this Body. Through us, Christ will, if we let Him use us, see the world’s needs, speak out against wrongs, help the sick, the dying, the needy, and go to where help is needed. In short, what we become, whatever good we do, whatever level of love we attain will help bring Christ to the world. We are part of the Communion of Saints.
Saints? We don’t think of ourselves, very often, in that capacity. Yes, we are tainted, we have our shortcomings. But our belief in Jesus, our cooperation with the love that Jesus offers draws us into this Mystical Body. We are His disciples, here on earth, who continue to spread His word and work.
Those who have died and rest in Christ’s peace, but not yet dwelling in Heaven, they too are in this communion of saints. Their suffering, like ours, continues until such time that all vestige of sin has been removed. They are as much a part of the Mystical Body of Christ, as we are. Our good works, our prayers, our sensitivity toward others can and does extend to these souls. And their good works flow to us, as well.
Those who are recognized on earth for living good and holy lives while they lived, these are the ones we usually think of when we refer to saints. Their holiness strengthens the church. Though in Heaven, they continually intercede for us either alive or dead. The merits of their good works on earth, they present, through Christ, for our benefit. So we, the Church on earth, are continually sanctified and strengthened.
This communion of saints is not some pretty poetry. It isn’t just some nice thoughts brought about by someone. This is, and has been, in the Divine Plan from the beginning. God’s intent for us, as gleaned from the Old Testament and New, from the writings of the Fathers, as handed down to us through Tradition, God’s intent has always been to be with us. His desire has always been that mankind should perceive, recognize, understand that His love has been and will be with us always. God will be with us always. What we see and call love is our limited view of God. To live our lives in love for others is to live in God.
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Our love touches one another
(12th in a series of a presentation on The Apostles Creed)
If we hear the question asked, “Who or what is the Catholic Church?” What will our response be? Do we think of the church as just a building? Do we get lost in all the hierarchy and feel it is a gigantic organization? Or, maybe we feel that it is just a ploy to take our hard-earned dollars? How sad. How very sad that we are so willing to leave ourselves out in the cold. We overlook the very spirit of God that is to dwell in us, and push it off like so much lint on our sleeves. How often we hear comments like, “Oh, I can pray anywhere”, “I don’t need a church to pray in”, and “the sky’s canopy is my church”. They are all true, but sorely lacking in a fundamental truth. Let’s delve into what is the church.
First, let us put to rest that the word Catholic, as contained here, does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church. This word in the Creed simply means universal, that is: She is not limited by any one kingdom, or to any one group of peoples, but embraces all mankind with her love. This Holy entity, flowing from Christ, can be nothing but holy. And, flowing from Christ, who came to save every one, must be universal.
The church, “ecclesia”, means a gathering, an assemblage, a group of people, a congregation. Over time we have gotten used to calling the building “the church”. We may say, “Look at that great set of wheels”, referring to a good looking car (synecdoche). Common usage today says “church” but thinks of the building rather than the peoples who congregate there. It has confused the building with the people who are drawn there. The church is not brick and mortar, it is people. It is you and I. We are the church. God’s love brought mankind into existence. The same love brought Christ into the world. We know He walked among us, worked among us and died for us. His love for us prompted all of this. He sends the Holy Spirit to us. Why? To ensure the flow of love to all of us will continue forever. This love bonds us, joins us, and permeates us. It draws us to come together and flows through us. This love is really our God at work in the world.
Yes, we can pray anywhere. No, we don’t need a building to pray in. The sky is indeed beautiful, impressive and inspirational. But it is not a church. A church is people, people who feel the love bonding them with their God and each other. This love is God in us. We need this church just as we need our life’s blood.
The church is how we will build up our love for God and our fellow man, AND it is also the purpose of why man was put on this earth. God, love, permeates all of creation. We were created for one purpose and one purpose only. Man was given free will so that he could/would use it to freely allow himself to be drawn back to God, to choose God. This is man’s purpose to be united again with God…here on earth, not just in Heaven. This is the church!
How is this to be done? How can this be accomplished? Again, we must look to the church, the people of God. The church, through Christ, has been entrusted with all the necessary means for salvation. The Sacraments, the Mass, the Word of God all of these are to be found within the people of God. These are all designed to uplift us, to cleanse us, to strengthen us. In short, they are there because of God’s love. Their purpose is to build up our love for God and our fellow man.
So, we can understand the words, “The Church is both the means and the goal of God’s plan”-1. We may not like certain things about the building that we go into to pray. There may also be other things that may annoy us, or make us uneasy. But we cannot say, “We don’t need the church”. For to treat it as a piece of lint and flick it away, is to flick away salvation. We are the church, we are God’s people. We are bound and surrounded by His love. We are drawn to each other by His love. We are renewed by each other’s love. In this love is our salvation. goto next segment
-1 Catechism of the Catholic Church, art. 778
Come Holy Spirit, Come
(11th in a series of a presentation on The Apostles Creed)
Six words! In today’s world, they sound like something from the movie, “Ghost Busters”, or from a séance. They don’t sound real in today’s hectic, fast moving pace. But make no mistake, they are very real. The Holy Spirit is not only present in this world but is active in it, as well. In all honesty, I feel very insecure in trying to write something about the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, I will try to write what my feelings, my beliefs are.
There is so much to try to get our arms around, when we speak of one of the three Persons in God. Our belief immediately is called into play. How do we, finite persons, think we can adequately describe or attempt to explain the inexplicable? And yet, we try. Maybe it is pride on our part. Maybe it stems from our desire to understand, to behold, and to further adore.
My belief is this, we must first try to, in some way, try to explain what the Trinity means to ourselves. For some reason, those of us who believe in God, find it easier (or at least less difficult) to associate all of Creation to God the Father. Maybe this is so, because we think of Him as being the older one of the group. But, we believe, we know there is only one God, but three Persons. We can only shake our head in wonder. But the belief that we have been given is a grace. We don’t believe because we know, because we understand, because it seems very logical to us. No, we believe, because it is God’s gift to us.
So, we associate creation to the Father Almighty. Likewise, we attach salvation and redemption to the Son. All the while, we know that the two, together with the Holy Spirit, are the Triune God. As we said earlier, this is not something that can be easily said nor comprehended. What then is the task of the Holy Spirit? Keep in mind we are talking about the One God who created us, who loves us, and want us to be joined with Him forever in Heaven. God came to us, in the person of Jesus Christ, to save us, to show us what was necessary for salvation, to show us the importance of love for God, to show us the extent of the love of God. And so, we see Jesus saying to His disciples, “But I tell you the truth: it is expedient for you that I go: for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you: but if I go, I will send him to you -3”. We begin to discern that Jesus saved us, redeemed us, and showed us how we must live. He died and rose for us. And now, when He ascends into Heaven, then and only then, will He send the Spirit. What work was left undone? What else is required?
The Holy Spirit has one task and continues to this day to have the same task. He, the Holy Spirit, will renew us with his spirit. He will remind us, daily, what our lives are all about. He will give us the strength to live and cope with the problems of the day. He will continually bolster our faith, repair our shaken faith, or freely give the seed of faith to mankind. It is the Sprit who breathes life into us. Not the life of living and dying, but the life that refreshes, renews and elevates us. We can call it grace. We can call it faith. We can call it good works. But however we look at it, it still remains the gift that our God continually bestows on us. For the Holy Spirit IS the spirit of God. He is our Paradise. In the Holy Spirit resides our Garden of Eden. Come Holy Spirit, come. Fill the hearts of your faithful. Enkindle in us the fire of your love. Renew us, again and again. Help us to understand our role, our responsibilities in this world. Surround us. Flow through us. Permeate us with your love, which we know is the Love of our God for us. goto next segment
-1 Each is distinct from the other two Persons, but of one Divine essence or substance.
-2 Catholic Encyclopedia, topic Holy Spirit: Synopsis of the Dogma
-3 John 16:7
