Creed of the People of God

This was written by by Pope Paul VI and promulgated on June 30, 1968. It's a long creed, so it isn't much used in liturgy, but it is a beautiful creed for personal devotions. Read the introduction by Pope Paul VI below for an understanding of the social and religious forces that broiught this creed into being.

WITH THIS SOLEMN LITURGY we end the celebration of the nineteenth centenary of the martyrdom of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and thus close the Year of Faith. We dedicated it to the commemoration of the holy apostles in order that we might give witness to our steadfast will to be faithful to the deposit of the faith which they transmitted to us, and that we might strengthen our desire to live by it in the historical circumstances in which the Church finds herself in her pilgrimage in the midst of the world.

We feel it our duty to give public thanks to all who responded to our invitation by bestowing on the Year of Faith a splendid completeness through the deepening of their personal adhesion to the word of God, through the renewal in various communities of the profession of faith, and through the testimony of a Christian life. To our brothers in the episcopate especially, and to all the faithful of the holy Catholic Church, we express our appreciation and we grant our blessing.

Likewise, we deem that we must fulfill the mandate entrusted by Christ to Peter, whose successor we are, the last in merit; namely, to confirm our brothers in the faith. With the awareness, certainly, of our human weakness, yet with all the strength impressed on our spirit by such a command, we shall accordingly make a profession of faith, pronounce a creed which, without being strictly speaking a dogmatic definition, repeats in substance, with some developments called for by the spiritual condition of our time, the creed of Nicea, the creed of the immortal tradition of the holy Church of God.

In making this profession, we are aware of the disquiet which agitates certain modern quarters with regard to the faith. They do not escape the influence of a world being profoundly changed, in which so many certainties are being disputed or discussed. We see even Catholics allowing themselves to be seized by a kind of passion for change and novelty. The Church, most assuredly, has always the duty to carry on the effort to study more deeply and to present, in a manner ever better adapted to successive generations, the unfathomable mysteries of God, rich for all in fruits of salvation. But at the same time the greatest care must be taken, while fulfilling the indispensable duty of research, to do no injury to the teachings of Christian doctrine. For that would be to give rise, as is unfortunately seen in these days, to disturbance and perplexity in many faithful souls.

It is important in this respect to recall that, beyond scientifically verified phenomena, the intellect which God has given us reaches that which is, and not merely the subjective expression of the structures and development of consciousness; and, on the other hand, that the task of interpretation--of hermeneutics--is to try to understand and extricate, while respecting the word expressed, the sense conveyed by a text, and not to recreate, in some fashion, this sense in accordance with arbitrary hypotheses.

Put above all, we place our unshakable confidence in the Holy Spirit, the soul of the Church, and in theological faith upon which rests the life of the Mystical Body. We know that souls await the word of the Vicar of Christ, and we respond to that expectation with the instructions which we regularly give. But today we are given an opportunity to make a more solemn utterance.

On this day which is chosen to close the Year of Faith, on this feast of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul, we have wished to offer to the living God the homage of a profession of faith. And as once at Caesarea Philippi the apostle Peter spoke on behalf of the twelve to make a true confession, beyond human opinions, of Christ as Son of the living God, so today his humble successor, pastor of the Universal Church, raises his voice to give, on behalf of all the People of God, a firm witness to the divine Truth entrusted to the Church to be announced to all nations.

We have wished our profession of faith to be to a high degree complete and explicit, in order that it may respond in a fitting way to the need of light felt by so many faithful souls, and by all those in the world, to whatever spiritual family they belong, who are in search of the Truth.

To the glory of God most holy and of our Lord Jesus Christ, trusting in the aid of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the holy apostles Peter and Paul, for the profit and edification of the Church, in the name of all the pastors and all the faithful, we now pronounce this profession of faith, in full spiritual communion with you all, beloved brothers and sons.


THE CREDO

WE BELIEVE in one only God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, creator of things visible such as this world in which our transient life passes, of things invisible such as the pure spirits which are also called angels, and creator in each man of his spiritual and immortal soul.

We believe that this only God is absolutely one in His infinitely holy essence as also in all His perfections, in His omnipotence, His infinite knowledge, His providence, His will and His love. He is He who is, as He revealed to Moses, and He is love, as the apostle John teaches us so that these two names, being and love, express ineffably the same divine reality of Him who has wished to make Himself known to us, and who, "dwelling in light inaccessible" is in Himself above every name, above every thing and above every created intellect. God alone can give us right and full knowledge of this reality by revealing Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in whose eternal life we are by grace called to share, here below in the obscurity of faith and after death in eternal light. The mutual bonds which eternally constitute the Three Persons, who are each one and the same divine being, are the blessed inmost life of God thrice holy, infinitely beyond all that we can conceive in human measure. We give thanks, however, to the divine goodness that very many believers can testify with us before men to the unity of God, even though they know not the mystery of the most holy Trinity.

We believe then in the Father who eternally begets the Son, in the Son, the Word of God, who is eternally begotten; in the Holy Spirit, the uncreated Person who proceeds from the Father and the Son as their eternal love. Thus in the Three Divine Persons, coaeternae sibi et coaequales, the life and beatitude of God perfectly one superabound and are consummated in the supreme excellence and glory proper to uncreated being, and always "there should be venerated unity in the Trinity and Trinity in the unity.

We believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. He is the Eternal Word, born of the Father before time began, and one in substance with the Father, homoousios to Patri, and through Him all things were made. He was incarnate of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, and was made man: equal therefore to the Father according to His divinity, and inferior to the Father according to His humanity;] and Himself one, not by some impossible confusion of His natures, but by the unity of His person.

He dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. He proclaimed and established the Kingdom of God and made us know in Himself the Father. He gave us His new commandment to love one another as He loved us. He taught us the way of the beatitudes of the Gospel: poverty in spirit, meekness, suffering borne with patience, thirst after justice, mercy, purity of heart, will for peace, persecution suffered for justice sake. Under Pontius Pilate He suffered --the Lamb of God bearing on Himself the sins of the world, and He died for us on the cross, saving us by His redeeming blood. He was buried, and, of His own power, rose on the third day, raising us by His resurrection to that sharing in the divine life which is the life of grace. He ascended to heaven, and He will come again, this time in glory, to judge the living and the dead: each according to his merits--those who have responded to the love and piety of God going to eternal life, those who have refused them to the end going to the fire that is not extinguished.

And His Kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is Lord, and Giver of life, who is adored and glorified together with the Father and the Son. He spoke to us by the prophets; He was sent by Christ after His resurrection and His ascension to the Father; He illuminates, vivifies, protects and guides the Church; He purifies the Church's members if they do not shun His grace. His action, which penetrates to the inmost of the soul, enables man to respond to the call of Jesus: Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect (Mt. 5:48).

We believe that Mary is the Mother, who remained ever a Virgin, of the Incarnate Word, our God and Savior Jesus Christ,and that by reason of this singular election, she was, in consideration of the merits of her Son, redeemed in a more eminent manner, preserved from all stain of original sin and filled with the gift of grace more than all other creatures.

Joined by a close and indissoluble bond to the Mysteries of the Incarnation and Redemption,the Blessed Virgin, the Immaculate, was at the end of her earthly life raised body and soul to heavenly glory[ and likened to her risen Son in anticipation of the future lot of all the just; and we believe that the Blessed Mother of God, the New Eve, Mother of the Church, continues in heaven her maternal role with regard to Christ's members, cooperating with the birth and growth of divine life in the souls of the redeemed.

We believe that in Adam all have sinned, which means that the original offense committed by him caused human nature, common to all men, to fall to a state in which it bears the consequences of that offense, and which is not the state in which it was at first in our first parents--established as they were in holiness and justice, and in which man knew neither evil nor death. It is human nature so fallen stripped of the grace that clothed it, injured in its own natural powers and subjected to the dominion of death, that is transmitted to all men, and it is in this sense that every man is born in sin. We therefore hold, with the Council of Trent, that original sin, is transmitted with human nature, "not by imitation, but by propagation" and that it is thus "proper to everyone."

We believe that Our Lord Jesus Christ, by the sacrifice of the cross redeemed us from original sin and all the personal sins committed by each one of us, so that, in accordance with the word of the apostle, "where sin abounded grace did more abound."

We believe in one Baptism instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Baptism should be administered even to little children who have not yet been able to be guilty of any personal sin, in order that, though born deprived of supernatural grace, they may be reborn "of water and the Holy Spirit" to the divine life in Christ Jesus.

We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church built by Jesus Christ on that rock which is Peter. She is the Mystical Body of Christ; at the same time a visible society instituted with hierarchical organs, and a spiritual community; the Church on earth, the pilgrim People of God here below, and the Church filled with heavenly blessings; the germ and the first fruits of the Kingdom of God, through which the work and the sufferings of Redemption are continued throughout human history, and which looks for its perfect accomplishment beyond time in glory. In the course of time, the Lord Jesus forms His Church by means of the sacraments emanating from His plenitude. By these she makes her members participants in the Mystery of the Death and Resurrection of Christ, in the grace of the Holy Spirit who gives her life and movement. She is therefore holy, though she has sinners in her bosom, because she herself has no other life but that of grace: it is by living by her life that her members are sanctified; it is by removing themselves from her life that they fall into sins and disorders that prevent the radiation of her sanctity. This is why she suffers and does penance for these offenses, of which she has the power to heal her children through the blood of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Heiress of the divine promises and daughter of Abraham according to the Spirit, through that Israel whose scriptures she lovingly guards, and whose patriarchs and prophets she venerates; founded upon the apostles and handing on from century to century their ever-living word and their powers as pastors in the successor of Peter and the bishops in communion with him; perpetually assisted by the Holy Spirit, she has the charge of guarding, teaching, explaining and spreading the Truth which God revealed in a then veiled manner by the prophets, and fully by the Lord Jesus. We believe all that is contained in the word of God written or handed down, and that the Church proposes for belief as divinely revealed, whether by a solemn judgment or by the ordinary and universal magisterium. We believe in the infallibility enjoyed by the successor of Peter when he teaches ex cathedra as pastor and teacher of all the faithful, and which is assured also to the episcopal body when it exercises with him the supreme magisterium.

We believe that the Church founded by Jesus Christ and for which He prayed is indefectibly one in faith, worship and the bond of hierarchical communion. In the bosom of this Church, the rich variety of liturgical rites and the legitimate diversity of theological and spiritual heritages and special disciplines, far from injuring her unity, make it more manifest.

Recognizing also the existence, outside the organism of the Church of Christ of numerous elements of truth and sanctification which belong to her as her own and tend to Catholic unity, and believing in the action of the Holy Spirit who stirs up in the heart of the disciples of Christ love of this unity, we entertain the hope that the Christians who are not yet in the full communion of the one only Church will one day be reunited in one flock with one only shepherd.

We believe that the Church is necessary for salvation, because Christ, who is the sole mediator and way of salvation, renders Himself present for us in His body which is the Church But the divine design of salvation embraces all men, and those who without fault on their part do not know the Gospel of Christ and His Church, but seek God sincerely, and under the influence of grace endeavor to do His will as recognized through the promptings of their conscience, they, in a number known only to God, can obtain salvation.

We believe that the Mass, celebrated by the priest representing the person of Christ by virtue of the power received through the Sacrament of Orders, and offered by him in the name of Christ and the members of His Mystical Body, is the sacrifice of Calvary rendered sacramentally present on our altars. We believe that as the bread and wine consecrated by the Lord at the Last Supper were changed into His body and His blood which were to be offered for us on the cross, likewise the bread and wine consecrated by the priest are changed into the body and blood of Christ enthroned gloriously in heaven, and we believe that the mysterious presence of the Lord, under what continues to appear to our senses as before, is a true, real and substantial presence.

Christ cannot be thus present in this sacrament except by the change into His body of the reality itself of the bread and the change into His blood of the reality itself of the wine, leaving unchanged only the properties of the bread and wine which our senses perceive. This mysterious change is very appropriately called by the Church transubstantiation. Every theological explanation which seeks some understanding of this mystery must, in order to be in accord with Catholic faith, maintain that in the reality itself, independently of our mind, the bread and wine have ceased to exist after the Consecration, so that it is the adorable body and blood of the Lord Jesus that from then on are really before us under the sacramental species of bread and wine, as the Lord willed it, in order to give Himself to us as food and to associate us with the unity of His Mystical Body.

The unique and indivisible existence of the Lord glorious in heaven is not multiplied, but is rendered present by the sacrament in the many places on earth where Mass is celebrated. And this existence remains present, after the sacrifice, in the Blessed Sacrament which is, in the tabernacle, the living heart of each of our churches. And it is our very sweet duty to honor and adore in the blessed Host which our eyes see, the Incarnate Word whom they cannot see, and who, without leaving heaven, is made present before us.

We confess that the Kingdom of God begun here below in the Church of Christ is not of this world whose form is passing, and that its proper growth cannot be confounded with the progress of civilization, of science or of human technology, but that it consists in an ever more profound knowledge of the unfathomable riches of Christ, an ever stronger hope in eternal blessings, an ever more ardent response to the love of God, and an ever more generous bestowal of grace and holiness among men. But it is this same love which induces the Church to concern herself constantly about the true temporal welfare of men. Without ceasing to recall to her children that they have not here a lasting dwelling, she also urges them to contribute, each according to his vocation and his means, to the welfare of their earthly city, to promote justice, peace and brotherhood among men, to give their aid freely to their brothers, especially to the poorest and most unfortunate. The deep solicitude of the Church, the Spouse of Christ, for the needs of men, for their joys and hopes, their griefs and efforts, is therefore nothing other than her great desire to be present to them, in order to illuminate them with the light of Christ and to gather them all in Him, their only Savior. This solicitude can never mean that the Church conform herself to the things of this world, or that she lessen the ardor of her expectation of her Lord and of the eternal Kingdom.

We believe in the life eternal. We believe that the souls of all those who die in the grace of Christ--whether they must still be purified in purgatory, or whether from the moment they leave their bodies Jesus takes them to paradise as He did for the Good Thief--are the People of God in the eternity beyond death, which will be finally conquered on the day of the Resurrection when these souls will be reunited with their bodies.

We believe that the multitude of those gathered around Jesus and Mary in paradise forms the Church of Heaven, where in eternal beatitude they see God as He is, and where they also, in different degrees, are associated with the holy angels in the divine rule exercised by Christ in glory, interceding for us and helping our weakness by their brotherly care.

We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are attaining their purification, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion the merciful love of God and His saints is ever listening to our prayers, as Jesus told us: Ask and you will receive. Thus it is with faith and in hope that we look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

Blessed be God Thrice Holy. Amen.

The Athanasian Creed

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith. Which Faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the Catholic Faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost is all One, the Glory Equal, the Majesty Co-Eternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father Uncreate, the Son Uncreate, and the Holy Ghost Uncreate. The Father Incomprehensible, the Son Incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost Incomprehensible. The Father Eternal, the Son Eternal, and the Holy Ghost Eternal and yet they are not Three Eternals but One Eternal. As also there are not Three Uncreated, nor Three Incomprehensibles, but One Uncreated, and One Uncomprehensible. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not Three Almighties but One Almighty.

So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not Three Gods, but One God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not Three Lords but One Lord. For, like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, so are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion to say, there be Three Gods or Three Lords. The Father is made of none, neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father, and of the Son neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

So there is One Father, not Three Fathers; one Son, not Three Sons; One Holy Ghost, not Three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is afore or after Other, None is greater or less than Another, but the whole Three Persons are Co-eternal together, and Co-equal. So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, must thus think of the Trinity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting Salvation, that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess, that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man.
God, of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the substance of His mother, born into the world. Perfect God and Perfect Man, of a reasonable Soul and human Flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His Manhood. Who, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two, but One Christ. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into Flesh, but by taking of the Manhood into God. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by Unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one Man, so God and Man is one Christ. Who suffered for our salvation, descended into Hell, rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into Heaven, He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, and shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting, and they that have done evil into everlasting fire. This is the Catholic Faith, which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.

A Primer on Heresies

Creeds were formulated to restate the beliefs of the Church in response to disagreements about what the Church teaches. Heresy is the rejection of a portions of church teaching, and heresies abounded in the early church as they do today. Discussing the Catholic faith and the creeds might be a little easier if you understand some of the heresies against which the Church was fighting, and against which her creeds boldly declared the truth.

Most of these heresies are alive and well today!


Sabellianism (modalism) holds that the Heavenly Father, Resurrected Son and Holy Spirit are different modes or aspects of one God, as perceived by the believer, rather than three distinct persons in God Himself (the Trinity, which the Church professes).

Arianism is the theological teaching that god the Father and God the Son are not of one being and substance.

Eutyches taught that the human nature of Christ was infused with the Divine nature, and that Christ's human nature was not like ours, denying that Christ was fully God and fully man.

Nestorianism held that, although God and man were joined in Christ, it was a parallel union, not a true joining. Hence, they could argue that only the human nature of Christ suffered, not God Himself.

The Gnostics believed that secret, saving knowledge would be imparted to believers, and they additionally believed that the material world was essentially evil and to be shunned. As a result, they rejected the notion that God would use the material world to communicate graces, as the Catholic Church does.

Church Councils ans the Creeds that came from them were often a response to these heresies. The creeds were a way for the church to reaffirm (not create from new cloth) the essentials of the faith she had always taught.

The Apostle's Creed

The Apostle's Creed received its name at the Council of Milan, reportedly from St. Ambrose, but it is described as the creed from the Apostles. We use it most for Baptism and in devotionals such as the rosary.

1. I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
4. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
5. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again.
6. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
7. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
8. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
9. the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,
10. the forgiveness of sins,
11. the resurrection of the body,
12. and the life everlasting.
Amen.

November 1

We will start our study of the creed on November 1. I will be posting several creeds either in posts (for the shorter ones) or in links (for the longer ones). Please take a look at them before class, and stay tuned to the blogsite for more information and posts! And thanks to Randal Davidson for taking class on October 25.

Prayer After Receiving

After receiving, and before dismissal, it is good to get in the habit of thanking God for His gift of Christ in the Eucharist. These are some well known prayers to help you on your way--feel free to construct your own. But do remember to give thanks--after all, that is what Eucharist means in Greek: THANKSGIVING!

PRAYER OF ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

Lord, Father all-powerful and ever-living God, I thank you, for even though I am a sinner, your unprofitable servant, not because of my worth but in the kindness of your mercy, you have fed me with the precious body and blood of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray that this holy communion may not bring me condemnation and punishment but forgiveness and salvation. May it be a helmet of faith and a shield of good will. May it purify me from evil ways and put an end to my evil passions. May it bring me charity and patience, humility and obedience, and growth in the power to do good. May it be my strong defense against all my enemies, visible and invisible, and the perfect calming of all my evil impulses, bodily and spiritual. May it unite me more closely to you, the one true God, and lead me safely through death to everlasting happiness with you.

And I pray that you will lead me, a sinner, to the banquet where you, with your Son and Holy Spirit, are true and perfect light, total fulfillment, everlasting joy, gladness without end, and perfect happiness to your saints. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

ANIMA CHRISTI

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from Christ's side, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever
Amen

PRAYER OF ST. JOHN VIANNEY

I love You, O my God, and my only desire is to love You until the last breath of my life. I love You, O my infinitely lovable God, and I would rather die loving You, than live without loving You. I love You, Lord and the only grace I ask is to love You eternally....My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love You, I want my heart to repeat it to You as often as I draw breath.


PRAYER BEFORE THE CRUCIFIX

My good and dear Jesus, I kneel before you, asking you most earnestly to engrave upon my heart a deep and lively faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins, and a firm resolve to make amends. As I reflect upon your five wounds, and dwell upon them with deep compassion and grief, I recall, good Jesus, the words the prophet David spoke long ago concerning yourself: they have pierced my hands and my feet, they have counted all my bones!

PRAYER OF POPE CLEMENT VI

Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith.I trust in you: strengthen my trust.

I love you: let me love you more and more.I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.

I worship you as my first beginning,I long for you as my last end,

I praise you as my constant helper, and call on you as my loving protector.

Guide me by your wisdom, correct me with your justice, comfort me with your mercy, protect me with your power.

I offer you, Lord, my thoughts: to be fixed on you; my words: to have you for their theme; my actions: to reflect my love for you; my sufferings: to be endured for your greater glory. I want to do what you ask of me: in the way you ask, for as long as you ask, because you ask it.

Lord, enlighten my understanding, strengthen my will, purify my heart, and make me holy.

Help me to repent of my past sins and to resist temptation in the future. Help me to rise above my human weaknesses and to grow stronger as a Christian.

Let me love you, my Lord and my God, and see myself as I really am: a pilgrim in this world,a Christian called to respect and love all whose lives I touch, those in authority over me or those under my authority, my friends and my enemies.

Help me to conquer anger with gentleness, greed by generosity, apathy by fervor. Help me to forget myself and reach out toward others.

Make me prudent in planning, courageous in taking risks. Make me patient in suffering, unassuming in prosperity. Keep me, Lord, attentive at prayer, temperate in food and drink, diligent in my work, firm in my good intentions. Let my conscience be clear, my conduct without fault, my speech blameless, my life well-ordered.

Put me on guard against my human weaknesses. Let me cherish your love for me, keep your law, and come at last to your salvation. Teach me to realize that this world is passing, that my true future is the happiness of heaven, that life on earth is short, and the life to come eternal.

Help me to prepare for death with a proper fear of judgment, but a greater trust in your goodness. Lead me safely through death to the endless joy of heaven. Amen.

PRAYER TO THE VIRGIN MARY

Mary, holy Virgin Mother, I have received your Son, Jesus Christ. With love you became his mother, gave birth to him, nursed him, and helped him grow to manhood.

With love I return him to you, to hold once more, to love with all your heart, and to offer to the Holy Trinity as our supreme act of worship for your honor and for the good of all your pilgrim brothers and sisters.

Mother, ask God to forgive my sins and to help me serve him more faithfully. Keep me true to Christ until death, and let me come to praise him with you forever and ever. Amen.

Statement of Intention for Mass

Some people find it helpful to meditate on why they are present at Mass, and to direct their thoughts and prayers to a particular purpose. Below is a general intention; it can help focus your thoughts as Mass begins Feel free to add other intentions (prayer requests or dedications of your presence at Mass to a particular purpose).


Statement of Intention

My purpose is to celebrate Mass and to make present the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the rite of the holy Roman Church to the praise of our all-powerful God and all his assembly in the glory of heaven, for my good and the good of all his pilgrim Church on earth, and for all who have asked me to pray for them in general and in particular, and for the good of the holy Roman Church.

May the almighty and merciful Lord grant us joy and peace, amendment of life, room for true repentance, the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit, and perseverance in good works. Amen.

Prayer in Preparation for Mass

Everyone prepares for Mass in a different way. Here are a couple of prayers that you might consider using as you prepare yourself for worship at Mass:

Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas

Almighty and ever-living God, I approach the sacrament of your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I come sick to the doctor of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy, blind to the radiance of eternal light, poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth.

Lord, in your great generosity, heal my sickness, wash away my defilement, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness. May I receive the bread of angels, the King of kings and Lord of lords, with humble reverence, with the purity and faith, the repentance and love, and the determined purpose that will help to bring me to salvation. May I receive the sacrament of the Lord’s body and blood, and its reality and power.

Kind God, may I receive the body of your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, born from the womb of the Virgin Mary, and so be received into his mystical body and numbered among his members.

Loving Father, as on my earthly pilgrimage I now receive your beloved Son under the veil of a sacrament, may I one day see him face to face in glory, who lives and reigns with you forever. Amen.

Prayer to the Virgin Mary

Mother of mercy and love, blessed Virgin Mary, I am a poor and unworthy sinner, and I turn to you in confidence and love. You stood by your Son as he hung dying on the cross. Stand also by me, a poor sinner, and by all the priests who are offering Mass today here and throughout the entire Church. Help us to offer a perfect and acceptable sacrifice in the sight of the holy and undivided Trinity, our most high God. Amen.

Next Week: October 25 Mass Appeal

The Mass is the source and summit of Catholic worship. It is a form of worship that can "feel" very different from Protestant services. and is indeed very different in form.

For next week, please read the links on the Mass. While you are at it, read the link on Original Sin, too. We won't be getting to that for a while, but this is a powerful post!

As you read about the Mass, keep in mind several things:

(1) We come to Mass to worship God. He is central in the Mass; we are not. Not to put too fine a point on it: It's not about us. It's not about the music, or the preaching or the people sitting next to us. It's about worshipping God in the manner that He prescribed at the Last Supper and in the way that the Apostolic Church has worshipped from the beginning. It is about preparing ourselves to serve Him by asking for and receiving His grace.

If we keep that perspective, we receive more than we could ever imagine from the Mass. When we enter into the Mass as one long prayer and act of worship, we are fed at a banquet that surpasses or expectations and meets our every need. But perspective is important! Preparing yourself for Mass is an important part of being ready to receive what it has to offer.

(2) Worshipping at Mass is obligatory for every Catholic, every Sunday, except in cases of illness or great hardship. Remember, at Mass, we are truly present at Calvary, we truly receive Christ Himself, body and blood, soul and divinity. What more do we need, and what on earth should keep us away?

(3) In Mass, we hear God's word both in the readings and in the liturgy, but we also receive His Incarnate Word, Christ, in the Eucharist.

We receive Christ at Mass to take Him forth in the world and share Him, through our lives and ministry, with others. We receive Him so that we enter into His life, and He can enter into ours. The grace received from the Eucharist helps strengthen and confirm our faith in very real ways.

The Catholic faith is Incarnational in theology and in liturgy, and this can be a very confusing perspective for Protestants who are accustomed to seeing communion and other rites of the church as merely symbolic. The Incarnation refers to God becoming truly man, and entering into the physical world.

Just as God chose matter (a human body) to bring Himself to Earth and to bring grace to humankind in the person of Jesus, He continues to use matter, in the liturgy of the Church, to impart grace to us for our spiritual journeys. The water of Baptism confers regenerative grace by the act of Baptism. The laying on of hands in Confirmation transmits the grace of the Holy Spirit. And the Eucharist, the Precious Body and Blood of Christ, communicate grace to us to strengthen us in our faith and in our lives.

Lost in Translation

Catholics read the Bible differently from other Christians. Protestants often claim that the plain meaning of scripture is clear to the Christian who reads the Bible aided by the Holy Spirit. Catholics believe that the Bible must be read in conjunction with Sacred Tradition and the Teaching Authority of the Church (the Magesterium). The teachings of the Magesterium are contained primarily in the Catechism, which sets down the doctrines and dogmas of the Church. These doctrines and dogmas are, in effect, the Church's interpretation of Scripture set out by the Pope and Bishops. Magesterial teaching, Sacred Tradition and Scripture are part of one seamless whole: the gift of Apostolic faith inherited from the first Apostles.

It seems pretty obvious that the Bible is not clear in its meaning on its face. If it were, there would not be in excess of 30,000 Protestant denominations, all teaching something slightly different from each other and sometimes very different from Catholic teaching. It's hard to find agreement even on essentials.

Some Protestants believe that acceptance of Christ as Savior is all that is essential for salvation and that Baptism is merely a recognition of that statement of faith. Others teach that Baptism is itself regenerative, not merely symbolic. Some baptize infants, others do not. Most--but not all-- hold that the Eucharist is merely symbolic, and does not in itself convey grace to the recipient. Some--not all-- hold that salvation, once gained cannot be lost. And in the Episcopal denomination, one branch holds that the Eucharist is symbolic (a position taken by the 39 Articles of Faith) while another contends that Christ is truly present in a way that is much like the Catholic position. And they all base their positions on Scripture. It raises the question of how the Holy Spirit could lead different groups to such different--and totally incompatible--conclusions.

It is not difficult to find passages in Scripture that are susceptible to different interpretations. Consider the Last Supper, where Christ tells the Apostles "This is my body...this is my blood." Is that to be taken literally? Most Protestants say no, arguing that Christ also called Himself a door when He is a man, clearly using a metaphor. How then, does the Catholic Church come to the conclusion that Christ is truly present, body and blood, soul and divinity, in the Eucharist? More on that later--but the answer is, at least in part, Apostolic Tradition. It's clear from Church history and from reading early Church fathers that this was a belief universally accepted by the Apostles and in the early Church. For the record, two early Reformers, Luther and Zwingli, squared off on this topic--Luther believed in in the Real Presence and Zwingli did not, both men shoring up their arguments from Scripture.

Take a look at Mark 9:40,where Jesus says that whoever is not against Him is for Him. Then look at Matthew 12:30, where He states that whoever is not for Him is against Him. The two passages can be reconciled, but not on their face. An appeal to something outside Scripture is required. There are many examples of this kind of apparent contradiction, especially in verses that refer to the things necessary for salvation. To make things even more complicated on that front, depending on what verse you read, one is saved, is being saved or will be saved---raising some real issues of interpretation on the subject of what salvation itself exactly means. If this is confusing, remember that Jesus very often had to instruct His disciples in the meaning of Old Testament Scripture, with which they were very familiar, because the meaning (then and now) is not obvious.

Remember that Christians were first described as followers of The Way (Acts 22:4), and that Paul exhorts his readers to "stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us." (2Thess 2:15) Remember, too that John said that Jesus taught a great deal that was not written down--but which clearly lived in the memory of His followers. People for many, many years learned their Christian faith not from a book, but from other Christians who were reliable teachers. And the Catholic Church preserved this oral teaching in its Sacred Tradition, and continued it in the Magesterial teaching. It taught Scripture to the faithful through its extensive use in the liturgy, at a time when most people could not read and books were too expensive for any but the most extravagantly wealthy to own.

It was more than 300 years before the Church affirmed the contents of a canon of the New Testament (and this itself was a result of Sacred Tradition operating within the Teaching Authority of the Church). Christians followed the ways taught them by their bishops, who learned them from their bishops, who learned them from the Apostles. The Epistles and Gospels were written in this context--not as an exhaustive constitution and bylaws for the Church, but as a reflection of a Way that was already well established in the Church. And we still rely on this, for our priests and Bishops can trace their ordination all the way back to St. Peter (Apostolic Succession).

So--how do Catholics read the Bible? Ideally, often and thoroughly. But Catholics have the assistance of the Church in understanding what the Bible teaches about the Christian faith. Christ gave the Church the task of teaching the Faith to the faithful, and promised the Holy Spirit to guide and direct the Church as she does so. And so Catholics read the Bible in concert with what Sacred Tradition and the Magesterium teach. One cannot contradict another, but any one without the other two is incomplete. Catholics have the advantage of authoritative teaching and interpretation of Scripture to guide them even as they are free to dig deeply into the Written Word and find they ways in which it applies to their own lives.

Cathoic Trivia: More or Less

How did the Catholic Bible end up with more books than the Protestant one? The issue of what constitutes the canon, or list of books recognized as scripture, is a complex one.

The short answer is that the Reformers eliminated books that had been accepted by the faithful until the time of the Reformation. Both Catholics and Protestants accept 27 books of the New Testament (though some of the reformers, notably Luther, wanted to eliminate some of those).

The longer answer goes like this: Protestants reverted to a shorter Old Testament Canon (The Jerusalem canon, used by the Pharisees) that excluded 7 books (the deutrocanonical books, or the Apocrypha) that were used by the Jews in the Diaspora, but were not used universally by other Jewish sects. The 7 books (which were included in the Septuagent or Alexandrian canon) had been included in the Catholic canon as a result of a number of synods (regional meetings of Bishops) dating back to the 2nd Century. The Catholic faithful used the books as a result of the Sacred Tradition passed on from the Apostles, through the Bishops, to the faithful.

Modern scholars found the 7 disputed books among the fragments of the dead sea scrolls, underscoring their early use. They also now note that of 360 references to the Old Testament in the New, 300 are from the Septuagent version of scriptures, indicating that the Apostles used the Septuagent. In addition, Christ’s reference in Luke 12:31-21 of the foolish rich man parallels a story from the book of Tobit, and the mocking language of the crowds at the Crucifixion recorded in the Gospels parallels language in Wisdom. It seems clear from scholarship, as well as Sacred Tradition, that the Apostles used the Septuagent. The Catholic Church is Apostolic, and so we use the canon that the Apostles used, and have no authority to change it.

It is often claimed that Constantine forced the Canon on the Church; in fact, the canon had been well established prior to his rule. He did authorize the creating of additional copies, which were very expensive.

It is also claimed that the Catholic canon was not established until the Council of Trent. This ignores the history and pronouncements of councils and synods which had considered the issue before the Reformation as well as ignoring both the practice of the church and Sacred Tradition which had included these books from early times. The Council of Trent did consider the issue of canon, but only because the Reformers had called into question what really constituted scripture. The Council merely re-affirmed the Church’s historic position and practice to reassert it against the challenges of the Reformation.

Interestingly, the German Reformers elected to remove the 7 deuterocanonical books, but the English reformers did not. The first edition of the King James Bible contained them, and the Episcopal church still uses these books in its lectionary.

Catholic Trivia: Translations of the Bible

It's commonly said that the first translations of the Bible into the language of the laity was done either by Wycliffe (14th Century) or Tyndale (16th Century).

In fact, portions of the Bible were translated into German in the 8th Century and by the time Tyndale got around to making his famous translation, more than 198 translations into the various languages of the laity had been made under the auspices of the Catholic Church. Translation into English was not a great priority before the 16th Century in part because of the relative size of the population in England and in part because the English had less influence globally than they later would develop. Translation into English also had to wait for a stable English language to develop out of the predominant, mixed languages of the Angles, Saxons, Danes, and Normans. Until it did, literate people in those areas read Latin. St. Jerome had embarked on the first translation of the Bible into Latin in the 4th Century. His opinion of scripture? Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ.

The first Bible printed on a press was printed by a Catholic (Guttenberg) and was in Latin.

The Catholic Church protected the Bible from destruction (because monks copied and kept manuscripts) and from poor translations (by requiring that translations be authorized before they could be published). To point out just how important this is, Luther's original translation eliminated 4 books that are contained in the Protestant New Testament because he felt they were not canonical: Hebrews, Jude, James, and Revelation, which he added as an appendix. Although these books were eventually retained by Protestant denominations, seven books of the Old Testament were eventually excluded by the Reformers, with the result that Catholic Bibles have more books than Protestant ones.

Underscoring the Catholic belief in the protection of infallibility (the Pope cannot teach error) is the interesting story of Pope Sixtus V. He translated the Bible into Latin, and did a poor job of it. He had already issued the Bull (notification of his intent to publish and to make the translation binding on the faithful) on his new translation despite opposition from the Bishops who opposed it for its mistakes and omissions. Pope Sixtus V died the night before the translation was to be issued, apparently of natural causes, despite the fact that he was relatively young and in good health. The erroneous translation was not issued. St. Bellarmine corrected the translation, allowing the new translation to be issued with approval under the auspices of the next Pope.

October 18: The Church and the Bible

For this class, we will be looking at the origins of the Bible, and how the Catholic Church views scripture. Please take a look at some of the links provided on the subject.

We'll be discussing:

*Where did the Bible come from?

*Does (Did) the Church discourage Bible reading?

*What is the relationship of Scripture and Sacred Tradition?

*What is the Analogy of the Faith?

*How to Catholics view and use the Bible?

*How can I use the Bible in my own journey of faith?

Please come with questions!

October 11 Introduction to RCIA

So what is RCIA anyway? The initials stand for Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. It's a way to explore the Catholic faith. It is preparation for joining the Church on the Easter Vigil (Saturday evening before Easter Sunday), but keep in mind that not everyone who goes through RCIA decides to join the Catholic Church. Anyone interested in learning more about the Catholic faith is welcome.

This is a time to explore your own faith journey, to ask questions, to discuss. I suggest that you keep a journal to write down questions that occur to you as you read and prepare. Part of every class will be devoted to answering the questions you bring.

It's also a good idea to get in the habit of setting aside regular time for prayer and study. RCIA isn't like an academic class--there will be no "final exam"---but you will be exploring new ideas and a new approach to faith. It really does take time and effort.

The reading for class is relatively limited. You my find that you want to explore topics more deeply than we do in class. If so, let me know and I can make some recommendations for you.

There's a wealth of information on the Internet--Catholic websites and blogs that can enrich your journey. Explore them and enjoy them.

Welcome!

I hope that you are as excited as I am about making the journey together to explore the Catholic faith. I want to use this blog to keep in touch about our weekly meetings, and to explore and exchange idea through posts and comments.

First, a few details:

*We'll meet weekly at 10 a.m at St. Katherine Drexel Parish. We'll finish by 11 so that those who are interested can pray the rosary.

*Please attend mass regularly. The Mass is the source, center and summit of Catholic worship, so your faithful attendance is very, very important

*Check in on this blog to see what's going on in class as well as in the wider Catholic community. I'll post class topics as well as information and links that you will find useful in your preparations for class and studies. Feel free to post comments, especially questions. The blog can serve as another way of communicating with each other and another forum for discussion.

*Here are the October topics

October 11: Introduction to RCIA

October 18: The Bible and the Catholic Church

I will be out of town on October 24. I'll let you know what arrangements are made for that day.