YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the
Catholic Church Lesson 27
Ave Maria Series
The creeds go back to Jesus, who commanded his disciples to
baptize. In doing so, they were to
require of the people seeking Baptism the profession of a definite faith,
namely, faith in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Trinity). [188-191]
Jesus' ascension to heaven depicted
by John Singleton Copley, 1775. …..27
Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All
power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go,
therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always,
until the end of the age.” --Matthew 28:18-20
The original CHRISTIAN CREED is the SIGN OF THE CROSS from
which all later creeds grew and is the original profession of faith in Jesus the Lord and in
his missionary mandate. He told his
apostles, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew
28:19). All the creeds of the Church are
elaborations of the faith in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirt—the
Christian Sign of the Cross. Each of
them begins with a profession of faith in the Father, the Creator and preserver
of the world, then refers to the Son, through whom the world and we ourselves
have found redemption, and concludes with a profession of faith in the Holy
Spirit, who is the presence of God in the Church and in the world.
“The Church…guards this preaching and faith with care, as
dwelling in but a single house, and similarly believes as if having but one
soul and a single heart, and preaches, teaches, and hands on this faith with a
unanimous voice, as if possessing only one mouth.” St Irenaeus of Lyon (ca. 135-202, a Father of
the Church)
[188-191]
188 The Greek word symbolon meant half of a broken object, for
example, a seal presented as a token of recognition. The broken parts were
placed together to verify the bearer's identity. The symbol of faith, then, is
a sign of recognition and communion between believers. Symbolon also
means a gathering, collection or summary. A symbol of faith is a summary of the
principal truths of the faith and therefore serves as the first and fundamental
point of reference for catechesis. --CCC
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition
189 The first "profession of faith"
is made during Baptism. The symbol of faith is first and foremost the baptismal creed. Since Baptism is given
"in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19),3 the truths of faith professed during
Baptism are articulated in terms of their reference to the three persons of the
Holy Trinity. --CCC
190 And so the Creed is divided
into three parts: "the first part speaks of the first divine Person and
the wonderful work of creation; the next speaks of the second divine Person and
the mystery of his redemption of men; the final part speaks of the third divine
Person, the origin and source of our sanctification (Roman
Catechism, I, 1, 3)."4 These
are "the three chapters of our [baptismal] seal" (St.
Irenaeus, Dim. ap. 100; Sources Chrẻtiennes 62, 170).5
--CCC
191 "These three parts are distinct
although connected with one another. According to a comparison often used by
the Fathers, we call them articles. Indeed, just as in our
bodily members there are certain articulations which distinguish and separate
them, so too in this profession of faith, the name articles has justly and rightly been given to
the truths we must believe particularly and distinctly. (Roman
Catechism I, 1, 4)."6 In
accordance with an ancient tradition, already attested to by St. Ambrose, it is
also customary to reckon the articles of the Creed as twelve,
thus symbolizing the fullness of the apostolic faith by the number of the
apostles (see St. Ambrose, Expl. Symb. 8).7 --CCC
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