I Believe in God the Father Almighty

 She excitedly thought to herself, “He is the One.” She had known him for a little more than six months and was now certain that she could see herself with him for the remainder of her life. Together with him she could create and raise a family, face and manage family issues, and overcome the obstacles that all families experience. She possessed a deep faith in her fiancé and his commitment to her and their mutual dreams and goals. This strong faith was developed over a relatively short time of six months. She is aware that her faith will be tested during her marriage to him, yet she is convinced that she will never lose her faith in him.

“I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” The initial sentence of the Apostles’ Creed – a simple, direct act of Faith – leaves room for no ambiguity about the nature of God. It is primarily an act of faith. Oh yes, as with the woman’s faith in her fiancé, so also one’s faith in God is bolstered by a degree of intellectual knowledge of God. For some this knowledge comes only after a long period of study and reflection, for others belief in God arrives early in life as it is passed on by family or through observation of the world. Regardless of whether one comes to faith in God through extensive study and research or through access to limited and basic information, the accumulated experience and wisdom of man from numerous millennia, starting with Adam and Eve, proceeding to the great Greek minds of Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates and continuing with Augustine, Aquinas, Bellarmine, and many others, man simply knows “God exists.” Man finds the acquired knowledge and wisdom to be more than sufficient to have belief and faith in God. For most the faith in God increases as they travel through life, experiencing His presence in the world around them.

God is the Almighty; that is, without equal and without limitation. He is the creator of all things, including the human species. And He is our Father, a personal, loving, involved God. During the First Vatican Council, the fathers of the church summarized the church’s teachings about the existence of God and his nature as follows.

“The holy, Catholic, apostolic Roman Church believes and professes that there is one true and living God, the Creator and Lord of heaven and earth. He is almighty, eternal, beyond measure, incomprehensible, and infinite in intellect, will and in every perfection. Since he is one unique spiritual substance, entirely simple and unchangeable, he must be declared really and essentially distinct from the world, perfectly happy in himself and by his very nature, and inexpressibly exalted over all things that exist or can be conceived other than himself. “  Vatican 1

This declaration of belief necessarily leads the believer into searching for a greater understanding of what the Creator expects of us. The search for this expectation and its fulfillment is the essential aim of man’s existence.

With our own children we expect a certain type of behavior. As parents we created them and naturally have certain expectations of them as they grow and mature. Do we not expect that God also would have expectations of us? If He made us, why are we here? What should we be doing with our lives? It is inconceivable that God would not have a purpose for us – a plan for our lives. Otherwise why would He bother to create us?

With faith in God, the answer to this question should be abundantly clear to all. The earth is filled with knowledge of God; all man must do is open his mind and eyes to find and live it.

Suggested Reading

The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom Edited by Fr. John Hardon, published Ignatius Press. Note the chapter on Thomas Aquinas, section on The Apostles’ Creed