I Believe In God the Father Almighty

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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

The Basic Beliefs

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THE BASIC BELIEFS

  •  “What does life mean? For a few years, perhaps, we can put off answering it while we are distracted with educational, career, and marriage decisions. In those early decades, other people have more say in our lives than we do. But sooner or later, we will come face to face with the question.”  — attributed to Rabbi Harold Kushner, Rabbi Laureate of Temple Israel and author
  • “For us it is all but inevitable that, however momentarily, we feel ourselves to be part of a vast cosmic drama and our thoughts turn to the author, not merely of our roles, but of our existence.”  Ralph McInerny (1929-2010) philosopher, esteemed teacher, and author.
  •  “Aristotle and Aquinas both see God as the highest being and believe that the highest life is one that acts for the sake of heeding to this highest being.” Melissa Atkinson, “Aristotle and Aquinas: Intrinsic Morality versus God’s Morality”

Theologians and philosophers frequently prattle at length about a church’s dogma, attempting to dissect every word and every concept, justifying or diminishing them according to their own preconceived views. However, few people really care about the abstractions of the philosophers and theologians. (While I do not wish to demean either philosophers or theologians, as they provide value to the discussions about God, few people ever read or pay serious attention to the actual works of philosophers or theologians.) The great mass of people, struggling to live in a daily regimen of work and family life, has little time to consider detailed philosophical or theological ruminations. However, they do care very much about the meaning of life. Why do I exist? What is my role in life? Is there a God? How do I relate to God? What is Truth? Some have a set of basic beliefs that answer these questions in one fashion or another, but many others are still searching for meaningful answers to these basic issues. Still others wander in a fog of unconcern, encumbered by worldliness and self-absorption.

The Catholic Church has a set of basic beliefs that answers the questions about life’s meaning; these answers were presented to mankind by God through His prophets and, then ultimately, through His Son, Jesus Christ. These beliefs have not changed in the 2000+ years of the church, as they are the essence of Christ’s teaching and, as such, are unchangeable. Although Christ’s teachings and the Tradition of the Church are extensive and contain thousands of pages, the basic beliefs can be and are summarized in a few sentences. If one wants to know the tenets of Catholicism, all one has to do is to read and reflect on The Apostles Creed. It is as radical set of beliefs as anyone has ever presented to man for his acceptance and commitment. It is a summary of Christ’s teaching to us about God, Himself, and how humans should relate to God.

“I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”

 A man is born of a virgin, died and rose from the dead, resurrection of the body, life everlasting for humans! How could anyone believe in these ideas? They are more than radical; they appear to be outlandish and nonsensical! Yet billions of people, the learned and unlearned, rich and poor, and all races, not only accept the concepts in the Apostles Creed to be true; they recite them regularly and then try to live their lives in the belief of its promise! Through faith and reason, they have accepted the Creed as true.

God exists, loves us, and has opened the door to eternal bliss. All we must do is accept his truth and return his love.

Suggested Reading:

“Credo”, by Hans Urs Von Balthasar, published by Igantius Press,  Subtitle “Meditations on the Apostles’ Creed.