Week 4: Passages 172-231

This week’s reading cover passages 172-231 or days 22-28 on the CHN guide. Almost a month of reading under our belts!

We continue with Article 2 of Chapter Three of Section One of Part One.

III. Only One Faith
The Church has confessed only one faith through all the centuries and across a multitude of cultures. Some great quotes from Saint Irenaeus are referenced, I love the imagery presented here:

“We guard with care the faith we have received from the Church, for without
ceasing, under the action of God’s Spirit, this deposit of great price, as if in
an excellent vessel, is constantly being renewed and causes the very vessel that
contains it to be renewed.” (CCC 175)

In Brief
I usually don’t take notes on the “In Brief” section but this one contains a wonderful summary of last week’s reading on faith. “Faith” is a word I throw around all the time, but I’m not sure I really know or understand its actual meaning. It was edifying to read the official Church definition of this important concept. I loved this passage which again refers to the Church as a mother:

“’Believing’ is an ecclesial act. The Church’s faith preceeds, engenders,
supports and nourishes our faith. The Church is the mother of all
believers. ‘No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as
Mother’”. (CCC 181)

My edition of the CCC includes a handy chart which compares the Apostle’s Creed to the Nicene Creed- I am always getting those two confused!

Next we move to:
Section Two- The Profession of the Christian Faith
The Creeds
In this section of the Catechism we will be walking through the Apostles’ Creed line by line. I am really excited about this- I hope to gain a deeper appreciation and reverence for those lines I mumble in Mass! This introductory section explains what a creed is, its purpose and the difference between the two commonly used creeds (Apostle’s and Nicene).
I hadn’t before heard the Creed referred to as a “symbol of faith”. (CCC 187) I found this explanation really interesting:

“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 188)

Chapter One – I Believe in God the Father
Our profession of faith begins with God, and specifically with God the Father, the first person of the Holy Trinity.

Article 1 – I Believe in God the Father Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth
Paragraph 1. I Believe in God
I. I Believe in One God
There is one God supreme and without equal, which does not contradict the fact that this one God is made up of three divine persons.
II. God Reveals His Name
God reveled his true name to Moses in the burning bush so that we could come to know Him more intimately. In revealing his mysterious name (YHWH or “I AM WHO I AM”) God is telling us who He is. He is revealing that He is a living God, faithful, merciful and gracious.
Moses realizes his own worthlessness in the presence of God’s greatness. God forgives those who acknowledge their own sinfulness before Him. St. John says,

“We shall… reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for
God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” (CCC 208)

I found it interesting to note that out of respect for the holiness of God, the people of Israel do not say his name (YHWH). Where the title appears in Scripture they read “Lord” instead. This sheds new light on the New Testament revelation that “Jesus is Lord”.
CCC 213 gives a good summary of what we can know about God through the revelation of His name:

“The revelation of the ineffable name ‘I Am who Am’ contains then the truth that
God alone IS. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Scriptures,
and following it the Church’s Tradition, understood the divine name in this
sense: God is the fullness of Being and of every perfection, without origin and
without end. All creature receive all that they are and have from him; but
he alone is his very being, and he is of himself everything that he is.”

III. God, “He Who Is,” Is Truth and Love
Truth and Love: these two terms give us a summary of the many riches revealed in the divine name.
God is faithful and righteous in all things. We can always trust Him to keep His promises. Failure to trust God was what caused Original Sin. God’s truth is His wisdom. He created the world and everything in it, and only He can give us true knowledge of every creature and thing in relation to Himself.
God is truthful when he reveals himself, we can trust in Jesus who was sent to “bear witness to the truth.” (CCC 217)
The only reason God has to reveal himself to us and to never stop saving us is love. God loves us with a love that is everlasting and greater than any human love. In fact God’s very being is love:

“God has revealed his innermost secret: God himself is an eternal exchange of
love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that
exchange.” (CCC 221)

IV. The Implications of Faith in One God
This section lists the consequences for our belief in the One God:

• Coming to know God’s greatness and majesty and serving him


• Living in thanksgiving, since everything we have comes from Him


• Knowing the unity and true dignity of all men, who are made in the image and likeness of God


• Making good use of created things, detaching ourselves from things that do not bring us closer to God


• Trusting God in every circumstance even in adversity- a prayer of St. Teresa of Jesus expresses this trust:
  

“Let nothing trouble you
Let nothing frighten you
Everything passes
God
never changes
Patience
Obtains all
Whoever has God
Wants for
nothing
God Alone is Enough.” (CCC 227)

I think that is a wonderful prayer for mothers!

As I was reading this section about the nature of God revealed through his name I was struck with the ineffable greatness of it. I was filled with awe as I was reading, and I had trouble paraphrasing in my notes, my words just did not seem adequate to describe the majesty of God. I was driven to reflect that passing on the faith to my children is more than just teaching them catechism, although that is very important. I also hope to pass on to them a sense of wonder and reverence for God the Father Almighty who IS Truth and Love.

Here are some questions for reflection and discussion, as always feel free to comment on anything that struck you:

• How does the explanation of a creed given here (CCC 185-197) mesh with your understanding of creeds? Personally I have gone from thinking of a creed as a sort of “Cliff Notes of the Faith” to something much deeper!


• How can we as mothers, instill reverence and awe for God in our children and help them to understand what He has revealed about Himself through His divine name?


• Which of the Implications of Faith in One God (CCC 222-227) do you struggle with the most? What are some concrete ways we can pass these on to our children?