And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord
It’s such a simple phrase with very few words and, yet the Nicene Creed does a beautiful job at expanding on the real essence of these simple words.
The name Jesus translates to “God saves.” Wow…if we pause here for just a moment…He saves…He is the Saviour…who is He saving and why is He saving? For me, here’s another reason to ask, “Is it I, Lord?” I guess I need to challenge myself to look closely at how I live my everyday life. How can I be made worthy of salvation, of being saved?
What about the title “Christ”? Faith in Jesus Christ is the very heart of the Creed. Christ means ‘the anointed one’. He had a special task to perform while on earth. We are all familiar with the life of Christ. Are we as familiar with the task that he was sent here for? At my Baptism, I too was anointed, sent forth fortified with the gifts of the Holy Spirit at my Confirmation, with a mission. Spending time in prayer and in the presence of Most Holy Sacrament allows me to open my heart to discover the mission that God is calling me to.
I love our Prayer for Vocations…
Heavenly Father bless your Church with an abundance of holy and zealous priests, deacons, brothers and sisters.
I have not been called to the religious life. I remember when I was about 10 years old maybe, I used to help out at the Convent House in Kitimat where I was raised. I remember talking to Mother Superior there, I called her ‘Mother’. We were talking about whether I was being called to the religious life. I remember laughing and responding to her – “I don’t think so. I like boys too much!” We giggled and I don’t think she ever asked me again. I did spend several years helping them and working closely with them, and my life was impacted with that relationship. It is so very important that we pray for our Priests and pray for an abundance of those who answer that mission calling.
Give those you have called to the married state the special graces that their lives require.
I have though, been called to the married state, and I have been blessed with 36 years filled with graces and a love that renews and strengthens and brightens my every day. That marriage, witnessed by the Church in the Sacrament of Matrimony has blessed us with two amazing children, now grown men, and a daily life filled with worship, laughter, joy, sometimes sadness, sometimes frustration and anger, but always tempered by love.
and those you have chosen to live as single persons in the world the special graces that their lives require.
Each of us are called to find our own way, our own intimate relationship with God and with this beautiful world. Those who have been chosen to live as single persons…what a statement…God is always calling and each of us travel our own path, but never alone.
And the main reason for all of this is so that:
In Him, with Him, and through Him, we may love you more deeply and serve you more faithfully always and everywhere.
What about the title “Only Son”? Well, we can have a very lengthy discussion and theological teaching on this one! Let’s keep it simpler. Jesus is the Son of God, there is no doubt on this statement. He is divine. The Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, always was, always will be, “before all ages”. This is where the Nicene Creed really shines. Begotten from the Father. I especially like Light from Light – where there is darkness, let there be light, no one lights a candle and then puts it under a bushel…this little light of mine…and so much more – we are meant are meant to shine. We are meant to be His light in the world.
For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven. We are back to our salvation again. The real call here is that He came down to us, to me personally. Here is my God, coming to me. Perhaps I need to find time to turn to Him every moment of every day in little ways. He sacrificed Himself for me. I find a good practice for me is to find something to sacrifice everyday in return for His great gift to me. He is my brother, my Lord, my Saviour.
“Our Lord”. One phrase I used to use a lot in my everyday conversations was “good Lord”. For example, someone would tell me about an encounter with someone they met in a grocery store. That person was less than kind to them, and after the telling of the story, my response, was “good Lord”. It took me a long time to break away from using that phrase in such a casual manner with no regard of the circumstances I was using it in. The title “Lord” belongs to God alone. When we use this title, we acknowledge our faith in the fact that in Jesus Christ, it is God himself who is present and who is at work. He is truly our good Lord. Do you believe…
In Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord