The Profession of Faith – Part Two, Article 1 – Paragraph 1

The Apostles Creed I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. The Nicene Creed I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church… 198 Our profession of faith begins with God, for God is the First and the Last, The beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the Father, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our Creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God’s works. Article 1 “I believe in God the father almighty, creator of heaven and earth” Paragraph 1. I BELIEVE IN GOD (199-231) Paragraph 2. THE FATHER (232-267) Paragraph 3. THE ALMIGHTY (268-278) Paragraph 4. THE CREATOR (279-324) Paragraph 5. HEAVEN AND EARTH (325-354) Paragraph 6. MAN (355-384) Paragraph 7. THE FALL (385-421) 199 “I believe in God”: this first affirmation of the Apostles’ Creed is also the most fundamental. the whole Creed speaks of God, and when it also speaks of man and of the world it does so in relation to God. the other articles of the Creed all depend on the first, just as the remaining Commandments make the first explicit. the other articles help us to know God better as he revealed himself progressively to men. I. “I BELIEVE IN ONE GOD” 201 To Israel, his chosen, God revealed himself as the only One: “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD; and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” (Dt 6:45) 202 Jesus himself affirms that God is “the one Lord” whom you must love “with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength”. (Mk 12:29-30) At the same time Jesus gives us to understand that he himself is “the Lord”. (Cf. Mk 12:35-37) To confess that Jesus is Lord is distinctive of Christian faith. II. GOD REVEALS HIS NAME 205 God calls Moses from the midst of a bush that burns without being consumed: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (Ex 3:6) 209 Out of respect for the holiness of God, the people of Israel do not pronounce his name. In the reading of Sacred Scripture, the revealed name (YHWH) is replaced by the divine title “LORD” (in Hebrew Adonai, in Greek Kyrios). It is under this title that the divinity of Jesus will be acclaimed: “Jesus is LORD.” 210 After Israel’s sin, when the people had turned away from God to worship the golden calf, God hears Moses’ prayer of intercession and agrees to walk in the midst of an unfaithful people, thus demonstrating his love. (Cf. Ex 32; 33: 12-17) III. GOD, “HE WHO IS”, IS TRUTH AND LOVE 216 God’s truth is his wisdom, which commands the whole created order and governs the world. God, who alone made heaven and earth, can alone impart true knowledge of every created thing in relation to himself. 219 God’s love for Israel is compared to a father’s love for his son. His love for his people is stronger than a mother’s for her children. God loves his people more than a bridegroom his beloved; his love will be victorious over even the worst infidelities and will extend to his most precious gift: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.” (Jn 3:16) IV. THE IMPLICATIONS OF FAITH IN ONE GOD 227 It means trusting God in every circumstance, even in adversity. A prayer of St. Teresa of Jesus wonderfully 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. USCCB, Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994, rev 2016, https://www.usccb.org/.../default/fil...