Liturgy Corner- The Dialogue of the Mass Part 4: The Creed

The Creed can feel ordinary due to the frequency with which we recite it. But for early Christians, the Creed was anything but ordinary. It was a profession of the faith for which they were willing to die — and many did.

Before any form of the Creed was used in a liturgical context, simple professions of faith were common in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles (e.g., Matthew 9:28, Acts 16:31). Eventually, Creeds were used in the Rite of Baptism. The catechumens were usually adults. The Creed served as a personal profession of faith (which is why it begins with “I” rather than “We”) and was called the “Symbol of Faith.”

The Greek word symbolon (meaning “put together”) originally referred to an object broken in two, whose parts were given to different people. When the two people met and put together their individual pieces, the perfect fit served to ensure the identity of the persons. The Creed served this function since the person to be baptized professed a faith that conformed to the faith of the Church. Thus, their identity was verified as a disciple of Jesus who embraced the fullness of faith passed on through the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Only someone who believed what the Church believed could make such a profession.

In 1014, the Creed was officially accepted by Rome as an appropriate part of the Mass. Today we continue this ancient tradition of professing the Symbol of Faith by which we personally acknowledge our communion in....

one faith, one baptism, and one Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:5).

We should also consider where the Creed is placed in the Mass. Why not begin our liturgy with the Creed to verify the communion of faith we are about to celebrate? Or profess it at the end to remind us of the faith we are to carry into the world? The Creed’s place immediately after the homily gives it particular significance.

The liturgy is a conversation between God and God’s people in which the priest serves as representative of both, and so speaks on behalf of both at different times. It is important to remember who is speaking and what is being proclaimed. In the biblical readings, God is speaking to the people. This conversation reaches a climax in the proclamation of the Gospel in which Jesus is proclaimed as the Word of God incarnate who now speaks to his body, the Church. For this reason, we stand for the Gospel and show other appropriate signs of reverence.

Following the Gospel, the priest or deacon proclaims the homily which continues the Word of God as it is applied to our daily lives, leading us more deeply into the Paschal Mystery we are called to live and the memorial of which we are about to celebrate in the Eucharist.

The Profession of Faith is our opportunity as God’s people to respond to the Lord’s self-revelation and salvation. The Word of God must be understood and accepted, lest we"be passive spectators rather than active listeners" (James 1:22).

The Creed is a summary of Scripture. It expresses our faith in God who is a Trinity of Persons that has acted in historical events and is revealed definitively in the person of Jesus. This revelation continues to mature and grow through the Holy Spirit present in the Church. We are proclaiming that we believe all this revelation, not just part of it, and that God offers it to us as an effective testament of His saving and redeeming love for us.

I often find that when I have listened to a homily that has touched me deeply (or even on occasion when I have preached a homily through which the Holy Spirit moved deeply in me), I find that I say the Creed with more conviction, with more gusto. Indeed, I feel I am responding to the Lord’s invitation to renew my faith in His sight.

The next time you profess the Creed at Mass, think about what God has just said to you in the Scriptures and in the homily. Reflect on what it means to be a member of Christ’s people accepting the fullness of what God has revealed and eager to witness Christ to the world — even when it means shedding our blood for Jesus who shed his blood for us.

(This article is adapted from one written by Bishop Daniel Mueggenborh)