We Believe

Today we handed on to the Elect a gift, a treasure of our faith: The Creed. As Father Tom said during the Rite, "the words are few, but the mysteries they contain are great."

In Latin, the first word of the Apostles Creed is "Credo"(I believe), which is itself a conjunction of two other Latin words: cor (heart) and do (I place, I put). So - it's all about commitment- what do you give your heart to, what (or better: Who) do you bet your life on? 

And to go a bit deeper... as you reflect on the gift of this creed that we have shared with you today, pray with it, reflect on what it says, let it become part of your heart. Living your faith is about being in relationship with God, who is Spirit and Love and so much more. It is one thing to be able to say in your head, "I believe that Jesus did this, and then this and that" (and a very good thing to be able to recognize it all!) ... and another level entirely of your relationship to be able to say "I believe in you, Jesus".

And in case you ever get in a Catholic Trivia contest, the answer to "What are the four marks of the Church?" is right there in Nicene creed (the version we usually pray together at Mass): One. Holy. Catholic. Apostolic.

"Marks" means distinguishing characteristics.
"Church" is the Body of Christ, the people who have been baptized into the Christian faith and share these common beliefs (of the Creed, at minimum). In this usage 'church' is not a building or even a particular hierarchy.

To say the Church is "one" is that we are blessed with a unity, based in Jesus Christ (not on any particular language, rite or spiritual trend).
The Church is "holy" in that, both in our nature as those made in "God's image and likeness" we have an inherent (though limited) holiness as humans, and by the grace of our baptism, we are incorporated into Christ's Body, made holy through his life, death and resurrection, and called to be saints, here and now.
The Church is "catholic" (small 'c'), which means 'universal'. Jesus came to break down barriers, to offer salvation to all. Thus, no boundaries of country, race, gender, or language are appropriate limits to the Christian faith.
The Church is "apostolic" both in the sense that our faith tradition is traceable back to Jesus and his earliest followers (his disciples and apostles, who built the early church), and that we are to be apostolic as followers of Jesus, too. We are called to be faithful to Jesus' loving and saving work, participating as we are able in mission and service, as we have learned about them through the Gospels and teaching of the apostles.

These four marks of the Church are gifts for the people of God to recognize in ourselves as a community of faith AND to aspire to as individuals and communities.