Moving through with and in the spirit of the Word, we arrive at what eye has not seen, what ear has not heard and what has not entered the heart of man (1Cor 2:9) by faith, so we pray the Apostles or Nicene Creed.
The Eucharistic room has got many doors, but the one huge gateway that leads to the other doors of the final phase of our journey is the Creed.
On Easter Sunday we renewed our vows, but instead of saying the Creed we recant the devil and affirm the Divine, rhythmically and rhetorically responding ‘I do’ to the questions from the Priest.
As in marriage, so also of faith: from a callous 'I do' runs the danger non-realisation of the basis upon which our entire destiny depends. How, many ‘I dos’ have suffered from a
non-realisation of the consequences of non-compliance. Faithful vows are at an all-time low in history!
The temptation surrounding the Creed comes from a recitation by rote. Without grasping the potency and protection behind a faith that is not abstract but real (Heb 11:1), the door leading into the Eucharistic channel where heaven resides may be left shut.
The Creed constitutes the profound mystery surrounding our faith. It is the summary of mercy which is the covenant of our eternal salvation, it is the pass-code which justifies and allows us access into the serene realm and destination of our journey (Rm 5:1).
Mean what you say in the Creed, and the devil gnashes and howls, but flies away in anger from you. Do not mean what you say and you become its sport and it tears you into pieces through the vicissitudes of life. Say it not at all and you are given a fake cuddle which neither gives peace but keeps you eternally fighting on the side of the big liar.
The Creed is potent and it makes us strong, it bestows on us power and grace. When we are tempted to fear, let us pray the Creed. When we feel the dreadful force of evil, let us recite the creed. The Creed protects against the evil one. Let us say it, mean it, believe it, live it and be part of this winning exodus to the Promised Land.
The Creed is a profession of a reality from timelessness, through timeliness, into the thankfulness of a merciful journey and a positive destiny. Let us recite the Creed, not callously or carelessly, but carefully and ceaselessly until we reach the fruitful abode of mercy, I do not say only in eternity, but even in time at the Eucharist!
Faith without work is dead. The Creed is eternally potent, yet very impotent without the energy of the mystery of what comes next (Jm 2: 26): The gestures of a collegial prayer and an offering made from a cheerful and free heart.
Happy Easter!
