I Believe

When we are open to the Word of God, our Lord takes hold within us and transforms our lives by way of the Holy Spirit. The Liturgy of the Word in the Mass celebration helps us to come together with our Lord. Do we believe?

As part of the Liturgy, we affirm our beliefs. We recite the Nicene Creed. The word “creed” is derived from the Latin credo which means “I believe.” The Creed reminds us that the readings we have heard invite a response. That response is faith.

Our faith is what we believe and share as Catholics. For this Profession of Faith, we stand together. We pledge ourselves to what we believe.

Unity with the Holy Trinity

We believe that we are God’s creation, made in God’s likeness. Our lives begin with God. Our love begins with God. As we bow our heads in humility, we acknowledge that our Lord came down from heaven. By the Holy Spirit he was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man. Our Lord became one with us for our salvation.

We raise our heads in hope, believing that Christ sacrificed himself and rose from the dead after his crucifixion. Blazing the way for us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, our Lord will come again in glory. He will judge the living and the dead, and his Kingdom will have no end.

What’s more, we refer to the Holy Spirit as the Lord, giver of life. The Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.” Do we believe in the Holy Spirit? We say we do in the Creed.

Therefore, in our pledge, we commit ourselves to the Holy Trinity. We promise to abide by the Catholic Church. In our Profession of Faith, we accept in words what we accept into our entire beings in Holy Communion.

Our Intentions

After our Profession of Faith, we present our needs to the Lord. Our intentions include the needs of the Church, for public authorities and the salvation of the world, for those burdened by any kind of difficulty, and for the local community. We ask our Lord to hear our prayers.

Take comfort. When we pray at Mass, Christ unites his prayers with ours and offers them to God. Remember, our salvation is our Lord’s concern. Our Lord gives us his grace so that we do not lose our faith, our hope, or our love especially in times of suffering.

Therefore, let us ask ourselves how do our Profession of Faith and Prayer of the Faithful help in the healing of our body, mind, heart, and soul? In addition, our profession and our prayers serve as a bridge between the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In these moments before the Liturgy of the Eucharist, our Lord strengthens us as we prepare to receive Holy Communion.

Next time, we will examine the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Present under the forms of bread and wine, Christ gives himself as spiritual food to the faithful. Filled with God’s grace, a pledge of future glory is given to us. Amen!