Nicene Creed
Part 1
New Version:
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
Original Latin
Credo in unum Deum,
Patrem omnipotentem,
factorem coeli et terrae,
visibilium omnium et invisibilium.
Latin vowels: a-ah e-eh i-ee o-oh u-oo
(no diphthongs)
Old version:
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is seen and unseen.
Commentary from USCCB:
This Creed was originally adopted at the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 and updated at the Council of Constantinople in A.D. 381. It is therefore also referred to as the “Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed.”
The first major change is difficult to miss: the Creed will now say “I believe” instead of “We believe.” Other language groups have been using “I believe” in the vernacular, because it is a straightforward translation of the Latin “Credo.” This offers a recurring opportunity to reaffirm one’s personal faith, just as when individuals respond, “I do,” if there is a renewal of baptismal promises during Mass.
The next change is from “seen and unseen” to “visible and invisible.” The Latin “visibilium” and “invisibilium” convey a more specific demarcation between the bodily and the spiritual realms. For instance, a child playing hide-and-seek may be unseen yet is still considered visible, whereas one’s guardian angel is indeed invisible by nature.
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Went over "under my roof" (under my roof: sub tectum meum) last week (showed Jesus of Nazareth scene (here up to 2:16) two weeks ago on this), but below was the text used (did not go over it this week, however, went over ***** "love" section ***** below this section (see below)):
From http://old.usccb.org/romanmissal/samples-people.shtml#nicene
© United States Conference of Catholic Bishops · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3060 · All rights Reserved
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Went over "under my roof" (under my roof: sub tectum meum) last week (showed Jesus of Nazareth scene (here up to 2:16) two weeks ago on this), but below was the text used (did not go over it this week, however, went over ***** "love" section ***** below this section (see below)):
From http://old.usccb.org/romanmissal/samples-people.shtml#nicene
© United States Conference of Catholic Bishops · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3060 · All rights Reserved
Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But say the word and my soul will be healed.
Domine, non sum dignus, ut intres sub tectum meum: sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea.
Then come the words we pray in response, before the distribution of Holy Communion begins: “Lord, I am not worthy…”
The replacement of our current, relatively terse “not worthy to receive you” with “I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof” is a significant change. The new line comes directly from the Gospels, particularly Matthew 8:8, in which the faith-filled centurion begs Jesus to heal his paralyzed servant: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” It is therefore a Biblical text that conveys humanity’s unworthiness on account of sin, and our need for sincere humility before receiving the Holy Eucharist. Indeed, when Jesus encounters the centurion’s humility, he says, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith” (Mt 8:10).
Nonetheless, despite these Biblical origins, speaking of “my roof” may seem strange before Holy Communion, since Christ is coming to us in the form of food – not literally entering into our houses. Certainly, the clear association with Matthew, chapter 8, has a figurative intent, but it may also be helpful to recall that Saint Paul says, “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you” (1 Cor 6:19).
We are therefore to make our bodies into fitting homes for God’s grace to dwell within our souls. The Eucharist is true food that provides spiritual nourishment, which is why we will refer more specifically to “my soul” in the last line. But this sacramental strength for our souls in turn informs both our mental and physical deeds (recall the Confiteor also incorporates both types of action – “in my thoughts and in my words”), such that the totality of our bodies, souls, and lives may become suitable instruments of the Lord.
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***** (DID go over some of the text below this week) *****
Since World Marriage Day and St. Valentine's Day was in two days, went over what love of God is. On board, had students write how they love family, friends, pets, acquaintances. How did that relate to loving God, example, to love parents, listen to what they have you do (follow commandments).
Gave out the following text from Bible and First Things (etc):
Teachings on Love
(Today is World Marriage Day)
Mark 12: 28-31 (Copyrighted Bible readings from http://www.usccb.org/bible/books-of-the-bible/ )
(Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.)
One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well he had answered them, asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.
From “The Weirdness of Commanding Love” Feb 3, 2012 First Things Howard P. Kainz http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2012/01/the-weirdness-of-commanding-love
“With all your mind.” We can, by an act of will, work to increase our knowledge of God—in the Scriptures; in creation, especially living things; and in particular by recognizing the goodness of fellow human beings, developing the ability to discern the image of God in others (maybe, in some exceptionally difficult cases, looking for redeeming qualities or insufficiently activated potentialities).
“With all your heart.” We are told, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be.” And we can control where we put our priorities, and what we “treasure.” We can make efforts to move our focus from distractions that interfere with our service of God. Even in prayer or meditation, the effort to avoid distractions and a wandering imagination is itself a loving act.
“With all your soul.” It is quite possible to carry out tasks just bodily or mechanically; or half-heartedly; or with resignation; or with commitment. We do have control over whether our “soul” is invested in what we are doing.
And “loving our neighbor as ourselves” is basically a restatement of the Golden Rule—doing unto others as we would want them to do to us. We are “hardwired” to love ourselves. So the commandment consists in extending to others the same rights and care that we would want from others—acts which may or may not be accompanied by feelings of love.
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John 14: 15-29
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, “Master, [then] what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. “I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.”
1 Corr 13: 4-8a, 13
Love [agape, see below] is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. … So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
The Bible verses above (all or most of the New Testament) were originally written in Greek. In Greek, 4 words for Love:
1. Phileo (between family/friends; Philadelphia=City of Brotherly Love)
2. Eros (romantic love)
3. Agape (Self-sacrificing love, purely for the good of the other)
4. Storge (Affection, less than Phileo as I understand)
