Creeds, Creeds, Everywhere Creeds! Part 2 of 2

In the previous post on this subject, I wrote about the Apostle's Creed, a creed that provides a basis for our Christian beliefs. In this post, I want to look at the Nicene Creed, the creed that we recite every Sunday at Mass. It is the creed that best identifies our Catholic Faith. As in the previous post, I'll examine the Creed's history and its importance.

To be correct, the name of the creed is the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed. The original version of the creed was created at the First Council of Nicaea (325), and then was revised at the First Council of Constantinople (381). As with all creeds, the Nicene Creed was a "line in the sand" with which to judge the faith of others, sorting out the heretics and heterodox from the orthodox. In the face of the Arian Heresy, the Nicene Creed formalized the Church's view of the Trinity. This version did not have the filioque (and the Son), which has become a point of controversy between the Catholic and Orthodox Church (which has already been addressed here).

This creed can properly be understood as the Trinitarian Creed. Its form can be broken into three sections.

The first speaks about the Father:

I believe in one God,

the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all things visible and invisible.

We see that there is One and only One G-d. One Person of the Trinity is the Father, and the Creed speaks of Him as Creator.

The second speaks about the Son:

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the Only Begotten Son of God,

born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;

through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation

he came down from heaven,

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,

and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,

he suffered death and was buried,

and rose again on the third day

in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory

to judge the living and the dead

and his kingdom will have no end.

The Creed speaks about the Son, and about the three most important events (I argue) in Christ's life- His birth, His death, and His resurrection. Jesus is the second Person of the Trinity.

The third speaks about the Holy Spirit:

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins

and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Holy Trinity. This section doesn't just talk about Who the Holy Spirit is, but also what the Holy Spirit does. The Holy Spirit keeps the Church "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic." The Holy Spirit comes during our "one baptism for the forgiveness of sins".

The Nicene Creed is a beautiful expression of the Trinity, about Who we worship, why we worship Him, and provides a foundation from which all Catholics can rally.