Ponderings with Fr. Mike

In his book, “What Christian’s Believe: Understanding the Nicene Creed,” Bishop Barron states that “creedal

formulas are guides, guardrails, indicators on the side of the road that are leading us into God.”

The first of the four articles of the Nicene Creed begins with our belief in “One God” who is “the Father almighty.” Now for some the image of Father may be a hindrance due to a hurtful human relationship. Those feelings and experiences should not be dismissed, rather we pray so that we can grow from hurt to healing. That said, I would like to highlight the underlying meaning for using the term, Father. First, it must be stated that our human experiences and language are limited and trying to express the grandeur of God within our human limits (experience and language) poses a problem. Using the term Father, the Council was attempting to support the understanding of the relationship found within the Trinity. Our God is the embodiment of relationship, and as the Nicene Creed develops, we will see how this relationship unfolds. When we ponder the elements of the second article of the Creed – the Son, Jesus Christ -- the love of the Trinitarian relationship will become better visible.

With what has been written thus far, take a moment to ponder your own relationship with God, Father-Son-Holy Spirit. How do you experience God in your own life?

Next week we will continue to ponder the element of the first article of the creed, specifically God the Father who creates and exists in the visible and invisible elements of life.