The question of what Catholics believe is a really big question. Luckily, we have a creed that pretty much lays out everything that we believe. But before we get into the creed itself, where did Catholicism even begin? Catholicism began as soon as Jesus left the Apostles to go into Heaven. Leaving St. Peter in charge, all of the apostles went out on their journeys to preach the Gospel. Let me also begin by saying, that Catholicism is word that just simply means “universal”. When the early Christians called themselves Catholics, they meant the universal body of Christ. It was not until hundreds of years later that Protestantism entered the picture and there was any other name by which one was called a Christ follower.
The Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
This creed was written at a council filled with Church leaders, not necessarily by the Apostles themselves. This creed was written because at the time, there were many false heresies beginning to emerge from far regions of the world. In order to combat these heresies, the universal (Catholic) Church created a creed, to profess in faith what the truth of their faith was. This is a simple statement of what every Catholic should believe. This way, everyone around the world would know the facts and any heresies could easily be fought against. At the time, there were so many going around that people were very confused about who Jesus really was and what He did.
There are tons and tons of classes that teach just about this Creed because it is so important to us and so close to the heart of our faith. Take this Creed and study it, listen to God’s voice, and contemplate this very important piece of our faith. Pay special attention to the verses that maybe you don’t understand or that make you feel upset or uncomfortable and ask, why? Take time to truly contemplate these things in your own life.
God Bless! I am praying for all of you!
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