Understanding the creed, the foundation of the Christian faith

1. Find the words

If the councils, through successive proclamations of faith, refined words to say faith, it is first of all so that Christian communities are not lost in endless discussions or sterile ideologies.

2. Heart membership

We understand better why these texts also affirm the faith “in the Church”. A faith which is of a different order than that in the Trinitarian God, but which evokes the adhesion of the believer to the Christian community which carries this faith as good news.

3. The requirement of unity

A church called to unity, according to the very will of Christ: “May all be one” (Jn 17, 21), he implores while making the link with his personal identity.

“Like you, father, you are in me, and me in you. Let them be one in us too, so that the world believes that you sent me. The unity of the Church is then a sign of the uniqueness of God.

4. A church open to all

The “Catholic” expression also appears in the text. This Greek word expresses the “universal” dimension of the Church, which is addressed to everyone. Christ himself invites us: “Come on! Of all the nations made disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit ”(Mt 28, 19). Diversity is another sign of Christian faith.

5. In the footsteps of the apostles

Apostolic? This adjective emphasizes that Christians take their steps in those of the apostles. The bishop of Rome, a successor of Pierre, is the guarantor of unity. And each bishop, as a successor to the apostles, does the same on his territory. “Apostolic filiation” asserts itself as a strong marker of the Christian faith.

6. The Crechumen Credo

Publicly proclaiming the text of the creed: this is how each catechumen, after having been baptized, formalizes its entry into the Christian community.

A text which is therefore a pride and a guide to feed its personal commitment. So that in turn, the new baptized can bear his testimony to the world.