By Annie-Rose Keith
Connecting Creed and Life
Editor’s note: For 2025, the weekly Connecting Faith and Life column will be renamed Connecting Creed and Life. To celebrate the 2025 Jubilee Year and the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the columns will consist of reflections on the Nicene Creed, corresponding with related paragraphs in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC).
“I believe in One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church” (CCC: 811-816; 817-822).
At her core, in her dogma, and her doctrine, the church is one. It might not seem like it at times, but the Catholic Church on earth (meaning Catholic is in the formal title of the church) is after one goal: salvation for all.
When we say the Creed during Mass, we proclaim that we believe in the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church” (CCC 811). How often do we really think about those words? Meaning falls victim to rote memorization in prayers, certainly, but there’s no better time to really chew on these four characteristics of our church than at your next weekend liturgy. These words are separate in and of themselves, yet summarize the oneness of our beautiful, messy church. The tricky bit (for some) is that we have to take these properties of our church on faith, which is not the easiest way to convince a skeptic. But friends, our church is one because of her source, because of her founder, Jesus Christ, and because of her soul (CCC 813). The Church is one, living, breathing organism because its source is life itself. Jesus, the Word made flesh, the prince of peace, bringing all men to God by the cross … restoring all unity of all in one people and one body (CCC 813). This seems very obvious and in a very clear direction. We are one because we are made in Christ. Yet why are many Catholics disengaging themselves with this ideal, “moving on” to more “entertaining” churches, or even leaving organized religion altogether?
This is just the nature of our times because sin and the “burden of its consequences constantly threaten the gift of unity,” but the mission of the Church is no less important (CCC 814). In fact, I would argue that the church is being called by the Holy Spirit to lean more into these bonds of unity, which is mainly charity. To reach out to those who are on the margins, those who have left the faith and those we are called to help, which would strengthen these bonds that not only hold us together with our neighbors, but also strengthen the Church herself. Charity binds everything together in perfect harmony, yet it has to be backed up with visible signs that signify to those who are no longer practicing or do not know the faith that we are, in fact, a unified force. These signs are the profession of one faith sent through the Apostles, common celebration of worship and the sacraments, apostolic succession through Holy Orders (CCC 816). We know the church is unified because we see it, and others will see it, too … if we give ourselves time to see it.
By disengaging with the elements of the church seen in the world, humanity is leaving itself open to more disillusionment from the caricaturized version of the total enlightenment or freedom that is thought to be more available outside of the Catholic Church. Going after “enlightenment” or “freedom” away from the perceived injustices, misunderstandings and pressures of doctrine, dogma and hierarchy to have a “personal relationship with Jesus” does the opposite. The visible elements of the church, such as those just listed, are there not to enslave us, but to protect us from being led and formed by no other personality than Christ. Our faith, our moral formation and hope in salvation are stagnant, if not dying, if we deny the visible realities of the Catholic Church. This is especially seen through the sacraments and thus the liturgy. To deny oneself the order that doctrine provides divides the unity (both inward and outward) that many who leave the church think they will “find,” because God is the only source of true happiness.
Annie-Rose Keith is the Director of Faith Formation for Resurrection Parish in Evansville. A native of Southern Illinois, Annie-Rose enjoys dabbling in various creative outlets like painting, music, crochet and graphic design, and spending time with her husband Joe and children, Juliana and Theo.