“For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:

that Christ died for our sins

in accordance with the Scriptures;

that he was buried;

that he was raised on the third day

in accordance with the Scriptures;

that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.

After that, Christ appeared to more

than five hundred brothers at once,

most of whom are still living,

though some have fallen asleep.

After that he appeared to James,

then to all the apostles.

Last of all, as to one born abnormally,

he appeared to me.

For I am the least of the apostles,

not fit to be called an apostle,

because I persecuted the church of God.

But by the grace of God I am what I am,

and his grace to me has not been ineffective.”

This is one of the earliest, if not the earliest by St. Paul, expressions of a creed of the Church. It is a prayer and statement of belief. Each week we profess our faith at mass with the recitation of a creed. Normally, we recite the Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed, usually just referred to as the Nicene creed. Our expression of belief in prayer becomes a symbol of our unity. We profess what we believe as disciples of Jesus Christ and we are united by our one faith, our one belief. The Church also calls it the symbol of faith. It is instrumental in the affirmation of several processes in the Church: becoming Catholic, being ordained, and receiving an ecclesiastical office in the Church. This symbol is more than just a rote recitation of doctrine, it is a prayer that expresses our trust and living faith in the Trinity, Father, only begotten Son, and Holy Spirit. 

The Council of Nicaea held in the year 325 a.d. with 318 bishops present was the first ecumenical council, although some refer to the Council of Jerusalem, mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, as the first. In the traditional ordering (which does not include the Council of Jerusalem) there have been 21 ecumenical councils with the most recent being the Second Vatican Council held from 1962 to 1965. As a worldwide gathering of bishops to address issues of faith, an ecumenical council in union with the pope speaks authoritatively on faith and morals. The Holy Spirit works through councils to guide the Church. The Council of Nicaea gave us the heart of the creed we pray every week. It was expanded by the Council of Constantinople attended by 150 bishops in 381. We celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea this year, as well as, our common prayer of faith. 

At our parish mission last week by The Doug and Dave Show entitled Mass Confusion, our presenters spoke of how fractious and divided our culture and society are and how the moment of the mass when we express our faith is a source of unity and communion. It stands against our divisions and promotes the reality of our connection and belonging to one another and to God. As such, it is more than just a statement of belief, it is an expression of our oneness and sign of hope. As I have often said, we are better together and alongside receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, we are no more united than when we, together, profess our one faith. Amen.