the creed: 32nd week tuesday 2012 II

Last week we reflected on two things in the mass.  First, the collect and we said that these are opening prayer which are general in characteristic because it gathers all our prayers and intentions into on.  Through the collect we become one community, we become the ekklesia, a sambayanan, a people gathered to offer worship and prayers to God.  In the mass we do not pray alone - we pray as one community.  In the mass we become more clearly the church. 

Second, we reflected on the importance of the word in our lives - that though these were written thousands of years ago it is ever new, it is ever relevant, it continues to nourish us. To uplift us, to console us and it continues even to pass judgement on our actions.  Jesus is present to us in his word.

Today we reflect on the creed. the recitation of the creed.  In the old translation we used to say, we believe in one God.  Now our lex orandi tells us to say “I believe in one God.” We change the we into the personal pronoun singular I.  It is a very simple change - but it is a change worth taking note.  In the original Greek, we used the pronoun we.  And this is used especially when the bishops gather for a synod, for a very important meeting in the church.  So by using the we in the Greek original of the creed, the bishops are reminded of what they are standing for, what they have pledged to uphold not just individually but as a body.  They are reminded of their common belief, the common creed, the common faith of the church which as bishops they must defend.

But in the mass we use the Latin, and Latin uses the personal pronoun singular I or ako.  The church again uses the personal pronoun I or ako during baptism or during the renewal of that baptism. This is ako or I because baptism and renewing your baptism is something personal, it is something that you make, something that you decide on.  In the mass every Sunday we renew our baptism, we renew our faith and that is the reason why it is personal singular pronoun I, nagatuo ako.  Indi ka makapanago sa “kami”, as in “kami to”, “kami ni”, “kami na ang nagbuhat”.  No - ako gid, akon ini, tindugan ko ni kay akon ini.  Faith in God may have communal consequences but it always starts as a personal decision.

It might be good to be reminded that every Sunday we are making a personal decision to uphold the catholic faith.  Basi bala nga pamangkotan ka - ngaa katoliko ka, why are you catholic?  Basi ang sabat mo - well all of us are catholics, my ancestors before me were catholics, my mother and father are catholics, so I am a catholic.  So nagkatoliko kita kay halin sang una amo na ina?  Ukon makasiling gid man bala ikaw, katoliko ako kay nagatuo ako sa pagtulun-an nga katoliko, I am convinced, I believe, I have made a personal decision to uphold and live the catholic faith.  It is a personal decision kag indi lang kay amo na ini ang akon namat-an.  I believe in God.  I am not hiding in the we, I say I believe in God I, I, I.

Many catholics transferred to other religions because for so long there was actually no decision made - it was just paanod-anod, it was just palutaw-lutaw.  There was never really a decision to embrace the catholic faith because of conviction.

Is your being a catholic a personal decision? All of us are given that chance every Sunday - to say it, to admit it, to profess it.  This is my faith.

In this year of faith this singular personal pronoun is important.  The I in the I believe is an important affirmation which we must say and do with conviction.

This is an important act otherwise you can never understand our gospel today.  Kon ang imo conviction as catholic nasandig sa mga pag-amuma sa imo, kon ang imo conviction as catholic nasandig sa attention nga ginahatag sa imo sang pari, ano ayhan ang matabo kon wala na ang amuma kag kon wala na ang attention.  Faith has to become conviction, personal conviction.  That is our lex vivendi.