What I Believe as a Catholic: Part Three

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J.M.J.

The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
usccb.org

I'm going to take this line by line because it's just that important.

"maker of heaven and earth"
Look around you. God made this earth that you live on. He made the Heaven that you're striving for. He's so creative! He created these things for you and I! God made heaven and earth for us. He certainly did not create them for Himself. He does not need anything. 

I can't make heavens. I can't make a world in which life can exist and thrive. 

God did make this earth as a passageway to the heaven that He also created. We are meant to fully engage in this passageway. Where are you at on your passage? What does your passage look like? I'll try to describe mine.

Right now, the part of the passageway I'm in is pretty bright. There's a lot of sunshine pouring through. There are parts in the ceiling which have been removed to let floods of light shine down. Sometimes, as I'm walking along, I encounter a pile of dirt that's covering something. I don't want to uncover it because I'm scared of what might be underneath. I'm curious, though, and I don't want whatever's under that pile of dirt to come back and find me later, so I deal with it at the time. Sometimes I discover that there was nothing under there; it was just dirt. So I clean it up and keep walking. 

God made earth and heaven. How are you living on this earth? 

I'm doing the best I can, but sometimes I choose not to do the best I can. Sometimes I slip up. Sometimes I fall. Sometimes I lay in the dirt for long amounts of time, wallowing in bitterness and anger. If you go to Mass, this is a great time to pray for healing from these ailments. 

God bless you!
Stephanie