The Catechism on Faith
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Simplified
Receiving Faith from Others (166-167)
Although faith is a personal act, the believer does not act in isolation. Having received human life from others, the believer also receives faith from others, and passes it on to others.
The Apostles Creed begins with "I believe" ( the act of the individual believer). The Nicene Creed begins with "We believe," the faith of the Church expressed by all at Mass.
The Church's Faith (168-169)
First, the Church believes and professes the Lord. Later, the person (won over by the Church) can say, "I believe." "What do you ask of God's Church?" asks the baptismal liturgy. The answer is "faith" which offers "eternal life."
The Church is not the author of salvation. This comes from God alone. We do not believe in the Church as if she is the author of our salvation. We believe that through the Church we receive our salvation.
The Need for Formulas (170-171)
Also, we do not believe in the formulas of the Creeds but in the realities expressed by these formulas. However, the formulations help us to approach these realities, to live the faith.
The Church guards Christ's own words, hands on the apostolic confessions of faith, and teaches her children the "language of faith."
Transmitting the One Faith (172-175)
Through all these centuries and cultures, the Church has transmitted one faith, believing that all people have "one Lord, one faith, one Baptism" (Eph 4:4).
Having received faith from the apostles, the Church hands on this faith with a unanimous voice.
Though languages differ throughout the world, the content of the Tradition is one and the same. One and the same way of salvation appears throughout the whole world (St. Irenaeus).
"We guard with care this faith because this deposit of a great price causes the very vessel that contains it to be renewed" (St. Irenaeus).
posted by Russ Rentler, M.D. | 8:01 PM
3 Comments:
TJ, you make a really great point, a very nice post.
Just to give a secular example of how true it is that faith is transmitted and aided by others, when I worked providing individual therapy in psych outpatient, sometimes I would express that I believed in the person. I would then hear that often I was the first person to ever say that to them. Often that would be enough for wonderful therapeutic breakthroughs, because the patients knew that I meant it, and so could believe in themselves. Likewise, in faith, people gain strength in themselves and their faith from others, and the Church body as a whole.
"Likewise, in faith, people gain strength in themselves and their faith from others, and the Church body as a whole."
Yes, it goes back to the communion of saints really. we are not isolated in our walk and need the Church to bring us along and to help bring others along as well. No lone rangerism here, except of course for those hermetic monks, that we are in spiritual communion with ! :)
RYC:
I did read some apologetics, but i read the church fathers without reading any commentarys or anything. i saw that the church fathers believed things, and then decided i should start reading catholic apologetics.
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