If you ask most people what the longest prayer is, prayed at
a Catholic Mass, many would respond, “the Creed.” The only problem with this answer is the
Creed isn’t really a prayer. The Creed is
a statement of beliefs: "I believe in God..., I believe in Jesus Christ..., I believe
in the Holy Spirit...". We recite the Creed together as an expression of our unity
in the faith. It certainly may be spoken
reverently, even prayerfully, but this doesn’t make it a prayer.[1]
What we believe clearly makes a difference in how we act,
what we do, and the outer expression of our inner attitude. Our understanding of God and what we
comprehend about the expressions of His heart are more than important. Right or wrong, we all tend to emulate and
follow what we believe to be true.
Annual surveys across the U.S. seek to measure where people
stand regarding faith. The results consistently report that between 80-85% of
people identify themselves as Christian, while 30-35% regularly attend
religious services. Clearly, a vast
majority of people in America believe in God and recognize Jesus Christ as
God’s illustration of the way we are to live.[2]
John 3:16 is perhaps the most well-known verse in the Bible: “God
so loved the world … that he gave his only begotten son … so that everyone who
believes in him might not perish … but might have eternal life.”
It’s been said this verse sums up the entire Bible. God sent his Son, Jesus, to save us. Perhaps
you’ve been asked by a fundamentalist Christian, “Are you saved?” Not many years ago, Catholics might respond,
“I hope so, or I’ve got a head start, or I’m baptized and Catholic.” For fundamentalists, being saved dates back
to a definitive event called the “altar call”. The day when a person publicly accepted Jesus
as their Lord and Savior. In this theology,
after that, salvation is a done deal.
Yet Jesus explains salvation requires both belief in him and
an acceptance of the “light,” a light which enables us to behave as sons and
daughters of the light, sons and daughters of God. A certain type of behavior is connected to and
expected of someone whom Jesus has come to save. Is it possible to see the light but not accept
it—in which case, one’s behavior doesn’t change? Of course.
We have examples of this in the first reading. The entrenched leaders cling tightly to their
non-acceptance of Jesus, in spite of obvious evidence that Jesus is, as
Nicodemus himself put it, “from God.”
Today, let us continue to bask in almost giddy
Easter joy and the mercy of God celebrated just three days ago on Divine Mercy
Sunday. We have been redeemed![3]
Let us not forget that believing in the risen
Lord requires expected behavior of a redeemed people as an expression of our
faith
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