The clip shows Christians in Egypt professing the Nicene Creed after their cathedral church was bombed. You may have recognized the rhythm of the Nicene Creed…”God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God.” We see in this video people loudly and proudly professing their faith as a response to those who attacked their fellow Christians. What a witness!
We have other examples of people who have lost their lives for their faith. Just think about the mass killings at Mother Emmanuel Church in Charleston in June of 2015. Hate and evil fueled the violence that occurred there. Think, too, of Fr. Jacques Hammel, the 85-year-old priest who was murdered in July while celebrating Mass in Rouen, France. The example of Blessed Oscar Romero comes to mind as well. He spoke up against poverty, social injustice, assassinations and torture in San Salvador and was martyred in 1980 for being a faithful witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
There can often be a cost to faith. When we say the words “I believe” in the Creed, we are saying that we hold certain truths and profess them to be dear. People like Archbishop Romero and Fr. Hammel lost their lives because of the witness that they gave to their faith. Because of what they believed and who they were.
How dear is your faith to you? When you profess those words at Mass on Sunday—“I believe”—do you really take time to think about what you are saying? The image of Egyptian Christians standing outside of their bombed cathedral professing their faith is a powerful one. Imagine what it meant for them to say “I believe.” They would not let those intent on attacking the Christian faith deter them from proudly professing the name of Jesus Christ.
As we embark upon this new year of grace, I invite you to think about the importance of your faith. We will have some opportunities in 2017 for you to deepen your understanding of your faith and your relationship with the Lord. These include our new “Come and See” retreat on February 17-19. See
www.stmchapelhill.org/come-and-see for more details. We will again have our Lenten Small Groups beginning in late February. You can register for a group at
www.stmchapelhill.org/lent . Our Parish Lenten Mission “Blessed, Broken, Shared” with Roy Petitfils will take place March 13-15. Roy will be speaking at the Masses on January 21-22 to give a preview of the mission. You can learn more about Roy at: http://www.roypetitfils.com/
I remember in college that one of the priests who celebrated Mass regularly on campus would introduce the Profession of Faith by saying “Christians, what do you believe?” It is a good question and one that we all have to answer in some way. Next time you say the creed at Mass, be a little more mindful of what you are saying. These are the words that the Christian Church has professed for centuries and words for which many have given their lives.