Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.
The Catholic Church has a new leader – Pope Leo XIV.
I must say he has been very impressive so far. I have really enjoyed the first things he has done. Here are a few I have enjoyed.
1. First Sermon – I loved his first words as Pope, they were about peace, blessing and our hope in Jesus Christ the one true Saviour. Reading a translation in English touch my heart.
2. Clothing – I really loved his wearing of the traditional outfit. It showed he is attached to tradition and values it highly.
3. Augustinian – Leo is from the Augustinian order. They are deeply religious, contemplative, servant-hearted and relational. This gives me hope.
4. No War – In his first chance to speak as Pope he called for an end to the wars going on in the world. He reminded us that we are all in this together and must look after each other.
5. World Attention – I really love the whole world stops to look for smoke from a chimney. Not all Christians are Catholic, but the election of the Pope is something very special to us all.
6. Young Age – At only 69 Pope Leo could be in the role for a long time. It is good to see a spritely Pope moving around by himself. I heard he still plays weekly tennis!
7. Languages – I really like he can speak in multiple languages. I understand he is fluent in Italian, Spanish, Latin, English and can read German. This is great for the worldwide church.
These are just some of the things I have liked and enjoyed so far. I am hopeful he will be a great leader for the church. I am hoping he is for a time such as this.
I have to admit I did not pay too much attention to the Saints for most of my walk. More recently I have been reading about some of the more famous ones.
Recently I have been looking at St Benedict…
St. Benedict was a 6th-century monk who profoundly shaped Western monasticism and civilization through his Rule, which balanced prayer, work, and community life. Born to a noble Roman family around 480, he abandoned his studies in Rome, disgusted by the city’s corruption, to live as a hermit in Subiaco. His holiness attracted followers, leading him to establish twelve monasteries before founding the great abbey of Monte Cassino, where he wrote his famous Rule. The Rule of St. Benedict, marked by its wisdom, moderation, and flexibility, provided a practical guide for monastic life that spread throughout Europe and remains influential today.
There are quite a few things I find interesting about Benedict.
1. One is that he was born to a family who was well off and he gave it up to follow God.
2. I also admire the way he lived his life drew people to follow him as he followed Jesus.
3. Lastly, he became a hermit in Subiaco. As someone who is introverted being a hermit is quite appealing to me.
Reading about the Saints has been a real blessing to me. They are much like the heroes of faith the Bible mentions in Hebrews 11. Their lives can encourage and inspire us now.
One of the things it is easy to do as a Christian is to complicate our faith and our practices. By this I mean I must believe all this list of things and do all of these practices religiously to be okay.
I know this because I can fall in to this trap at times. I can have a list of things I “must” do and a lot of boxes I “must” tick off, to be a good Christian. It can be tiring.
When I am in my best place, I have a simplified faith that has been passed down to me from the Apostles. In simple terms I need to hold fast to the Apostles Creed as my true north or compass.
The Apostles Creed in its earliest version, the Old Roman Creed, has been around since the second century AD. It is very similar to the later version…
The Old Roman Creed
I believe in God the Father almighty;
and in Christ Jesus His only Son, our Lord,
Who was born from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
Who under Pontius Pilate was crucified and buried,
on the third day rose again from the dead,
ascended into heaven,
sits at the right hand of the Father,
whence he will come to judge the living and the dead;
and in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Church,
the remission of sins,
the resurrection of the flesh,
[life everlasting].
As you can see it has nearly all the wording of the later version from the fifth century AD. The latter Apostles Creed is a bit more fleshed out and has been accepted by all major Christian traditions as a rule of faith.
The Apostles Creed
I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born from the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried, descended into hell, (or to the dead)
on the third day rose again from the dead,
ascended to heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty,
thence He will come to judge the living and the dead;
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Catholic Church, (or holy Christian church)
the communion of saints,
the remission of sins,
the resurrection of the flesh,
and eternal life.
Amen.
While there is some disputed phrases (see brackets above) depending on which branch of christianity you belong to, the vast majority is accepted worldwide today and has been accepted down through the ages.
The Apostles’ Creed, like all creeds, functions like a filter for an orthodox faith and belief. It indicates what is and what is not “Christian.” It is a public profession of belief in historic Christianity.
As I type I am reminded of a statement by the famous theologian Karl Bath. At a Q&A session he was asked by a student if he could summarise his theology in one sentence. He replied, “Yes, I can. In the words of a song I learned at my mother’s knee: ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”
For me this is enough to say I need to stick to a simple definition of my faith. I need a simplified statement to hang on to. Thankfully Christians down through the ages have prepared one for me in the Apostles Creed.
Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?
Galatians 2:20 NLT – My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 would be the main quote I try to remember and live by each day. It reminds me of three things.
1. It reminds me that my old self is gone, my new life in Christ is here, and that I need to allow Christ to live and love through me.
2. It reminds me of the hope I have in Christ. He is going to prepare a place for me and He is coming back.
3. It reminds me that Jesus did not hold anything back to save me. He gave His life for me. That is how much He loved me.
The same goes for you too. If you are trusting Jesus for your salvation, then your old life is gone and your new life is here. He can live and love others through you.
If you have not trusted Jesus for your salvation, please visit my finding salvation page here.
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