Fr Peter Helman (1.24.22)

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, from age to age. Amen. Amen.” (Psalm 41:13)

+

Dear friends,

The verse above from the first of two psalms appointed this morning for the Daily Office reminded me of a friend who told me once (what is not so uncommon these days to hear) that he always crosses his fingers when he gets to the line in the creeds about Christ being born of the Virgin Mary his mother.

What ran through my head at the time was “How can that be the only portion of the creeds that presents you with a dilemma? Is everything else so easy to say without fingers crossed – to affirm creatio ex nihilo, the Incarnation of God, the harrowing of Hell, the resurrection of the dead, the last judgement, life everlasting?”

From the very first article of the creeds, “I believe…,” already we find ourselves far out of our depth, face to face with the mysteries of faith that both invite us into a coherent vision of the world and that in all their fullness overleap every mind’s grasp. Who among us has not felt the niggling of doubt when we affirm the mysteries of faith? Yet we arrive at the conclusion of the creeds, saying “Amen,” which is to say, “I bind myself to these mysteries in hope and faith and love. I give myself to these mysteries. May it be so. Amen.” Perhaps this moment, of personal belief, audacious as it is, is the moment to cross our fingers and hope for the best. “I believe” — these are words of faith.

Let me suggest that the creeds are first and foremost about the power and faithfulness of God to make possible what is not. When at the end of the creeds we, with fear and trembling, say “amen,” what we are doing is turning to God’s saving faithfulness rather than the strength of our will. “Amen.” We share in the gift of God’s grace that speaks within the heart,

. Who, then, is the “I” that believes the mysteries of faith? Our voices echo the voice of Christ who peers into the fullness of the mystery of God, beholds even the face of God, and shouts without a shadow of doubt, “Amen. From age to age. Amen. Amen.” Christ alone may, with confidence, utter “amen,” and since we are his friends, made children of God, we are able to join our voices to his as we pray the creeds. We speak in him, even as it is the Spirit who speak within us.

We’re in good company with the saints of God throughout the ages whose faith rests not on a full and self-consciously complete grasp of the mysteries of faith but rather the word of God’s love spoken within our hearts.

“Amen. Amen.”

Peace to you ~

Fr. Peter