The Creed
The words we pray in the Mass express what we believe as Catholics. Following the Prayers of the Faithful we pray the Creed. Ordinarily at Mass we say the Nicene Creed. The new translation of the Creed for Mass includes many changes. For example, the Latin original begins with the word, “Credo” which means “I believe.” We no longer say “we believe.” While it is true that we share the same belief in God with our fellow Catholics, the new translation emphasizes our personal act of faith to indicate that while we do believe within the Body of Christ, His Church, we do so as individuals who must take ownership of our own profession of faith in Jesus Christ Our Lord who is also “My Lord and my God.”
Another noticeable change in the Creed is the phrase “Creator of heaven and earth.” We no longer say “of all that is seen and unseen.” Instead we say “of all things visible and invisible.” This part of the Creed is a reference to the existence of the natural or visible world and supernatural or invisible creation like the angels. The old translation could allow for a misunderstanding because there are many unseen things which might normally be seen, but are unseen because they have been hidden. By using the words visible and invisible we indicate our belief in those things which are in fact always invisible in nature like the angels and saints in heaven.
We also no longer say, “eternally begotten of the Father,” instead we say, “born of the Father before all ages.” There are two reasons for this change. First, in the previous line we now say, “the only Begotten Son of God,” rather than simply “the only Son of God.” And so, repeating “begotten” is unnecessary. Second, the new translation more accurately describes the reality of the eternal Son who dwelled with the Father before the world (or for that matter time) was created and calls to mind the beginning of the Gospel of John “He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:2-4)
Another change in the new translation of the Nicene Creed for Mass is the word consubstantial. We now use very accurate language to speak about the full divinity of the Father and the Son. The old translation used the phrase “one in being.” While true, this phrase was a translation of the Latin term “consubstantialis” now “consubstantial” in the new English text which simply means having the same substance. The Church also uses this method of translation for other technical terms like baptism. We don’t translate the word baptism in our bibles or liturgical texts as “immerse in water” or “dunking” even though this is what it means. In using consubstantial do the same and pray: “begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.”
Lastly, we no longer say the words born, fulfillment, worshipped, or acknowledge when we pray the Mass using the new English translation. The new words and phrases that replace them carry deeper meaning as expressions of faith. Let’s look at a few. Rather than simply “born of the Virgin Mary” we will declare the Son who “was incarnate of the Virgin Mary.” This is a direct statement describing the Incarnation: the event in which the Son took on flesh or became incarnate. “In accordance with the Scriptures” replaces “in fulfillment” to indicate that the entirety of the Bible, not just the Old Testament speaks about the Incarnation. We will also now use the word Adored to describe this particular kind of worship and “I confess” to express our conviction and belief in the saving power of baptism.
Dino Durando, BHI Instructor
