The Creed Part II: Article I - God the Father and Creator of the Universe and the History of Creation

Article I

" I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth"

The Virtues

What are the Theological Virtues?

There are three Theological Virtues:

1. Faith

2. Love or Charity

3. Hope

Faith- by which we believe in the existence of God and his revelation, is the virtue that concerns the past, because we believe in what God has already revealed.

Love or Charity - by which we do good deeds for God and neighbor, is the virtue that concerns the present, because we can love only at the present moment.

Hope- by which we desire Eternal Life as the Reward for our Faith and Good Works, is the virtue that concerns the future, because only after death we can enjoy the eternal communion with God.

In Paradise, Faith shall be replaced by Vision, and Hope with Fulfillment, but Love shall remain forever; because Heaven is the eternal communion of love with God. As St. Paul wrote: "Faith, hope, and love remain; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13)

What does "sola fide, sola gratia, sola scriptura" means?

For the past five centuries Catholics and Protestants engaged on a debate on how can we be saved.  According to Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation, we can be saved by the three solas:

1. Sola Fide or In Faith alone which Martin based on St. Paul's teaching: "A person can is justified by faith apart from good works of the law" (Romans 3:28)

2. Sola Gratia or In Grace Alone

3. Sola Scriptura or In Scriptures Alone which Martin denies the validity of sacred traditions and only focuses on the Holy Scriptures. This is clearly wrong because not all the acts of Jesus was written down by the evangelists: "There are also many things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written" (John 21:25)

The Catholic Church however believes that man can be saved by:

Faith justified by Good Works

Grace proclaimed in the Sacraments

Scriptures that supports Sacred Traditions

These three are more complex than Luther's motto because the three solas only justifies what Luther sees as truth but in reality he made a lot of mistakes. He believed that man can be saved by faith alone but the apostle James wrote in his epistle (Martin Luther planned to remove the Epistle of James from the Bible because its contents contradicts his beliefs): "What good is it my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can Faith save him?...Faith of itself, if it does not have work is dead" (James 2:14, 17)

What is the Dogma of the Holy Trinity?   

This Dogma proclaims "God is One Divine Nature in Three Divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit". Although acting as One God, each Divine Person has a specific task:

God the Father is the Creator

God the Son is the Redeemer

God the Holy Spirit is the one who Sanctifies.

Is  Catholicism/Christianity a monotheistic Religion?

Yes it is. It is in accordance with the Holy Scriptures and the Laws of Logic.

The Scripture declares: "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord Alone" (Deuteronomy 6:4) "For I am God and there is no other " (Isaiah 25:22)

The Laws of Logic clarify that if there are two or more gods, none of them would be infinitcosmic explosion e or perfect: therefore, none would be a true God.

We shall focus on the Divinity of God the Father and Creator

Who created the Universe?

It is a fact for Christians that God created the universe and the cosmos. Science, however shows evidences
of the real origin of the universe and of Life. But neither of the two should be considered as null or invalid.

Are Creation and Evolution compatible? 

Thanks to my professor in World History 1, Mr. Peter Romerosa, and some advance reading on the topic, here are some theories of the origin of the life:

1. The Theory of Creation - means that the universe and all species of plants and animals were created by God directly and out of nothing.

2. The Theory of Evolution - speculates that the universe came into existence after a cosmic explosion of pre-existing matter called the Big Bang; and that biological life originated from the random combination of atoms. From this primordial being, possibly a bacterium, all species of plants and animals evolved by means of adaption and natural selection.

3. The Theory of Theistic Evolution - means that God created all beings in a manner that evolution occurs. This was initiated so that Church and Science don't conflict with each other.

What are the fallacies of the Theory of Evolution?

- If God does not exist, where did the matter from the Big Bang originate?

-Since explosions cause chaos and destruction, how could a cosmic explosion produce the order and design of the universe?

-If Man, with his intelligence and technology, cannot produce any living being, how could a random combination of atoms produce a bacterium?

-Since each species reproduce offsprings of its kind. how could a fish produce frogs, reptiles produce birds and mammals, and apes produce men?

How did God created the universe?

There are two ways that explains how God created the universe

1. The Literal Interpretation of the Six Days of Creation which states that God created the universe in Six days and rested on seventh day.

2. The Day-age Interpretation which states the a Day in the Book of Genesis corresponds to a geological age or a million years.

What are Angels and Demons?

Angels are immortal and spiritual beings that God created. Majority of them are messengers that God uses to herald among his people his revelations and promises. Other angels are warriors who defends the Mortals from the snares of Evil.

Demons are angels who thought they are greater that God and they should follow their own understanding. Lucifer is the most known and first Demon. They were cast out from the heavens and lived in Hell to torment the souls of the Condemned.

What is the Original Sin? 

The Original is the act of disobedience that our ancestor, Adam and Eve, committed. God instructed them to never eat from the tree of knowledge but they got caught in Satan's temptation. Because of this, God vanished both Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden and they were never to eat the fruit from the tree of life. But God loved Man so he promised him salvation.

So from this point, the salvation history begins...

The Creed Part I: Introductions

"I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth"

This is the first article of the "Apostle's Creed" - our declaration of beliefs and faith. We often say these words during mass as we profess our faith, but do we really know what it means? 

Here's a twelve part series on the Creed. I'll be posting these to my blog to inform my fellow Catholics about the meaning of these declarations.

Introductions

Christianity has Four Pillars: The Creed, The Sacraments, The Commandments and The Our Father.

1. The Creed represents our Faith and what we must believe as the inviolable Truth.

2. The Sacraments represents our Public Worship and the things we must do as a Community.

3. The Commandments represent our Morals and the things that a baptized Christian should do.

4. The Our Father represents Personal Prayer and how should a Christian pray.

We will be focusing on the Creed and its Twelve articles which represents our declaration of faith.

What is a Creed?

A creed is written or oral declaration of belief by certain groups of people. It's like the preamble of the Constitution which sums up the nature of its content. The word Creed comes from the Latin verb "credere", which means "to believe".

What is the Apostle's Creed?

The Apostle's Creed, which is also known as the Symbol of Faith, is the summary of the fundamental truths of Christianity. It is composed of 12 articles, corresponding to the number of the Apostles. It declares our belief in One God, in three Personas( The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit),the birth of Jesus Christ, the salvation through the death of Christ and his Second Coming as ruler of the Living and the Dead. It also declares our belief in One True and Apostolic Church, the Communion of the Saints, the Forgiveness of Sins, Resurrection of the Body and Eternal Life

Why did the Apostles compose a Creed? 

The Apostles composed the Creed for two reasons:

1.  To synthesize teachings of Jesus, which were immense, as St. John said in his Gospel: "There are also many things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written" (John 21:25)

2. To preserve  the integrity of the Gospel from danger of adding or removing any belief, in accordance with the admonition of St. John in the Book of Revelations: "I warn everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of this prophetic book, God will take away his share in the Tree of Life and in the Holy City described in this book" (Revelations 22:18-19)

In Summary:  

The Creed is one of the Four Pillars of Christianity. It declares the fundamental truth about our Faith and the Apostles created it to synthesize the Gospel and prevent the threats of Heresy. 

Sentientibus

When will I forget her face,
and that smile I used to praise?
How can I permanently erase,
the memories of our love filled days?

I may be the only one to feel,
that this love for her was real.
The moments I wish I could repeat,
now I disregard and I accept my defeat.

If God has this glorious plan,
why did He gave her to another hand?
I accepted His will and carried on,
but this heart is filled with sadness and scorn.

I may promulgate truth and charity,
but with sadness it's all for vanity.
Works and good deeds may prevail,
but my sadness and loneliness shall unveil.

When will I forget her gentle caress,
and that embraces that puts me to rest?
How can I permanently erase,
the face that made my happy days?

Oh, how I wish I could have the answers,
to you, my Lord, I ask these matters.
If only a mortal like me have the courage of angels,
I wouldn't have fallen in love and got a lot of tangles.

When will I forget her cheerful eyes,
and that love I wished will never dies?
How can I permanently erase,
the thought of her in my dying days?

College Memoirs presents: Maricar "Machar" Feria

I would like to end my year by recollecting on lingering memories of the past 3 and a half, unfinished college years I had. I would like to acknowledge the individuals that made a significant role of making these years  remarkable.

Maricar  Feria aka "Machar"

The First Encounter 

          My first  encounter with Maricar was at our school. Mark, Daryl and I were sitting at the shade near the Dean's office discussing something about a certain band when she and Ninya came to that place after their class. Her first impression to me was her curly hair which her fellow classmates tease he about. Anyway, I added her on Facebook and began chatting her, then texting and the rest was history. She is a batch older than me and it wasn't easy making friends in the higher year that times. There are a few higher years students that I consider my friend and Maricar was one of them

The Night Owl
      
      I know Maricar as one of the persons who's awake every time I open my Facebook account. There was a time that she is Online from 11:00 pm until 8:00 am in the morning. She then complains about her eye bags getting bigger and about her weight gaining. She sometimes outlast me when staying up late. But now I can seldom see her Online due to her busy schedule in Practice Teaching.

As a Student...

     Maricar is one of the top performing students in our College. Making it to the Dean's list from the past semesters. I know Maricar as a student who takes projects seriously and put a creative touch on them. Like me, she loves cramming; doing everything at the last minute but succeeds in doing it.

As a Friend...

      I've known Maricar to be gentle and sweet. She have some weird superstition and dislikes like:
1. Not drinking medicine even if she feels very bad.
2. Dislikes eating peanuts and other kinds of legumes because her teeth hurts when eating them.
3. Hates boys if they started mingling with her.
4. Well.............I would save space if didn't written it all hehehe :)

My Testimonial

      Maricar, I thank you for sharing your time with me when I was in Arellano. Remember, that if you need some assistance or whatever, just contact me and I'll see what I can do. I've heard a lot of bad things about you, yet I'll still be on your side no matter what. Sana pagka-graduate mo, di ka makalimot :) And sana mag

teacher ka muna before venturing other professions para di sayang ang pinaghirapan mo. I hope in the future kung magkita pa tayo, succesful kana. :) I congratulate you in advance and I wish you luck.

College Memoirs presents: Jennifer "Eper" Baloca

I would like to end my year by recollecting on lingering memories of the past 3 and a half, unfinished college years I had. I would like to acknowledge the individuals that made a significant role of making these years  remarkable


Jennifer Baloca aka Eper

The First Encounter 

          My first  encounter with Eper was in our Basic Math class under Dr Sony Gonzales. Due to my lack of interest in Math (and my loud conversations with Rafael Sugatan) which Ma'am Sony noticed, she decide to arrange the sitting arrangement and placed me in front of the class. In terror of Ma'am Sony's patented "Sudden but deadly Math questions" I started to mingle with the people besides me and there I met Eper who saved me in countless of Math exams, helping me to excel in the subject that hates me the most.

The Math Princess 
      
      Eper is known in our entire batch as the mathematics whiz (well since the arrival of Jimel Mariano and company) Whenever there's an issue that concerns numbers, we always seek the help of Eper. The calculator is useless once she starts writing equations on paper, on white boards and even in thin air.

As a Student...

     Eper is one of the top performing students in our class. Making it to the Dean's list from our sophomore year until this semester. I know Eper as a student who takes projects seriously and makes it in creative ways, combining substantial fact with quirky ideas

As a Student Leader...

     Eper is holding the position of Education Representative in the Student Council and is the de facto representative of the Math Majors.

As a Friend...

      I've known Eper as the jolliest girl that I ever met. She tags along on class humor but knows the essences   of one's boundary. She keeps her problems hidden from the rest of us and shows a smile rather tah breaking into tears. I admire her integrity in time of hardship.

My Testimonial

      Eper, I thank you for sharing your time with me when I was in Arellano. I apologize for the inconvenience that I've done to you and our group last semester due to my long working schedule. I hope that you succeed in your endeavors in school and in community and I hope that your jolly apperance will never fade for the years to come :) I thank you and congratulate you in advance.

College Memoirs presents: Jenny "Chai" Natanauan

I would like to end my year by recollecting on lingering memories of the past 3 and a half, unfinished college years I had. I would like to acknowledge the individuals that made a significant role of making these years  remarkable.





Jenny Natanauan aka Chai

The First Encounter 

          My first  encounter with Chai was after their Hip-hop competition. Mark Maiwat and I was at the same PH305 and she entered the room together with her fellow dancer still in costume. They were having a break after the competition which I remember they didn't won that year. She is also a Freshman student as I and we are in the same batch. Anyways, they bought some snacks (It was Marty's Crackers I think) and they offered us with it. She began taking pictures with her phone when she noticed that the background was turning yellow. Chai, together with the other dancer thought that it was the workings of ghost, began to scream and run downstairs in fear. Since then, Chai and I began to bond with each other together with our batchmates.

The Dancer
      
     Chai is known for joining dance competitions within the school. She voluntary joins these competitions to represent the organization of the School of Education. Recently, they won the Hip-Hop competition making it to 1st place, sweeping other organizations out of the dance floor with their swift and hip dance moves.

The Loyal Member  
      
     Chai gained my trust and respect during our research in Filipino 2. She together with her former boyfriend stood beside me and we endured sleepless nights just make the final draft of the research paper. At the day of presentation, she prepared well and helped me answer some of the panelist's questions. She led the surveys ans scolded some of my members for being inactive in the activity.

As a Student...
    Chai is just an average College student who never aspired to become the best. Her only priority is to pass her subjects and she never aspired for any academic recognition. She is resourceful and she can deal with any problem as soon as it arise.

As a Friend...

      I've known Chai to be the jester of the group. She is sometimes perky and she never shows a hint of worry in certain problem. I look up to her as an example of typical sister that I never had. Although she's older than me, she prefers to call me "kuya" even if it's inappropriate. Even in her jolly nature, you can still find a serious side from her. She would talk to you in private to know what you really feel on a certain issue.

My Testimonial

      Chai, I thank you for sharing your time with me when I was in Arellano. I'm sorry that I've judged you before during the issue between you and Emil. I now understand your side and I'm thankful that I met a person like you. I wish and pray that in the near future you may become a successful individual and you find the right man that will love you. Go easy on certain issues, you know that they will never make you prosper. And I hope when we meet again, nasa ibang bansa ka na at ubod na ng yaman hahaha :D I thank you and I congratulate you in advance :)

College Memoirs presents: Jacklyn Marvie "Avie" Llegado

I would like to end my year by recollecting on lingering memories of the past 3 and a half, unfinished college years I had. I would like to acknowledge the individuals that made a significant role of making these years  remarkable. And these said, let me begin with the first individual.


Jacklyn Marvie Llegado aka "Avie"

The First Encounter 
 
          My first  encounter with Avie is a month after the beginning of the school year. She and I were both Freshmen students in the School of Education, yet during the first few weeks we didn't even interacted with each other because she had a different set of  friends. As of my memory, my first conversation with her was  when she at  PH305 ,crying about a recent break-up with his boyfriend. I was not acquainted with her situation at those times because I'm not  that close to her. So, together with some of my classmates, I began to bond with Avie until as far as I can remember. We even joined the Educator's chorale group. We were the only freshmen in our batch to join the group that was consisting of higher year level students.

The Mediator 
      
      Avie is known to our entire batch as the right hand of every professor we had especially in the class of Dr. Edward Padama, our "first year-first day" professor. She is known to be close to our professor and she literally handled examination during Dr. Padama's class. She is also the mediator between conflicting members of our circle of friends. He would often remind us of the values we had as friends and we should never talk to each other's backs.

As a Student...

     Avie is one of the top performing students in our class. Making it to the Dean's list from our sophomore year until this semester. I know Avie as a student who takes projects seriously and condemns anyone who shows mediocrity in times of decision making.

As a Student Leader...

     Avie held important positions in the our college organization. She held the Secretariat post of YES and took over the Vice Presidency of the organization when Daryl Bulan was elected the President of the Student Council. As a leader, Avie made it clear to her subordinates that she means business when it comes to handling affairs within the organization. After a few months as Vice President of YES, she ran for Secretariat position in the Student Council, and she won with no opponents. She now serves as the Secretary of the Student Council.

As a Friend...

      I've known Avie to be somewhat Bipolar sometimes. As Katy Perry's song goes "She's Hot and she's cold, she's yes and the no", her behavior sometimes is unpredictable. I take precautions when discussing certain topics to her just to prevent an argument with her. But with that aside, she voluntary approaches you if she senses you feel indifferent from the others. She will talk you into your senses and gives a advice on how to handle you issues.

My Testimonial

      Avie, I thank you for sharing your time with me when I was in Arellano. I may bring contradictions to your statements which you greatly dislike, but assure you all that you have told me was beneficial and none of those was wasted in vain. I have done things that you demised so much and ask your apology on such events. You'll be the one of those person that I'll be missing after your graduation. I thank you and I congratulate you in advance :)