One in Mind, Words and Heart
“I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.”
These words we are very familiar with as we profess them each Sunday in the creed that we say at Mass. We just celebrated the 1,700th anniversary of this creed, which was formulated at the Nicene Council as an articulation of our faith. On this anniversary, our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, gave us an apostolic exhortation on this creed in celebration of the profession which has not and cannot change. As we celebrate Christmas, it is well for us to reflect upon these words, which truly are the center of our faith and remind us of who we are as members of the Church. Perhaps these words are so familiar to us that we take them for granted, especially as we recite them each week in a routine manner. We may not even pay close attention to them.
Whenever we profess our faith, it is important to realize that we are articulating truth that we believe. We do so, as formulated by the Council of Nicaea, in a formal manner. This articulation of truth is always one that corresponds to our mind as an affirmation of faith. We do so with our lips in a public manner in union with each other. But as we make this formal affirmation, what is important is what is in our hearts. It is from the heart that we live our faith, and from the heart that we encounter the very heart of God in the human heart of Jesus Christ made flesh, which we celebrate today.
We live in a world which is getting away from the heart. We also live in a world that is getting away from the affirmation of truth with our minds. We live in a world today where we also do not speak so much with our lips but with text messages, emails, instant communication and confusion of the human word. Christmas is truly a time when we need to get back, not only at this time of the year but always, to the heart. Frequently Pope Leo XVI speaks of this, as did Pope Francis, as he especially
reminds us of the dangers of artificial intelligence, which even more so can remove us from who we are as human persons made in the image and likeness of God.
Artificial intelligence cannot comprehend that God truly became one of us in our human flesh and took a human heart. He Himself was born in the poorest of conditions in Bethlehem, and ultimately was crucified, condemned as a criminal. Artificial intelligence also cannot articulate the Resurrection, in which the new life of Christ has been given to each and every one of us in this world and in the world to come as our hope.
As we celebrate Christmas, we also celebrate a human person who was given to us to be the Mother of the Incarnate Son of God, and that is the Virgin Mary. As we profess this each week, we affirm that Christ was born of Mary and took His flesh and blood from her. Our Mother, Mary, reminds us, through her heart, of the heart of God, who gives Himself completely to us. So much was her heart united to God that she gave herself completely to Him in an intimate union of love as the perfect Christian, especially at the foot of the cross.
As Pope Leo just gave us the apostolic letter on the Nicene Creed, he also recently approved a Vatican declaration on the role of Mary within our lives, entitled Mother of the Faithful. Mary is so close to Christ that she speaks to us of God and the true meaning of the Incarnation. Our hearts must have a true space for Mary. Within our hearts, just as our hearts have a true space for the mother that gave each of us life in a personal manner, we must have space for Mary. This is not sentimentality but living our humanity as God has given it to us, who took it to Himself in order that we might live it more fully. Pope Leo emphasizes that the “motherhood of Mary is in the order of grace — which flows from Christ’s Paschal Mystery — also implies that each disciple establishes with Mary ‘a unique and unrepeatable relationship.’ St. John Paul II referred to a ‘Marian dimension of a disciple of Christ expressed’ as a ‘response to a person’s love, and in particular, to the love of a mother.’ Indeed, the life of grace includes our relationship with Christ’s Mother, for a union with Christ by grace also entails union with Mary and a relationship of trust, tenderness and unbounded affection.”
As we look to the Word made flesh, we also look to Mary. The Madonna and Child, before us this Christmas, moves our minds in truth, our words in communion with each other and God, and our hearts in love. The true meaning of Christmas is one that our world needs so much today as it reminds us of who we are before God, who loves us in an infinite manner. Our world is not only getting away from God, it is getting away from being human. Let us look to our Mother, Mary, in a heartfelt manner as we celebrate her Son’s birth.
When we recite the words of the Nicene Creed at Mass on Christmas, we genuflect at the words, professing that the Son of God, “by the power of the Holy Spirit, was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man.” This Christmas may the truth we believe, the words we profess and, most importantly, our hearts, be united to deeply know the peace of Christ.
In speaking to the actors of the Living Nativity in Rome this past week, Pope Leo expressed well the depth of what we celebrate at Christmas in mind, words and heart. He said, “The Nativity scene, dear friends, is an important sign: it reminds us that we are part of a wonderful adventure of salvation in which we are never alone but, as St. Augustine said, ‘God became man, so that man might become God … so that the human inhabitants of earth might become inhabitants of heaven’ (Sermon 371, 1). Spread this message and keep this tradition alive. They are a gift of light for our world, which so badly needs to be able to continue to hope.”
Merry Christmas to all of you and your families. May our mind, words and heart be one!
Most Reverend Gerald M. Barbarito
