Journal
0836 L Fri 30 Nov 2001
For the feast of Saint Andrew today, the first reading at Mass is Romans 10:9-18
Paul probably wrote this in the winter of AD 57-58, according to the New Jerome Biblical Commentary. The apostles were those sent, and so the reading is about missionary activity.
The statement of belief is "Jesus is Lord". The Greek word used is Kyrios. In the Mass of the Roman Rite today there is "Kyrie, eleison" meaning "Lord, have mercy".
At the back of the Catechism of the Catholic Church there is an index of citations. This passage has quite a few references, just for the first verse of the reading, Rom 10:9, there are three:14, 186, 449.
14. "Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.[Cf. Mt 10:32 ; Rom 10:9 .] First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two). "
186. "From the beginning, the apostolic Church expressed and handed on her faith in brief formulae normative for all.[Cf. Rom 10:9 ; 1 Cor 15:3-5, etc .] But already very early on, the Church also wanted to gather the essential elements of her faith into organic and articulated summaries, intended especially for candidates for Baptism:
This synthesis of faith was not made to accord with human opinions, but rather what was of the greatest importance was gathered from all the Scriptures, to present the one teaching of the faith in its entirety. And just as the mustard seed contains a great number of branches in a tiny grain, so too this summary of faith encompassed in a few words the whole knowledge of the true religion contained in the Old and the New Testaments.[St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catech. illum. 5, 12: PG 33, 521-524.]"449. "By attributing to Jesus the divine title 'Lord', the first confessions of the Church's faith affirm from the beginning that the power, honour and glory due to God the Father are due also to Jesus, because 'he was in the form of God',[Cf. Acts 2:34 - 36 ; Rom 9:5 ; Titus 2:13 ; Rev 5:13; Phil 2:6 .] and the Father manifested the sovereignty of Jesus by raising him from the dead and exalting him into his glory.[Cf. Rom 10:9 ; 1 Cor 12:3 ; Phil 2:9-11 .]"
They highlight the importance of statements of belief and this important teaching about Jesus.
Its interesting to note that the Australia flag includes Saint Andrew's cross. Our flag has the Union Jack in the top left corner. Scotland is represented on the Union Jack with the "saltire cross (X), commonly called 'St Andrew's Cross'" (according to the Oxford Dictionary of Saints).
Copyright J.R. Lilburne, 30 November 2001.
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