What do you believe?

I happened to be watching the news tonight (a rare occasion during this run up to Holy Week!) and saw an advertisement for a segment on the "Today Show" about the importance of faith in this last week before Easter.  The tag line of the ad was the question, "What do you believe?"

That question intrigued me a bit. It's a good question for all of us to ask ourselves. And I think the best response I could possibly come up with is much the same one outlined by that deep-thinking theologian Stephen Colbert (with apologies for the ad leading into the clip).

What do I believe?  Well ...

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
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.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. (Amen!)

That's what I believe. And I rejoice that this is my statement of belief, because it means that I don't have to come up with a snappy tagline all by myself. I'm able to stand with Christians for the last 1700 years and join in this most catholic ("universal") of communities, offering my whole self -- body, soul, and mind -- to the Lord who is crucified and risen.

Happy Palm Sunday! I pray that today's encounter with the deep love of the Lord in His Passion might deepen your faith, as well!