There is, of course, much more that can be said about the Creed. Even as it points to the mystery of God, so too it speaks about the Church. The Creed proclaims that the Church is “catholic.” That is, the Church is for all people. The Church itself is the symbol of what is going on in the creation as a whole. Both the Church and the whole of creation are directed to their fulfilment in the Kingdom of God. What we try to live in the Church is a sign of the destiny of the whole creation. Far from reducing everything and everyone to a bland, grey sameness, such wholeness affirms the genuine gifts and features of humanity. St. Paul proclaims that “in Christ” there is “neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female” (Gal. 3:28. He also tells us that “there are varieties of gifts…varieties of service…varieties of working” (1 Cor. 12:4-6). Once again, we encounter paradox: unity is held together with diversity. Both together constitute catholicity.

Catholicity also means authenticity. Authenticity of belief and practice follow because they depend on the consensus of the Church. We learn authentic faith by considering and following what Christians do and think. It is not always easy to discern just what authentic faith might entail in new circumstances. For this reason, we determine weighty matters by summoning a council and ascertaining the consensus of the Church. Anglicans are among those Christians who understand the universally recognized councils of the Church, such as those of Nicaea and Chalcedon, to have special authority as giving expression to the authentic faith under the guidance of the Spirit. As an expression of that faith, the Nicene Creed has become one of the structures of the Church in which its catholicity is embodied.

The Creeds, then, are catholic in both senses of the word. They set forth the authentic faith, but not as sets of propositions to be received intellectually. Faith is, instead, an entire attitude and direction of one’s whole life. When we join with other Christians in proclaiming the Creeds during worship, we are joining in a common attitude and orientation toward Christ

It is possible to become fixated on the letter of correct doctrine and lose sight of the universal character of the Church. When churches exclude from their membership or worship people of the wrong race, class, sexual orientation or whatever, they are refusing to be part of the ever-widening communion which cannot stop short of all creation. What

Christ has done is universal in scope. Indeed, to limit that scope to human beings alone is to fail to see that “the life of the world to come” includes all things (Col. 1:20). The royal and priestly task of the Church is to live that catholicity, treating all people and all things with the honour and love for they are creatures with an eternal destiny.

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The words “Anglican” and “Anglicanism” derive from the Latin ecclesia anglicana, meaning simply “the English church.” The form of Christianity which took root in that place has since become a global reality with more than 40 member churches whose adherents speak diverse languages. At least four million of them speak French. The context of the diocese of Ottawa, in this region and this country, calls us to hear God speaking through and to our francophone neighbours, and thus we are introducing this new French feature in Perspective.

Jésus enseigne : « Cherchez d’abord le royaume de Dieu et la justice de Dieu» (Matthieu 6:6).  C’est-à-dire vivre dans ce monde en sachant qu’il est l’œuvre de Dieu, avec un destin de gloire. Mais le chant de la création n’est pas harmonieux : il y a des voix défectueuses, muettes ou discordantes. Plus nous le reconnaissons, plus nous voulons aider à racheter la création et à restaurer la perfection du chant. Et nous ne pouvons racheter et restaurer que dans la mesure où, ayant été rachetés et aimés nous-mêmes, nous avons appris à aimer.

Dieu veut que nous soyons heureux, que nous ayons la vie en abondance. Mais Jésus enseigne que pour être heureux, il faut être pauvre en esprit, doux et avoir le cœur pur (Matthieu 5).  Le bonheur n’est pas quelque chose que l’on recherche, et encore moins quelque chose que l’on peut fabriquer. C’est quelque chose que nous ne pouvons que recevoir et devenir. Une telle façon de vivre ne consiste pas tant à avoir quelque chose de nouveau qu’à être quelque chose de nouveau. En tant que

« nouvelle création en Christ », nous apprenons à considérer les choses non seulement comme des choses que nous avons, mais aussi comme des choses que nous sommes si nous voulons vivre en les aimant. Nous apprenons à considérer les autres personnes comme ne faisant qu’un avec nous – destinées à un poids de gloire qu’il est de notre devoir et de notre joie d’aimer et de servir.

Lorsque nous verrons le monde comme Jésus le voit, nos cœurs seront en paix parce qu’ils seront remplis de l’amour universel auquel ils aspirent. Dès ici et maintenant, nous commençons à être heureux du bonheur de ceux et celles qui ont le royaume des cieux, jusqu’à ce que nous arrivions à la joie finale du jour éternel.

English translation

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