For many of us, faith can seem like a collection of teachings, traditions and practices handed down through generations. Yet at its heart, Christianity begins with an encounter with a person: Jesus Christ.
This was the starting point for Cenacle’s September Formation Forum, where participants gathered at St Christopher’s Pastoral Centre to explore the foundations of our Catholic belief and reflect on what it means to profess our faith in today’s world.
We asked our participants on what they hoped to take away from the evening. Many were seeking a deeper understanding of the foundations of the beliefs they proclaimed every Sunday. Others wanted to explore not only what the Church teaches, but why these beliefs matter and how they can be lived out in daily life. There was a shared desire to learn from one another’s experiences, to discover how faith inspires evangelisation, service and mission and to consider how faith formation can be nurtured within families, schools, ministries and parish communities.
Underlying many of these conversations was a profound question: What does it really mean to believe? If we believe in God and believe that Jesus Christ reveals a new way of living through the gift of the Holy Spirit, how do we make that visible in our relationships, workplaces, communities and everyday decisions?
Fr Chris de Souza from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference helped break open this question through a reflection on the Creed. He reminded participants that this is far more than a formula or a collection of doctrines. Derived from the Latin credo (“I believe”), it is a living profession of faith that expresses the heart of Christianity and unites believers across generations and cultures.
At its centre is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Through the Creed, Christians proclaim a God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a communion of love into whose life we are invited. In a world where questions of identity and belonging are more pressing than ever, the Creed points us back to a fundamental truth: we are created in the image and likeness of God and we are loved unconditionally.
Faith challenges us to move beyond what can be fully understood. God’s revelation is greater than human reason alone. We do not possess all the answers, yet we are invited to trust the One who does. The question Fr Chris posed is whether we allow those beliefs to shape how we live. Do we truly believe that God is with us? What difference does that make in how we live our lives and treat others?
This invitation to move from belief to lived witness was brought to life through the testimony of Rachel Bernabe from CFC Singles for Christ Canberra. Reflecting on her experience of living with multiple chronic illnesses, Rachel shared how faith has sustained her through every season of her life and how it evolved from a routine to a relationship. By recognising God’s gifts in our lives and placing them at His service, Rachel emphasised that each of us has something meaningful to contribute to our communities. Through struggles and uncertainties, she reminded our participants that God is always at work even when we cannot yet see the full picture.
By the end of the evening, participants returned to the central truths of the Creed: God the Father who created and loves us; Jesus Christ who saves us; the Holy Spirit who dwells within us and sends us on mission; the Church as the people of God; the promise of forgiveness, resurrection and eternal life.
The Creed is a declaration of who we trust, who we belong to and the hope by which we live. And perhaps that is why, centuries after it was first proclaimed, it continues to speak to the deepest questions of the human heart.