The Nicene Creed 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 Scrptures. 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.
The YOUCAT is a youth version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is set up in the same four sections as the adult catechism, but with slightly different names: What We Believe, How We Celebrate the Christian Mysteries, How We Are to Have Life in Christ, and How We Should Pray. It is in a question and answer format.
You can purchase the paperback of Catholic Connections Handbook for Middle Schoolers here OR you can read it online here.
Learn:
The first pillar of the Catholic Church is The Creed. The Creed is a formal statement of our beliefs. It is based on the teachings of the apostles, and is continually taught by the Pope and the Bishops. There are two creeds: The Apostles' Creed and The Nicene Creed.
The second pillar of the Catholic Church is The Sacraments. The 7 Sacraments are: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Holy Orders, Matrimony (marriage), Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick.
The third pillar of the Catholic Church is Christian Morality. This concerns how well you are living according to the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes.
The fourth pillar of the Catholic Church is Prayer. Prayers are conversations with God. There are 5 forms of prayer: Petition (asking God for something you want), Blessing (praying for God's loving care for a particular person, place or activity), Intercession (praying on behalf of someone else, as we do in the Mass), Praise (telling God how much we appreciate all he does for us), Thanksgiving (telling God we are thankful for all that He has given us).
Respond:
Journal a reflection of either one of the creeds. Do you REALLY believe what they say? Do you live like you believe what they say? Do they give you hope? When I read the Nicene Creed I ... Celebrate the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist at least one time this month. Write an entry in your journal about how hard it is to live according to Catholic values in our secular (non-religious) world. Look at each of the Ten Commandments and think about what THEY are saying vs. what the world is saying. For example: I am your God. You shall not have false gods before me. But the secular world treats money, power, fame, sports, etc. as gods, putting them before the one TRUE God. Spend 5 minutes every day for one week in some type of prayer (reading the Bible, journaling, writing poems or stories, music, meditation, taking a walk through nature and appreciating God's creation.)