My Operative Theology:
The Triune God:
I believe in the Triune God: Father, Son, and Spirit. The LORD God is relational, and as pointed out in the celebration of the third millennium, the LORD God is a “community of love.” 1 John 4:8 states that “whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” I find proof of this not only in the hundreds of references in Scripture that point to the LORD God’s persistent love but also to the depth and breadth of that love. That love is a merciful love as demonstrated by the Hebrew root רחם, the root of both womb and mercy. Paul summarizes it so well in his address to the Athenians when he notes that “in him we live and move and have our being.” This graciousness, this epitome of hospitality, this love impossible to earn and yet never withheld, this is the Triune God, the LORD God, that has brought me to life through love and who offers me eternal life and love moment to moment.
The Triune God is Creator, Savior, and Sanctifier. I am and only can be because of “I AM.” As Creator, Savior, and Sanctifier the LORD God is both universal (God/Elohim in Gen. 1) and personal (Y… in Gen. 2) much like the LORD God as depicted in the creation myths. As created child of this all loving, all knowing, and all present LORD God, I am called into personal relationship with Him as well as into relationship with all humanity who share my origin and who share the love of the LORD God.
Jesus Christ:
I believe in Jesus Christ, Son of God, Son of Man, and that He is begotten of the Father. The human and the divine unite in the person of Jesus Christ, the full WORD of GOD made flesh. Through his incarnation, the trajectory of humankind is forever altered. He is LORD, my master, my savior, and my brother. Through Jesus Christ, the Father’s love is revealed to us and the Father’s will that all might have life and have it more abundantly (Jn 10:10) is actualized.
Jesus Christ’s life and teachings serve as a model of humanity’s capacity for love of the Father and demonstrate the fruit of relationship with the Father. Jesus is the vine and I am the branch; without him, I can do nothing (Jn 15:5). Jesus Christ reveals the face of “IAM”: I am the bread of life (Jn 6:35); I am the light of the world (Jn 8:12); I am the gate for the sheep (Jn 10:7); I am the good shepherd (Jn 10:11); I am the resurrection and the life (Jn 11:25); I am the way, the truth and the life (Jn 14:6); I am the true vine (15:1). All point to the desire of the LORD God that humanity have life and have it abundantly in, with and through Jesus Christ. I know that if I keep his commandments and remain in Christ, he will remain in me (1 Jn 3:24).
Church:
I believe that the Church is the sacrament of salvation founded by Jesus Christ and built upon the rock of Peter. The Church is commissioned to teach (Jn 21:15 – “Feed my lambs”), to govern (Jn 21:16 – “Tend my sheep”), and to sanctify (Jn 21:17 – “Feed my sheep”). I believe that the Church is the ecclesial hierarchy mirroring the heavenly hierarchy in purpose – the lifting up of its members. I believe that as the People of God (Lumen Gentium), the Church is called to holiness, guided and graced by the ever-present Spirit.
I understand that the Church has been given a mission by Jesus Christ (Mt 28: 19-20) to make disciples of all nations. Disciples ourselves, we are commissioned to participate in this ongoing salvific action. I realize that I must live as a committed disciple of Jesus Christ and seek to bring others to Him and through my words, works, and prayers, bring Him to others.
Discipleship:
I believe that I, as disciple, am called to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Discipleship is not a position; it is a relationship. As a disciple, my aspiration does not consist of personal ambition but rather of selfless love and labor for the one I follow, Jesus Christ. I believe that discipleship requires formation and demands personal prayer.
As a baptized follower of Jesus Christ, I have been anointed “Priest, Prophet, and King” and share in Jesus’ ongoing salvific mission. Most important to my discipleship is my desire to grow in my relationship with the triune LORD God by “putting on Christ” and conforming myself to Christ and to his mission.
In order to participate in Christ’s mission, I must be a person of personal and communal prayer and worship taking advantage of the sacraments created for my spiritual growth and well-being, I must break open and digest the living Word of God and seek knowledge of the Tradition of the Church, and I must commit to laboring for the building up of the kingdom of God and the well-being of all its members.
Sin and Grace:
I believe that the LORD God gifted us with free will. And the LORD God showers us with the grace to know Him and to hear His voice and respond to His love. Sin occurs when we drown out his voice and choose self over Other. Genesis 3 and the primeval history shows humanity’s penchant for wanting to be like God without God and for setting aside the original, eternal relationship (creator, savior, sanctifier) for personal gain and immediate satisfaction. Humanity’s lack of will to cooperate with the grace that abounds brought sin. Yet grace still flows generously. Cooperating with grace, the love of our LORD God and a sharing in his life, is the only path open to me.
We are all sinners. Yet, even while sinners, the LORD God loved us enough to seek and attain our salvation and life. The presence and prevalence of sin require humility on our part; the presence and potential of grace require cooperation, loving thanksgiving and praise. I recognize that the LORD God desires my salvation, but I am free to choose, moment to moment. Thankfully, the LORD God is generous with grace that makes the right and righteous choice possible.