So What Does the Woods Family Believe?

That's nice, but what do you believe?

Briefly, our faith finds synopsis in the Nicene Creed-

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God;
Begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light, Very God of very God;
Begotten, not made;
Being of one Substance with the Father;
By whom all things were made;
Who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven,
He was incarnate by the Holy Spirit from the Virgin Mary, and was made man;
He was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered and was buried:
And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures:
He ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father:
He shall come again, with glory,
to judge the living and the dead,
whose kingdom shall have no end

And I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the Lord and Giver of Life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son;
who with the Father and Son together is worshipped and glorified;
He has spoken through the prophets:

I believe One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church;
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins;
And I look for the Resurrection of the Dead
and the Life of the World to come.
AMEN!

We also hold the following creed, called the Athanasian, to be true

Which Faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.

And the Catholic Faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance.

For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost.

But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one, the Glory equal, the Majesty co-eternal.

Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost.

The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate, and the Holy Ghost uncreate.

The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible.

The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal.

And yet they are not three eternals, but one eternal.

As also there are not three incomprehensibles, nor three uncreated, but one uncreated, and one incomprehensible.

So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty.

And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.

So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God.

And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.

So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord.

And yet not three Lords, but one Lord.

For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by himself to be both God and Lord,

So are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion, to say, There be three Gods, or three Lords.

The Father is made of none, neither created, nor begotten.

The Son is of the Father alone, not made, nor created, but begotten.

The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son, neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.

And in this Trinity none is afore, or after other; none is greater, or less than another;

But the whole three Persons are co-eternal together and co-equal.

So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.

He therefore that will be saved is must think thus of the Trinity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess, that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man;

God, of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man of the substance of his Mother, born in the world;

Perfect God and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.

Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father, as touching his manhood;

Who, although he be God and Man, yet he is not two, but one Christ;

One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh but by taking of the Manhood into God;

One altogether; not by confusion of Substance, but by unity of Person.

For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ;

Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead.

He ascended into heaven, he sitteth at the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, from whence he will come to judge the quick and the dead.

At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies and shall give account for their own works.

And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.

This is the Catholic Faith, which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved.

That's a mouthful!

Is this all that you believe?

But, these ancient formularies contain the gospel in a nutshell.

This is the good news of Jesus. God created us, loves us, gave Himself over to die for our sins, so that we can experience the joy of His Kingdom, at the end of time. Further, He sent the Comforter, the Strengthener, the Holy Spirit, to be with us, to dwell within us, so that we might live victoriously in this world. And he established His Church on earth that we might live among other believers and have Him ever among us. He said, "Where two or more of you are gathered together in my Name, there I will ever be among you." When we gather together, week by week, to worship God, He comes to us, hidden beneath the outward forms of the bread and wine of the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

WOW!

If you have never been baptized into the Christian faith, we urge you to become a child of God by adoption through baptism. God wants to draw you to Himself.

If you are a baptized person, we invite you to grow in your relationship with Jesus. If you have never received laying on of hands in Confirmation, we invite you to receive that strengthening of the Holy Spirit.

If God seems far away from you, try spending time in the areas where He is to be easily found: in Scripture, in the writings of the Saints, in Church, and any place where Christians are gathered working in His Name and for His glory.

There are plenty of opportunities for Christian service in the world. Here are just a few. Find time to serve the poor in a soup kitchen, food bank, thrift store, or with your local Habitat for Humanity affiliate. Visit the sick, volunteer at a hospital, or volunteer with a Crisis Center. Join a prison ministry. Volunteer with Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H, Campfire, Boys Club, Girls Club, or any of the other very fine youth organizations. Work with the elderly: ride as an escort on your local Senior Citizen's Bus, volunteer at a nursing home, take part in a Doorbell Dinners-type organization. Raise service dogs for the blind, deaf, or handicapped. The opportunities are endless to be a blessing to others.

God has given to all of us different gifts. Find yours and use it for His Glory. But, also find quiet time for you and Jesus. God will not settle for second place in your heart.

When asked for the greatest commandment, Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

May God always grant us such grace and courage to love others as he first loved us. Amen.