Profession of faith

The heart of Christian faith is to trust and rely completely on our God Jesus Christ. This is clearly meant by the words "I believe in you".

In human relationships faith and trust lead necessarily to the acceptation of what somebody tells us. When we look and listen to God and the wonders of His creation we discover what faith is. The life of Christ was the absolute expression of God`s unlimited love for His creatures. This concept is called in Greek "Kerigma", announcement. Christian faith has two components one is "to believe in God", the other is "to believe what God says". It is a trustful relationship between God and man (To believe in God, in Latin "credere deo"), but at the same time it is a total acceptance of what God said (in Latin "credere deum").

The first professions of faith in Christian community clearly show that the heart of faith is Jesus, Jesus Christ our Lord, Son of God.

Theologian Kasper synthesized his profession of faith in these words: "God`s action, through the story of Jesus Christ, are the center of Christian faith. Every preaching afterwards has to refer to this center and has to explicate and actualize it."

Indications of biblical passages

• The centurion's faith (Mk 15:39)
• Peter's faith (Mt 16:16-23)
• Thomas faith (Jn 20:26-29)
• The uniqueness of God (John 17: 1-8)
• Everything is possible for those who believe (Mark 9:23)

Spiritual exercise to pray the Word of God

The centurion's faith (Mk 15:39)
The Centurion understands that Jesus was "Son of God". These words reveal a unique and eternal relationship between Jesus Christ and the Father. He is the only son of God, He is God Himself. Only before the Cross, in the holy mystery of Easter, Christians can understand the full meaning of the words "Son of God".

Peter's faith (Mt 16:16-23)
The word "Christ" comes from the Greek translation of Hebrew "Messia", that means "anointed". Jesus reveals his divine mission in human history since the day of His baptism on the Jordan river. (Acts 10, 38; John 1, 31) Peter in his profession of faith recognizes that Jesus is the Messiah and announces that the passion of the Son of Man is near.

Thomas faith (Jn 20:26-29)
The word used for the God of Israel in the old testament is YHWH. It was translated in Greek as "Kyrios", "the lord". The Gospel uses the same word to name the Father and Jesus. Jesus is so recognized to be God. When we call him Lord we state His divinity.

The uniqueness of God (John 17: 1-8)
Christ was sent to give men the full revelation of His Father. God showed His love by giving us His Only Son. Therefore it is impossible to recognize and accept God`s love if we do not believe that Jesus is His Son.

Everything is possible for those who believe (Mark 9:23)
In this verse of the Bible Jesus states the power of faith while answering to a man whose child is epileptic. Faith is so strong it can move mountains. (e.g., I Corinthians 13:2)