Party (And Bow) Like It’s 325 A.D.!Read Time 9 min

This year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea. This is an important date in the history of Christianity.

The First Council of Nicaea began May 20, 325 A.D. It was called together a dozen years after the Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire. The council fathers needed to respond to the questions raised by Arianism. By this time in the Church’s history disputes over theology had begun. The council had to contend with challenges concerning the divine nature of Christ. The council defined what orthodox Christians must believe de fide (as a matter of faith) about Jesus’ divine nature, origin and his relationship to the Father. The Creed we profess every Sunday and solemnity at Mass was the principal outcome of the council. The Creed was further refined and expanded at the First Council of Constantinople (381 A.D.) including theological clarity concerning the Holy Spirit and outlining the four marks (one, holy, catholic and apostolic) of the Church. We simply refer to this as the Creed, but it is aptly titled the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

This anniversary is something to celebrate and throw a party over! It is an opportunity to recognize Jesus as “Lord,” “the Only Begotten Son of God,” “God from God,” “Light from Light,” “true God from true God,” “consubstantial (homoousious) with the Father.”

As we profess our faith on Sundays and solemnities with the Creed, take note of the section where we are instructed by Holy Mother Church to bow. It is during the words “and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man (et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est)” when we are taught to bow.  Historically, during these words there is a genuflection; now we are instructed to bow (deeply). Our gesture as an assembly during these words is important. The principle of actions speak louder than words is at play here as well. As a unified group, we physically acknowledge the great gift of the Incarnation when the Second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity became like us in all things but sin so that we might become like God. We publicly, not merely with our voices but with our entire person, praise God for the great gift of our salvation. (As a side note, maybe another way to highlight the Creed on Sundays and Solemnities and really celebrate would be to sing the Creed!)

What’s in a bow? Bows at Holy Mass are a sign of reverence and honor to the persons themselves or to the signs that represent them. The bow asked for in the Creed is a profound bow, i.e., a bow at the waist (the body inclines forward so that one’s hands could easily touch one’s knees), not only of one’s head. This is the same type of bow that is asked for when a bow is made to the altar by the priest during the prayers Munda cor meum (Cleanse my heart) before the proclamation of the Gospel, during the prayer In spiritu humilitatis (With humble spirit) during the Offertory, and in the Roman Canon at the Supplices te rogamus (In humble prayer we ask you, almighty God). The same kind of bow is made by the deacon when he asks for a blessing before the proclamation of the Gospel. This is the level of importance Holy Mother Church places on the bow of the assembly during the Creed. There are other bows during Mass, too. A bow of the head is made when the three Divine Persons are named together and at the names of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the saint in whose honor Mass is being celebrated, especially by ministers of the Mass. In some places, a slight bow also expresses mutual respect and gratitude before and after receiving an object or being assisted in some way during a liturgical ceremony. (Cf. General Instruction of the Roman Missal n. 275)

The 12 articles of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed help us, week after week, to recall what we truly believe about our Catholic faith and develop a spirit of joy, gratefulness and passion for the gift of our faith that has been handed down to us by Tradition. By taking the time to pray, study and embody the symbol of our faith, we might come to one day enjoy what is hoped for in the Creed — namely, life everlasting! It is no mistake that the Creed is employed during the august Sacrifice of the Mass. Interwoven in our being is a deep desire for communion with God made possible through the supernatural grace poured out to us when we are gathered by Christ’s love, and as he did once for his disciples, opens the Scriptures and breaks the bread now.

When preparing to bow this coming Sunday (and every time the Creed is said hereafter), consider how your bow is preparing you to give of yourself completely in and through the Eucharistic Prayer by allowing yourself to be transformed by the sanctifying grace of God. Call to mind the passage from the Blessed Apostle Paul “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2)

So, let’s party (and bow) like it’s 325 A.D. by living the Creed with our whole being!