The Creed -Part 3

By the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; 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.

When we pray the Creed and say “By the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary and became man,” it is at this point we bow to remind ourselves of the act of God lowering himself to become man. It is through Jesus’ obedience to his Father that he suffers and dies for us. The “third day” of course, is the resurrection and this fulfills every word of Scripture. Jesus then spent forty days with the apostles and then ascended to the Father in heaven. There, he takes his rightful place at God’s right hand. He intercedes for us and sees that the Holy Spirit is poured forth for us. When Jesus comes again, it will be in glory at the end of the world. Jesus will reveal all the secrets in our hearts, and our final judgment will be determined by our works and our acceptance or rejection of the grace given to us.

For more in-depth information on the creed and what we believe, see the Catechism, sections 484 to 682 in Part 1, Section 2, Chapter 2.