document.write('<p align="right"><small><a href="http://www.parishwebmaster.com/lifetimes/"><font color="#000000">Subscribe to LifeTimes Catholic eZine</font></a></small></p>');
document.write('<h2>The Nicene Creed: Part IV</h2><h2>What Do We Believe?</h2><p><strong><em>by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.');
document.write('parishwebmaster.com/services/authors/bio_bjubar.htm"><font color="#000000">Brandon Jubar</font></a></em></strong></p><');
document.write('p>"Through him all things were made."</p><p>"Wait a minute," he interrupted. "I asked you what you believe.  All you\'r');
document.write('e doing is reciting the Apostle\'s Creed.  Is that all Catholic\'s can do?  Memorize a few prayers?"</p><p>His comment b');
document.write('roke my train of thought.  We were standing backstage, and only a handful of stage hands shared the theater with us.  As');
document.write(' I stopped and looked at this Christian Rock guitar player, he gave me a condescending look and shook his head in disgus');
document.write('t.</p><p>"It\'s the Nicene Creed," I stated.  "And it\'s what I believe.  I just stood here for five minutes, listening ');
document.write('to you quote scripture to me from memory.  Is that all you can do?  Memorize a few passages from the Bible?"</p><p>He ');
document.write('started to speak, but I cut him off.  "Now you wait a minute.  I let you say your piece.  And I really listened to what ');
document.write('you had to say.  So do the same for me and let me finish.  And try to really listen."</p><p>He took a half-step back a');
document.write('nd looked down his nose at me.  It was obvious that he wanted to say something more, but his mouth closed tight.  I paus');
document.write('ed briefly, and then continued...</p><p>"For us men and for our salvation<br />he came down from heaven:<br />by the p');
document.write('ower of the Holy Spirit<br />he was born of the Virgin Mary,<br />and became man."</p><h3>Jesus Christ... Come On Down');
document.write('!</h3><p>Have you ever wondered why God would even bother to become man?</p><p>The answer, of course, is in our prof');
document.write('ession of faith. God became man in order to bring us salvation. It was the only way for us to be reconciled with the Fat');
document.write('her. Because Jesus is both the son of God and the son of man, his very existence is a reconciliation of God and man.</p>');
document.write('<p>Who better to mediate between two parties than someone who is affiliated with both? In the person of Jesus, we have');
document.write(' such a dual affiliation. Jesus has both a human nature and a divine nature. His divinity was not absorbed by his humani');
document.write('ty... the two natures are perfectly balanced in Jesus.</p><h3>Mother of God</h3><p>Mary was chosen from the moment o');
document.write('f her conception to be the mother of Jesus. She was shielded from the stain of original sin. And throughout her life, sh');
document.write('e was protected from personal sin. She stayed pure, remaining a virgin, through conception of her Son, pregnancy, birth,');
document.write(' nursing... ever a virgin. Ever pure.</p><p>And Mary truly is the "Mother of God". Though it was Jesus to whom she gav');
document.write('e birth, he is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. A triune God. One God with three natures... but one God nonethel');
document.write('ess. So, when we speak of Mary as the Mother of God, it really does make sense.</p><p>Jesus is one with the Father and');
document.write(' one with the Holy Spirit. Mary gave birth to him, so she is the mother of Jesus. Yet because of Jesus\' nature, it is ev');
document.write('en more appropriate for Mary to be called the Mother of God.</p><h3>Who\'s the Man?</h3><p>Mankind was drifting. We w');
document.write('ere getting further and further away from God. So God, through the Holy Spirit, sent us his Son -- the ultimate mediator');
document.write(' between God and man. And to this day, the only way to reconcile ourselves with the Father is through Jesus.</p><p>"I ');
document.write('am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me."</p><p>As I paused momentarily, the wor');
document.write('ds rang in my ears.<br />"...he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man."</p><hr><h3>Life Applications:</h3><p>W');
document.write('hat do you think of when you hear the word "salvation"?<br />Do you think you are a good person? Is being a "good person');
document.write('" enough to guarantee your salvation?<br />What do you think Mary was actually like?<br />How would a person act who is ');
document.write('truly without sin? Would you know that person if you met her or him?</p><hr><p>Copyright 2001-2009 <strong><em>by <a t');
document.write('arget="_blank" href="http://www.parishwebmaster.com/services/authors/bio_bjubar.htm"><font color="#000000">Brandon Jubar');
document.write('</font></a></em></strong><A HREF="http://www.ParishWebmaster.com/" STYLE="TEXT-DECORATION: NONE"><font color="#000000"><');
document.write('br>All rights reserved. </font></a></p><hr>');