Deacon's Corner: Why Do the Creeds Not Mention the Eucharist?
May 21, 2023, 12:00 PM
Simply put, the Creed is not a complete Catechism or teaching of the Church. So we may find many things missing from the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed. There is no mention of the Ten Commandments, the Sacraments, a complete list of the 73 books of the Bible, parts of the Mass, etc. The Creeds were written at a time of great debate about the Divinity of Jesus and the nature of the Holy Trinity. So the Creeds focus on those aspects. The Real Presence of Christ was accepted and not debated at the time. The Creeds are ancient documents and ancient parts of our Liturgies. It would not make sense to change them. In 1968, Pope St. Paul VI published the Credo of the People of God. It is a lengthier Creed and does contain a section on the Eucharist and transubstantiation. It says, “This mysterious change is very appropriately called by the Church, transubstantiation … the bread and wine have ceased to exist, after the consecration, so that it is the adorable body and blood of the Lord Jesus that from then on are before us” (No. 25). This Creed was intended to be recited at a Liturgy, it is simply too long. In 1992 Pope St. John Paul II published the Catechism of the Catholic Church to provide an extensive explanation of the Eucharist, transubstantiation, and Real Presence. We would all do well to more emphatically teach the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and exhibit true reverence and awe to the Lord in our midst. The USCCB Eucharistic Revival has put us on that path. Now you know!