In the Nicene Creed, we first profess faith in the first “person” of our Trinitarian God, God the Father, Almighty.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “by calling God Father, the language of faith indicates…that God is the first origin of everything …and the goodness and loving care for all of his children”, all of the people of the world (239). It is also a reminder that “no one is father like God is Father” (239). In addition, in regards to almighty, the only divine attribute in the Creed ``to confess this power has great bearing on our lives…[for] God who rules everything can do anything” (268).
By this profession, we are essentially stating that we recognize God as the beginning of all, the powerful head of the family of faith. There is certainly Truth here but these might not necessarily be images with which we can all understand and identify. These are also not the only things God is, but perhaps they were the most concise and identifiable for the time. When we say these words in recitation of the Creed, we can allow our minds to see beyond these images to see the antithesis of these images and everything else in between. God is Father, God is Almighty, but also God is Mother and God is Subdued.
There is scriptural basis for seeing God as Mother. Deuteronomy 32:11-12 describes God as a Mother Eagle. Deuteronomy 32:18 describes God as one who has given birth. Isaiah 66:13 describes God as a comforting mother. This is just a sampling; there is no shortage of maternal images in scripture. There are also images of God that aren’t gender-specific. God is Parent, Supporter and Care-giver.
Considering God as one who is subdued, or quiet is about recognizing God as the One who sits with us in the quiet, small, unassuming. Present, but not loudly so. Someone we can sit next to in comfortable, loving silence, simply sharing the space, knowing speech is welcome but not required. A God whose love radiates even when the world is loud. God is Almighty and Powerful, but God is also Present and Patient.
Our language is limited. But God is not. God transcends our words and our understanding. Let us not be limited by these images for God but allow our images of God to grow as we encounter God in scripture and in our everyday lives.
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