WEBVTT

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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and

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of the Holy Spirit. Glory to Jesus Christ. For

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anything else, I want to congratulate the newly

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illumined. Assure them of our prayers and of

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our admiration for their struggle to get to this

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place, this beautiful day. the day of the Fathers

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of the First Ecumenical Council. And that's significant

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that the baptisms took place today, and it was

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planned in that way. And you'll see why in just

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a moment. We are, of course, still celebrating

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the Feast of the Ascension of Christ. You heard

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the hymns. We're also celebrating the Feast of

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St. Justin. the martyr, a saint of the second

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century, and those that were with him in that

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martyrdom, and we congratulate our three beloved

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parish members that bear the name of Justin the

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Martyr. But the primary commemoration of today

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is that of the Holy Fathers, 318 of them. Of

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course, they had their retinue, they had their

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helpers, they had their subdeacons. Apparently

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it was maybe a thousand people gathered. They

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were called together by the Emperor Constantine

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to the city of Nicaea, now known as Iznik in

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Turkey, in the year 325. And the opening session

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was May 20th in the year 325. So this is... the

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1 ,700th anniversary of that sacred council.

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This is a sermon. It's not a history lesson.

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Besides the events of those years prior to 325

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and after 325, way up until the 380s, are very

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complex. One famous patristic scholar, religious

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writer, said that history is polyphonic. Many

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things going on in different directions all at

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once, and right now, we don't need to grasp those

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things. So, I'm not going to tell you about the

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history of the council, but what we should affirm,

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what we have to affirm and confess, and what

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we do confirm and confess, is that without doubt,

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the first council, the fathers of that council,

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gave us one of the most meaningful, profound,

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and I have to say, influential, and beautiful

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synopsis of the faith in the Father, the Son,

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the Holy Spirit, the Church, the life of the

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age to come, that exists and its influence has

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been more profound than you and I could ever

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imagine in the history especially of Western

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civilization. I believe in one God, the Father

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Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all

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things visible and invisible, and especially

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the Council spent its time on This next phrase,

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and I believe in one, in one Lord Jesus Christ,

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the Son of God, the only begotten, begotten of

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the Father before all ages, light of light, true

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God of true God, begotten, not made of one essence

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with the Father. By him, Jesus, all things were

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made. That creed, the catechumens say it before

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they are baptized. We sing it at every single

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divine liturgy. You hear it at numerous services.

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We did great Compline every day or Compline,

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that type of thing. And it's one of those collection

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of words, a monument, poetry even you could call

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it, that I think, should be on the lips of every

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dying person that can be conscious enough to

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hear it or to say it. Because when I bring communion

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to someone who is sick, we say the creed. It's

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important for them to remember that they are

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also part of the whole church, even if they're

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isolated. And that they confess that faith of

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these holy fathers. You know, we don't make it

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up. When a catechumen is being enrolled, it's

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as if we give them the creed. Because, of course,

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Christ is who he is. We don't make up our faith

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in Jesus Christ. We don't have to theorize and

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philosophize or even imagine anything. Jesus

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is who he is. And listen to what he said in this

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incredible prayer to his father. Now they have

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known, O Father, that all things which you have

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given me are from thee. For I have given to them

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the words which thou hast given me, and they

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have received them, and have known surely that

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I came forth from thee, and they have believed

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that thou hast sent me. This is faith in Christ.

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This is eternal life. At the very heart of this

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council was the passionate defense of that. The

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divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he came

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from God and is God and is one in essence, light

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of light, true God of true God. The teachings

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of this Alexandrian priest named Arius, he was

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a public relations master and a scriptural scholar.

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What he was teaching was threatening to distort

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the very... essence, and we use that word, essence

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of Christ's nature. And it was causing division.

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It was causing turbulence in the eastern part

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of the Roman Empire. The West was fine for now.

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They were orthodox in every way. And so the emperor

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called this council to deal with this issue,

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and this turmoil lasted for many decades after

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the council. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

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don't expect That in the church, everything is

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going to be perfect. In heaven, that will be

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the case. But on the earth, it has never been

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that way. Not even with the holy apostles. So

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we struggle, we strive, and we have to be intentional

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about forgiving and about remaining faithful.

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Now Arius... this priest from Alexandria who

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was teaching this doctrine that Jesus was not

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of one essence, not the same as, he was divine.

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He was a God -like figure. But he was not the

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same as God. This is a false and spiritually

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deadly teaching. Otherwise, what have you been

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baptized into? In some creation. But no, you

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were baptized into Christ. And those that came,

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to defend the faith. They didn't come to make

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something up, as some Western scholars and authors

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have sort of put out there. No, these men bore

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scars of torture and persecution from the last

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period of persecution and martyrdom only ten

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years before. Only ten years before. And it's

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said that St. Constantine greeted and embraced

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each of these holy men, St. Spyridon, St. Nicholas,

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and on and on. He embraced them with love and

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honored them and their wounds. Some came with

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no feet. Some came, their hands had been chopped

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off. Some came, they had been blinded. They bore

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witness to the faith. They came to affirm which

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teachings were the ones received from Christ.

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As I said, I have given to them the words which

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you have given me, O Lord, and they have received

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them. And which ones were made up and false and

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counterfeit. Arius had twisted the scriptures

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to conform to his dangerous ideas. It didn't

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fit for him. Bishop Irine, a Serbian bishop with

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whom Machka, Anne, and I were friends with at

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seminary, bishop on the East Coast in the Serbian

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diocese, he wrote this. The council's proceedings

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remind us of the responsibility we bear as stewards

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of this faith. Each of us is called not only

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to believe, because what is belief? No, it has

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to be action. but also to defend and share the

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truth of the gospel. Let me interject here. We

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can't do that unless we know the gospel, unless

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we study the gospel, unless we love the gospel

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message. And it is in our hearts, not something

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just in a book that's dusty on a shelf somewhere.

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As we recite the Nicene Creed at every divine

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liturgy, let us do so not as a matter of ritual,

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rather as a living confession that shapes our

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lives. What shapes your life? Is it this creed

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and the gospel? Or is it social media? That will

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go away. It guides her in interactions with others.

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By heeding the liturgical call to love one another,

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that with one mind and heart we might confess

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Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the Trinity One

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in essence, may we truly confess our faith with

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oneness of mind. Here and now, brothers and sisters,

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today, the significance of this First Ecumenical

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Council on its 1700th anniversary, may it inspire

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us. to reflect on our own beliefs and our own

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zeal, to try and understand and live this faith

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that we say and we sing. Take heed, says St.

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Paul in Acts. You heard him speak to the elders

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of the church. Take heed against distortions

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of the faith in yourself. You're not called.

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to fix somebody else's. Take heed against the

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distortions of your own faith. Can you offer

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love, in love, an explanation? If you were asked

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about this creed, if someone said to you, you

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people, you have this creed, I believe, this

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so -called Nicene Creed, what is that? Could

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you tell them the basics? You don't have to give

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them a theological seminary lesson. But can you

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offer in love an explanation of that creed to

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someone who might ask you? Would you be courageous

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enough? Can you be courageous enough? Receiving

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the message that those that formulated and offered

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this creed to the church, what they bore, the

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sufferings they bore, can you be that courageous

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too? Emboldened to speak with clarity. and compassion.

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Let's remember the Holy Fathers on this day as

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present in our midst. Not as something long ago,

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1700 years ago, what's that have to do with me?

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What it has to do with you is you will say their

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words in a few moments. Let those words come

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out of you and within you and rejoice, take courage

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when we sing that creed in not so many minutes.

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To our Lord be glorified now and ever to ages

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of ages. Amen.