Nicene Creed

I noticed that both my local Church and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops websites post the Nicene Creed text in the "what we believe" sections instead of restating or redirecting to the Vatican "Catechism of the Catholic Church" website. Surely the theology-heavy and less user-friendly website design are part of the reason, but reliance on the Creed calls attention the weight of this Creed for the Roman Catholic Church. In every mass, following homily (the priest's speech), Roman Catholics recite the Nicene Creed. Originally crafted in 325, updated officially and linguistically translated over the centuries, the Creed captures key components central to Catholicism:

1. The Holy Trinity; God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit created life and existence itself
2. Jesus became man, was crucified, and was resurrected
3. Jesus will come again to resurrect the dead and establish the kingdom of God

Other articles of faith are embedded within the Creed, but are more of a theological bent:

1. Jesus is "of one being" with God, the Father, or consubstantial 
2. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary in an immaculate conception
3. The resurrection was prophesied by scripture
4. There is one catholic, literally meaning universal, church
5. There is one line of continuity descending from the original apostles, one apostolic succession
6. Baptism forgives sins

There are other nuances and messages, but these seem the high level points made in the Creed. Noteworthy omissions typically linked to the character of the Catholic Church include structure (like papacy, rules for priesthood), papal infallibility,  the sacraments (other than baptism), sainthood/canonization, Mass and the Eucharist, which scriptures are sacred (Bible; Old and New Testaments), scripture as divine inspiration rather than literal translation, Heaven or the Kingdom of God's qualities, what happens after death until Final Judgment happens (notions like purgatory), when Final Judgment will happen and what that will look like, or even any direction of what will be judged as good (or not).

The Nicene Creed is not a guide for how to behave, nor how to conduct a religion. The words cut to the core and avoid some divisive beliefs. The theological clarifications probably exist to mark the lines between the theology of the Roman Catholic faith from the other Christian faiths. If the creed were instead written 2000 years after the resurrection some of these points might not necessarily be made. The differences between the 325 and 381 versions suggest the intention for some revisions was to underscore how the Roman faith was different from the Orthodox faith, during a moment in time where there was a great divide between the churches (Schism). The 3 principle themes (Trinity's Creation, Jesus's resurrection, our salvation) remain the most relevant. Not surprisingly, these approach the beliefs of other faiths, which offers more ground for agreement than distinction.

The Nicene Creed [full text, Roman Catholic version]
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with 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.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.