In the final lecture on the Creed, Abbot Ankido explains how the Nicene Creed was expanded at the Council of Constantinople (381 AD) after Nicaea (325 AD) to definitively affirm the divinity of the Holy Spirit against those who denied it, and why the added lines about “one holy Catholic and apostolic Church,” “one baptism,” and the resurrection describe the Spirit’s effects in Christians.

Using John 20, Genesis, Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones, and Acts 2, he argues the Spirit is truly given to believers, reversing sin’s rupture with God and others, empowering the apostles, and making Pentecost the Church’s “birthday.” He contrasts sacramental life with symbolic-only approaches, explains baptism’s indelible mark and why it isn’t repeated, describes the Spirit as the Church’s “soul” (Augustine/John Paul II), and connects the Communion of Saints to prayer to saints and the Church as God’s family.

Next week, Abbot Ankido will begin his lecture series on the Old Testament.

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New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for the audio versions, or visit the Qurbana Media YouTube channel for video: https://youtu.be/Yue3Tz6Wj8E

This lecture moves from the Nicene Creed’s Christological section into the Holy Spirit, explaining how the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed was developed at Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381), and why the early draft barely mentioned the Spirit. It introduces the post-Nicaea heresy of Pneumatomachianism (“spirit-fighters”), which denied the Spirit’s divinity and personhood, and highlights the Cappadocian Fathers’ defense.

Abbot Ankido defines divine personhood through Trinitarian relations and describes the Spirit as the eternal love “breath” between Father and Son. Using Scripture from Matthew, John, Acts, and Paul, he argues the Spirit acts and speaks as a person, transforms believers through baptism, and empowers the Church beyond mere moral virtue. The episode also previews the Filioque controversy and frames “from the Father through the Son” as a key formulation.

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New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for the audio versions, or visit the Qurbana Media YouTube channel for video: https://youtu.be/S4VGPrCf7HQ

This lecture continues the Creed’s teaching on Jesus, emphasizing that his Resurrection is not a mere resuscitation like Lazarus or Jairus’s daughter but a real, glorified bodily life animated by the Holy Spirit, shown in appearances to Mary Magdalene, the Emmaus disciples, Thomas touching Jesus’ wounds, and Jesus eating with the apostles. It then explains the Ascension as Jesus taking authority at the Father’s right hand and, drawing on Hebrews, presents Jesus as the true high priest who enters the heavenly Holy of Holies, offering his once-for-all sacrifice. The Mass is described as sharing in that same offering on earth, uniting heaven and earth and giving a foretaste of the Second Coming in the Eucharist. Abbot Ankido concludes with Jesus’ return to judge the living and the dead, early Christians’ longing for his coming, and Romans 8’s assurance of no condemnation for those in Christ.

New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for the audio versions, or visit the Qurbana Media YouTube channel for video: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAM4wC7YYq_Wbkre-UuApoIWTzKdAQHJX

Abbot Ankido Sipo continues his lecture series on the Creed by moving from the Incarnation to the Paschal Mystery—Christ’s passion, death, burial, resurrection, and the Apostles’ Creed line “He descended into hell.” He argues sin is more than breaking a rule: it fractures communion, producing fear of God, shame, blame, and alienation, as seen in Adam and Eve. Salvation reverses this through Jesus as the new Adam, whose voluntary death is an act of love that restores relationship with God and others. He explains the Bible’s developing view of the afterlife, describing Sheol/Hades as the realm of the dead and using Jonah’s prayer “from the belly of Sheol” as a sign of life as communication with God. Citing the Catechism, he presents Christ’s descent as preaching to the dead, defeating death, and opening communion through the Eucharist.

New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for the audio versions, or visit the Qurbana Media YouTube channel for the video: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAM4wC7YYq_Wbkre-UuApoIWTzKdAQHJX

This week's lecture continues a walk through the Nicene Creed by focusing on Christology, especially the lines affirming Jesus as “true God from true God” and “consubstantial with the Father” as the Church’s response to Arianism. It explains how Scripture presents Jesus’ divinity in a Jewish way (Alpha and Omega, Son of Man from Daniel, “I am,” calming the storm) while also insisting on the full reality of his humanity and warning against diminishing either nature. Abbot Ankido connects this to salvation: sin fractures relationships, and the Incarnation begins reconciliation by uniting God and man in one person. It also explores “through him all things were made” as the Logos/blueprint of creation (with reference to Pope Benedict’s Regensburg address), reads Colossians 1 and Hebrews on Christ as creator and perfect priest, and briefly discusses the Virgin Mary and the Immaculate Conception.

New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for the audio versions, or visit the Qurbana Media YouTube channel for the video: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAM4wC7YYq_Wbkre-UuApoIWTzKdAQHJX

This lecture gives background on the Nicene Creed’s origins in response to Arius’s claim that Jesus is not God, noting the Council of Nicaea (325) and completion at Constantinople (381), and explains the Creed’s Trinitarian structure and sacramental roots in baptismal profession. Abbot Ankido then focuses on what the Church means by “I believe,” contrasting modern “belief” as personal opinion with faith as a form of knowledge rooted in trust and relationship, illustrated by everyday reliance (driving, flying) and marriage. It argues we can know God exists through reason by reflecting on the world’s ordered complexity and the human person’s unique capacities, while mysteries like the Trinity require revelation. The talk highlights Gospel scenes where Jesus responds to faith, and concludes that proclaiming one God rejects idols and political “gods,” culminating in the Creed’s personal claim: God is Father.

New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for the audio versions, or visit the Qurbana Media YouTube channel for the video: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAM4wC7YYq_Wbkre-UuApoIWTzKdAQHJX

This week's lecture gives theological background to the Nicene Creed by explaining the Arian controversy: Arius, a priest in Alexandria, taught that the Son/Word was created (“there was a time when the Son was not”), leading Bishop Alexander to condemn him and prompting Constantine to convene the first ecumenical council at Nicaea (325 AD), where the Church defined the Son as consubstantial with the Father. Abbot Ankido explains why Christ must be fully God and fully man for salvation, and briefly traces later councils (Constantinople 381 on the Spirit’s divinity, Ephesus 431, Chalcedon 451). He then introduces the Trinity—rejecting modalism and partialism—defining nature as “what” and person as “who,” describing the Son as the Father’s eternal Word and the Spirit as the love between Father and Son, and applying this to human life: made for relationship, loneliness and self-isolation contradict personhood, and the Cross shows love as self-gift.

New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for the audio versions, or visit the Qurbana Media YouTube channel for the video: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAM4wC7YYq_Wbkre-UuApoIWTzKdAQHJX

Hosted by Abbot Ankido Sipo (from Feeding Fathers and Martyr Mentality on Qurbana Media)

In this opening episode of Catechism 101, Abbot Ankido dives into "The Creed"—the powerful "I believe" we proclaim at every Mass and in the Rosary. Why do we even have creeds in a world that loves saying "my truth" and "your truth?"

He breaks it down simply: the shorter Apostles' Creed (ancient baptismal questions turned profession of faith) vs. the fuller Nicene Creed we say on Sundays. You'll hear the real history behind them—how the early Church fought off big heresies like Arianism at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, affirming that Jesus is truly God, same substance as the Father.

Abbot Ankido explains why creeds feel so countercultural today (spoiler: they push back against individualism and privatized faith), how dogma isn't a bad word, and why the Trinitarian structure of the Creed is basically our Christian identity card. Rooted in Scripture, Tradition, and the Church's authority, this is straightforward teaching to help you understand, profess, and live the faith with confidence.

Perfect for anyone wanting to go deeper into what Catholics actually believe—whether you're a lifelong Catholic, coming back, or just curious.

New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for the audio versions, or visit the Qurbana Media YouTube channel for the video: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAM4wC7YYq_Wbkre-UuApoIWTzKdAQHJX