Article – Maker or Creator?

Someone called the Shrine recently regarding the procession we had for Our Lady of Fatima. They were very complimentary except they wanted to point out that, while reciting the Apostle’s Creed during the Rosary, I had said “Maker of heaven and earth” as opposed to “Creator of heaven and earth.”

Their point was that “to make” refers to using existing things to construct something new while “to create” means to bring something into existence out of nothing, which only God can do. Checking the official translation of the Creed used in the Mass, they were correct in that the phrase is “Creator of heaven and earth.”

But I also checked the Nicene Creed Mass translation which refers to God the Father as “Maker of heaven and earth.” This is a good example of how some words are used interchangeably. They are synonyms. The distinction the caller made is legitimate, and it is important to be precise, especially when we speak about the things of God. But it is also true that human language is limited and does develop and change over time.

This is why good scholarship is so important in order to interpret documents correctly, especially the Bible.

I agree that it is better to use Creator instead of Maker, but what is essential is that we understand the truth conveyed by the words. People also often use “create” when referring to human beings. For example, I recently saw the following: “Lucas is best known for creating the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises…”

When we profess our faith, the first truth we state is that all that exists has its source in the Supreme Being Who called Himself “I Am” (Ex 3:14). Only He is the Necessary Being. Only He can bring something into existence out of nothing. Only He can keep us in existence at each moment.

May all people be given the grace to see this truth and to seek their Creator with all their strength.

Pax et Bonum.

–Fr. Peter