Understanding Catholic Christianity—Ch 9

symbol

A tangible, physical reality that represents an invisible reality.

ritual

Words and actions that have symbolic meaning for a group or community.

Baptism

The first of the seven sacraments, by which one becomes a member of the Catholic Church through new life in Jesus Christ.

Confirmation

The sacrament by which Christians who have been baptized become more fully initiated into the Catholic Church through an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation strengthens people to better be like Jesus in the world.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The seven gifts received at Baptism and strengthened through Confirmation to help people live as followers of Jesus Christ.

Penance and Reconciliation

The sacrament that celebrates God's forgiveness of sin, through which the sinner is reconciled with both God and the Catholic Church.

penance

Asking for and receiving forgiveness for sin, with the intention to not repeat the sin.

reconciliation

The process of restoring broken relationships with God, the faith community, and those hurt by one's sin.

Anointing of the Sick

The sacrament in which a seriously ill, aging, or dying person is anointed by a priest and prayed over by him and others gathered with them. One need not be dying to receive the sacrament.

Holy Orders

The sacrament by which baptized men are ordained as bishops, priests, or deacons for permanent ministry as leaders in the Catholic Church.

Matrimony

The sacrament by which a baptized man and a baptized woman establish a lifelong partnership and commit to faithfully loving each other for life.

liturgy

The Catholic Church's official, public, communal prayer. The most important liturgy is the Eucharist, or the Mass.

liturgical year

The annual cycle of holy days and seasons that celebrates the events and mysteries of Jesus' birth, life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension.

Advent

The season in the liturgical year during which Christians prepare for the Christmas season.

Ordinary Time

The period in the liturgical year during which Christians reflect on the things Jesus taught and lived so that they might make their values and attitudes more like his.

Lent

The forty-day period in the liturgical year that is preparation for Easter, recalling the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert in preparation for his mission.

Holy Week

Beginning on Palm Sunday, the weeklong remembrance of the final days of Jesus' earthly life.

Triduum

The last three days of Holy Week, from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday. This period is the high point of the liturgical year.