Unit 1: Mission of Jesus and Holy Cross Heritage

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering Unit 1 concepts including Social Location, the Mission of Jesus, Salvation History, Genesis creation accounts, Biblical Covenants, and Holy Cross history and charism.

Social Location

The mix of identities and life experiences—such as gender, race, social class, age, religion, ability, sexual orientation, citizenship, and geographical location—that shape how a person sees the world and how the world sees them.

Mission

A person's sense of purpose or calling that responds to a need in the world, discovered through reflection on skills, personality traits, values/passions, and world needs.

Four Needs Responded to by Jesus

The four community needs Jesus sought to address: 1) A fair ruler and government, 2) Freedom from oppression, 3) Establishing a 'New World Order' in need of a unified global community, and 4) An example of how to partner with God.

Jesus' Social Location

The historical identity of Jesus as a Jewish male living in Nazareth, Palestine around age 30, belonging to the lower class by Roman standards, and born out of wedlock.

Aramaic

The common spoken language of working-class Jews in first-century Palestine used by Jesus in his daily ministry.

Hebrew (in Jesus' Context)

The language of Jewish Scripture, Temple readings, and formal religious instruction in first-century Palestine.

Greek (in Jesus' Context)

The language of empire, trade, and multicultural interaction across the Roman Empire during Jesus' lifetime.

Salvation History

The ongoing story of God reaching out to humanity to fulfill the divine plan of salvation and humanity's response back to God.

Fr. Basil Anthony Moreau

The French priest who, deeply influenced by the societal collapse of the French Revolution, founded the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1837 using education to rebuild faith and society.

Congregation of Holy Cross

The religious community founded in 1837, named after the Sainte-Croix district of Le Mans, France, and modeled after the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph).

Three Groups United by Moreau

1) Brothers of Saint Joseph (founded by Fr. Dujarie), 2) Auxiliary Priests (founded by Moreau), and 3) Marianite Sisters of Holy Cross (founded in 1841, led by Mother Mary of Seven Dolors).

Ave Crux, Spes Unica

The motto of the Congregation of Holy Cross, translating to 'Hail to the Cross, Our Only Hope,' expressing that real hope and new life emerge through suffering.

Notre Dame High School

A Holy Cross high school founded in Southern California in 1947 by Holy Cross Brothers, initially opening as an all-boys school before becoming co-ed in 1983–84.

Four Pillars of Notre Dame High School

The core foundational pillars of the school: Bringing hope, Being family, Building respect, and Educating hearts and minds.

Holy Cross Charism

The foundational gift and spirit of the Congregation of Holy Cross: to renew Christian faith and regenerate society as 'educators in faith who educate both mind and heart.'

Theological Anthropology

The study of what it means to be human in light of God's presence and how humans are called to live in relationship with God, self, others, and creation.

Original Holiness

The grace original to humanity to share directly in the divine life of God (CCC 375).

Original Justice

The state of inner harmony within the human person, harmony between persons, and harmony within all of creation prior to the Fall (CCC 376).

Primeval History

The genre of Genesis 1–11, which uses symbolic, poetic, and mythical language rather than scientific history to express central religious truths about God and humanity.

Four Central Truths of Creation

The key theological principles in Genesis: 1) God is Creator (life is gift), 2) Creation is Good, 3) Humans are Imago Dei (made in God's image as the summit of creation), and 4) Humans are made for relationship.

Free Will

The God-given capability to choose between doing good and avoiding evil, or doing evil and avoiding good, making humans active agents of change.

Original Sin

A doctrine of faith developed by St. Augustine of Hippo in the 5th century describing the fallen state of human nature inherited by every person born into the world.

Chet

A Hebrew word for sin that literally translates to 'to miss the mark.'

T'shuvah

A Hebrew term for repentance or return, emphasizing humanity's active responsibility to repair its relationship with God.

Concupiscence

The disordered desires within human nature that incline a person to choose what is easiest rather than what is right.

Protoevangelium

Meaning 'first Gospel' (Genesis 3:15), it represents the initial biblical promise of ultimate redemption and restoration following the Fall.

Covenant

A sacred kinship bond and solemn agreement that adopts parties into a family relationship bound by mutual commitments, symbols, and oaths.

Unilateral Covenant

A covenant upheld entirely by one party (God), remaining binding regardless of whether the other party fails.

Covenant with Noah

God's unilateral promise never to destroy the earth again by flood, paired with the human responsibility of creation stewardship and respect for life.

Covenant with Abraham

God's promise to bless all nations through Abraham's lineage, calling his descendants to model trust and radical hospitality (as in Genesis 18).

Sinai Covenant

The covenant established with Moses at Mount Sinai, where the Mosaic Law was given to model God's justice and right relationship in community.

Covenant with King David

God's covenant establishing righteous leadership to make divine governance visible by protecting the vulnerable, ensuring fairness, and promoting peace.

New Covenant

The promise foretold by prophets like Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31–34) where God's law is written directly on human hearts rather than stone tablets.

Characteristics of the New Covenant

1) Internal Transformation, 2) Universal Knowledge of God, 3) Deep Forgiveness of Sins, and 4) Empowerment by a New Spirit.