Rel-all units

Substance

a being that has its own independent existence

Person

an individual substance with a rational nature

Holy Trinity

God is three distinct Persons in one Divine Substance

Attribute

a manner of being or characteristic 

Perfection

the fullness of existence; completion

Pure Spirit

not a material being

Immutable

incapable of change

Eternal

no beginning or end

Omnibenevolent

All-good

Omniscient

All-knowing; the fullness of wisdom

Omnipotent

All-powerful; having power over all things

Omnipresent

All-Present; present everywhere in time and space

Christology

"Christology" is the branch of theology that studies Our Lord Jesus Christ, both the Person of Jesus Christ and His works.

Natural Revelation

knowledge of God’s existence through human abilities, including reason

Divine Revelation

the way God communicates to humanity through His words and actions over time, most fully through Christ

Mystery

Something that is true but cannot be discovered by our own senses alone AND cannot be fully known in this life

Heresy

A teaching or belief contrary to the teachings of the Church, Scripture, and Tradition

Modalism

The heresy that the Persons of the Trinity are just different ways God acts

Partialism

The heresy that the Persons of the Trinity are each a part of God

Polytheism

Belief in and worship of multiple, individual gods

Incarnation

“In the flesh”; the mystery of the Divine Son assuming a human nature

Hypostatic Union

The union of the Divine nature and a full human nature in the one Person of Jesus Christ

Arianism

The heresy that the Son and the Holy Spirit are like God but are created by God and are not God, and that the Son takes over the mind of a human nature.

Docetism

The heresy that the Son only appears to take on a human nature, but never actually does

Monophysitism

The heresy that Christ’s two natures blend together into a single nature

Nestorianism

The heresy that Christ is actually two Persons: the Divine Person of the Son and a separate human person

Gospel

“Good news”; accounts of the life, ministry, and death of Jesus that occupy the central place in all of Scripture

Evangelists

The writers of the Gospels

Synoptic Gospels

“Same vision;” Matthew, Mark, and Luke

Matthew

Gospel that emphasizes Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament

Mark

Shortest Gospel, emphasizes the coming of the Kingdom of God

Luke

Gospel that emphasizes Christ coming for all people and Christ’s mercy

John

Gospel that emphasizes the Divinity of Jesus

Infancy Narrative

Stories of the birth and early life of Jesus Christ

Genealogy

Family history

annunciation

The act of announcing something

The Annunciation

The announcement of Jesus’s birth to Mary

Zechariah

John the Baptist’s father

Elizabeth

John the Baptist’s mother, Mary’s cousin

Mary

The Mother of God

Gabriel

The angel who announces the coming of John the Baptist and the coming of Jesus

Fiat

Latin for “let it be done,” Mary’s acceptance of her role as Mother of Jesus, given to Gabriel at the Annunciation

Immaculate Conception

The dogma that Mary was conceived free of Original Sin, and remained free from personal sin throughout her life

The Visitation

Mary visiting Elizabeth after the Annunciation

The Magnificat

“Magnify”; Mary’s song of praise when Elizabeth greets her

The Nativity

The birth of Jesus

St. Joseph

Mary’s husband, and Jesus’s foster father

Betrothed

Engaged to marry

The Magi

In Matthew’s Gospel, the wise men from the East who visit Jesus and bring him gold, frankincense, and myrrh

The Shepherds

In Luke’s Gospel, they see a vision of angels in the night sky and visit Jesus after he is born

The Presentation

When Jesus is offered to God in the Temple, in accord with Jewish law, and Sts. Simeon and Anna prophesy about him

Public Ministry

Christ’s work of salvation done publicly as the Messiah

The Baptism of the Lord

When Jesus is baptized by St. John the Baptist and the heavens open

The Sacrament of Baptism

The first Sacrament, which forgives our sins and unites us to Christ

St. John the Baptist

Son of Elizabeth and Zechariah, Jesus’s cousin, who baptizes Jesus and prepares for His coming

Temptation

Attraction to an evil act, contrary to God’s will and right reason

The 3 Temptations of Christ

When Christ is tempted in the desert by the devil after His baptism 

Fasting

Abstaining from physical pleasure to help one connect with God

Prayer

Conversation and relationship with God

Almsgiving

Giving to those in need

The Wedding at Cana

Where Jesus’s first miracle occurs, in which He turns water into wine

Sacrament

An effective physical sign that conveys God’s spiritual grace

Sermon on the Mount

Christ’s teaching from the mountain in Matthew’s Gospel, in which He proclaims a new Torah

The Beatitudes

Meaning “blessed” or “happy,” statements of Christ at the Sermon on the Mount that lay out a paradoxical vision of true happiness

Paradox

A statement that seems to contain contradictory claims

Parables

A fictional story told to convey deeper religious truths, especially about the Kingdom of God and Jesus’s mission and identity

Forgiveness

Choosing to let go of resentment and ill will towards another person caused by their wrongdoing

Reconciliation

Repairing a relationship harmed by sin and human errors

Sacrament of Reconciliation

The Sacrament in which we confess our sins to a priest and receive forgiveness and healing from God

Miracle

An event or action performed by God’s power that cannot be explained by natural science

Hosanna!

“God Save Us!”

Messianic Hope

The hope that Jesus would reestablish the Davidic kingdom

Jerusalem

The Holy City of Israel

Law of Love

Christ’s commandment for us to love one another as He has loved us

The Last Supper

A Passover-type meal with Jesus and His disciples for the final time

Holy Orders

The sacrament of the  ministerial priesthood

The Agony in the Garden

The night before His death, when Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane and accepts His Father’s will

Scourging

A severe form of beating and whipping

The Passion

Jesus’s suffering, leading up to and including His death

Pontius Pilate

The Roman governor of Judea during Jesus’s time; sentences Jesus to death

Eucharist

Bread and Wine that is consecrated in the Mass and transformed to the Body and Blood of Christ

Real Presence

Belief that Jesus truly is present body, blood, soul and Divinity in the Eucharist

Transfiguration

Jesus’s theophany to Peter, James, and John on Mount Tabor

Theophany

A visible appearance of God’s presence

Peter

The chief and leader of the Apostles, the first Pope

James and John

Brothers and Apostles; with Peter, part of Jesus’s inner circle of Apostles

resurrection

Lowercase r; to make someone who is dead come back to life

Lazarus

Jesus’s friend, whom Jesus raises from the dead after Lazarus dies

Pharisees

A group of Israelite religious leaders who often clashed with Jesus and eventually helped to kill Him

Chief priests

Israelite priests of high religious and political power in the Jerusalem Temple, including the high priest, who helped to kill Jesus

The Seven Last Words

The seven final statements of Jesus on the Cross

crucifixion

A form of execution in which someone is nailed and/or tied to a cross until they die

The Paschal Mystery

The work of God’s salvation by Jesus’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection, which saves humanity from sin and everlasting death

Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The central belief of our faith, that God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day.

General Resurrection

The resurrection of all believers in Jesus Christ to the Kingdom of God at the end of time.

The Ascension

Moment when Christ takes Himself up to Heaven to sit at God the Father’s right hand in Heaven 40 days after His Resurrection

The Great Commission

Christ’s final words to His disciples to go make disciples in the world