Definitions

Abortion

The deliberate termination of a pregnancy by killing the unborn child. Such direct abortion, willed either as an end or as a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life.

Absolution

An essential element of the Sacrament of Penance in which the priest, by the power entrusted to the Church by Christ, pardons the sin(s) of the penitent.

Acedia

A less common synonym for sloth, one of the seven “capital” sins

Adoration

The acknowledgment of God as God, Creator and Savior, the Lord and Master of everything that exists. Through worship and prayer, the Church and individual persons give to God the adoration which is the first act of virtue of religion. The first commandment of the law obliges us to adore God.

Biblical Inspiration

The gift of the Holy Spirit which assisted a human author to write a biblical book so that it has God as its author and teaches faithfully, without error, the saving truth that God has willed to be consigned to us.

Cardinal Virtues

Four pivotal human virtues (from the Latin cardo, “pivot”): prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. The human virtues are stable dispositions of the intellect and will that govern our acts, order our passions, and guide our conduct in accordance with reason and faith

Capital Sins

Sins which engender other sins and vices. They are traditionally numbered as seven: pride, covetousness, envy, anger, gluttony, lust, and sloth

Charism

A specific gift or grace of the Holy Spirit given in order to help a person live out the Christian life, or to serve the common good in building up the Church. Charisms directly or indirectly benefit the Church

Chrism

Perfumed oil, consecrated by the bishop, which signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit. Chrism is used for consecration in the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders.

Church

The name given the “convocation” or “assembly” of the People God has called together from “the ends of the earth.” In Christian usage, the word “Church” has three inseparable meanings: the People that God gathers in the whole world; the particular or local church (diocese); and the liturgical (above all Eucharistic) assembly. The Church draws her life from the Word and the Body of Christ, and so herself becomes Christ’s Body. In the Creed, the sole Church of Christ is professed to be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic

Communion of Saints

The unity in Christ of all the redeemed, those on earth and those who have died. The communion of saints is professed in the Apostles’ Creed, where it has also been interpreted to refer to unity in the “holy things” (communio sanctorum), especially the unity of faith and charity achieved through participation in the Eucharist.

Concupiscence

Human appetites or desires which remain disordered due to the temporal consequences of original sin, which remain even after Baptism, and which produce an inclination to sin.

Conscience

The interior voice of a human being, within whose heart the inner law of God is inscribed. Moral conscience is a judgment of practical reason about the moral quality of human action. It moves a person at the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid evil. An examination of conscience is recommended as preparation of the reception of the Sacrament of Penance

Contrition

Sorrow of the soul and hatred for the sin committed, together with a resolution not to sin again. Contrition is the most important act of the penitent and is necessary for the reception of the Sacrament of Penance.

Covenant

A solemn agreement between human beings or between God and a human being involving mutual commitments or guarantees. The Bible refers to God’s covenants with Noah, Abrahan, and Moses as leader of the chosen people, Israel. In the Old Testament or Covenant, God revealed his law through Moses and prepared his people for salvation through the prophets. In the New Testament or Covenant, Christ established a new and eternal covenant through his own sacrificial death and Resurrection. The Christian economy is the new and definitive Covenant which will never pass away, and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ

Deacon

A third degree of the hierarchy of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, after bishop and priest. The deacon is ordained not to priesthood but for ministry and service. Deacons are ordained to assist the bishop and priests in the celebration of the divine mysteries, above all the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in assisting at and blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to the various ministries of charity. While the Churches of the East have always had a functioning order of deacons, in the West the permanent diaconate was reestablished by the Second Vatican Council

Deposit of Faith

The heritage of faith contained in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, handed on in the Church from the time of the Apostles, from which the Magisterium draws all that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed.

Descent into Hell

An article in the Apostles’ Creed referring to the victory over death and sin which Christ won by being “raised from the dead.” Jesus, like all people, experienced death and in his soul joined the others in the realm of the dead, where he descended as Savior, proclaiming the Gospel to the spirits imprisoned there in order to free the just ones who had gone before him

Disciple

Those who accepted Jesus’ message to follow him are called his disciples. Jesus associated his disciples with his own life, revealed the mystery of the Kingdom to the disciples and gave them a share in his mission, his joy, and his sufferings

Doctrine/Dogma

The revealed teachings of Christ which are proclaimed to the fullest extent by the exercise of the authority of the Church’s Magisterium. The faithful are obliged to believe the truths or dogmas contained in divine Revelation and defined by the Magisterium.

Ecumenism

Promotion of the restoration of unity among all Christians, the unity which is a gift of Christ and to which the Church is called by the Holy Spirit. For the Catholic Church, the Decree on Ecumenism of the Second Vatican Council provides a charter for ecumenical efforts

Eternal Life

Living forever with God in the happiness of heaven, entered after death by the souls of those who die in the grace and friendship of God. In preaching the kingdom of heaven, Jesus called all people to eternal life, which is anticipated in the grace of union with Christ: “This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent”  (Jn 17:3).

Evangelization

The proclamation of Christ and his Gospel (Greek: evangelion) by word and the testimony of life, in fulfillment of Christ’s command

Evil

The opposite or absence of good. One form of evil, physical evil, is a result of the “state of journeying” toward its ultimate perfection in which God created the world, involving the existence of the less perfect alongside the more perfect, the constructive and the destructive forces of nature, the appearance and disappearance of certain beings.

Moral evil, however, results from the free choice to sin which angels and men have; it is permitted by God, who knows how to derive good from it, in order to respect the freedom of his creatures. The entire revelation of God’s goodness in Christ is a response to the existence of evil.

The devil is called the Evil One.

Examination of Conscience

Prayerful self-reflection on our words and deeds in the light of the Gospel to determine how we may have sinned against God. The reception of the Sacrament of Penance ought to be prepared for by such an examination of conscience

Gospel

The “good news” of God’s mercy and love revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. It is this Gospel or good news that the Apostles, and the Church following them, are to proclaim to the entire world. The Gospel is handed on in the apostolic tradition of the Church as the source of all-saving truth and moral discipline. The four Gospels are the books written by the evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John which have for their central object Jesus Christ, God’s incarnate Son: his life, teachings, Passion and glorification, and his Church’s beginnings under the Spirit’s guidance

Grace

The free and undeserved gift that God gives us to respond to our vocation to become his adopted children.

As sanctifying grace, God shares his divine life and friendship with us in a habitual gift, a stable and supernatural disposition that enables the soul to live with God, to act by his love.

As actual grace, God gives us the help to conform our lives to his will.

Sacramental grace and special graces (charisms, the grace of one’s state of life) are gifts of the Holy Spirit to help us live out our Christian vocation

Hell

The state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed, reserved for those who refuse by their own free choice to believe and be converted from sin, even to the end of their lives

Humility

The virtue by which a Christian acknowledges that God is the author of all good. Humility avoids inordinate ambition or pride and provides the foundation for turning to God in prayer.

Voluntary humility can be described as “poverty of spirit”

Immortality

The quality of the spiritual human soul whereby it survives the death of the body and remains in existence without end, to be reunited with the body at the final resurrection

Incarnation

The fact that the Son of God assumed human nature and became man in order to accomplish our salvation in that same human nature. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, is both true God and true man, not part God and part man

Indulgence

The remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sin whose guilt has already been forgiven. A properly disposed member of the Christian faithful can obtain an indulgence under prescribed conditions through the help of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints. An indulgence is partial if it removes part of the temporal punishment due to sin, or plenary if it removes all punishment.

Judgement

The eternal retribution received by each soul at the moment of death, in accordance with that person’s faith and works (“the particular judgment”). The “Last Judgment” is God’s triumph over the revolt of evil, after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world. Preceded by the resurrection of the dead, it will coincide with the second coming of Christ in glory at the end of time, disclose good and evil, and reveal the meaning of salvation history and the providence of God by which justice has triumphed over evil.

Kingdom of God

The reign or rule of God: “the kingdom of God is … righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17). The Kingdom of God draws near in the coming of the Incarnate Word; it is announced in the Gospel; it is the messianic Kingdom, present in the person of Jesus, the Messiah; it remains in our midst in the Eucharist. Christ gave to his Apostles the work of proclaiming the Kingdom, and through the Holy Spirit forms his people into a priestly kingdom, the Church, in which the Kingdom of God is mysteriously present, for she is the seed and beginning of the Kingdom on earth. In the Lord’s Prayer (“Thy Kingdom come”) we pray for its final glorious appearance, when Christ will hand over the Kingdom to his Father.

Magisterium

The living, teaching office of the Church, whose task it is to give an authentic interpretation of the word of God, whether in its written form (Sacred Scripture), or in the form of Tradition. The Magisterium ensures the Church’s fidelity to the teaching of the Apostles in matters of faith and morals.

Marriage

A covenant or partnership of life between a man and woman, which is ordered to the well-being of the spouses and to the procreation and upbringing of children. When validly contracted between two baptized people, marriage is a sacrament (Matrimony).

Mercy

The loving kindness, compassion, or forbearance shown to one who offends (e.g., the mercy of God to us sinners).

Mission

(1) Trinitarian missions: To accomplish the divine plan of the triune God for the redemption of humanity, the Son and the Holy Spirit were “sent” into the world: hence the Trinitarian “missions” (Latin missus means “sent”).

(2) Apostolic mission: Just as he was sent by the Father, Jesus sent his Apostles into the world to continue his own saving mission (858).

(3) Church as mission: Thus, the Church is missionary by its very nature, continuing the mission or work of Christ through the Holy Spirit, according to the plan of God. This apostolic mission of the Church is fulfilled according to their different states of life by the clergy, laity, and religious.

Missionary activity is sometimes given in a more specific sense as the work of initial evangelization and establishment of the Church in non-Christian lands.

Morality

Referring to the goodness or evil of human acts. Human freedom makes a person a “moral subject” or agent, able to judge the morality (goodness or evil) of the acts which are chosen. The morality of human acts depends on the object (or nature) of the action, the intention or end foreseen, and the circumstances of the action.

Mystagogy

A liturgical catechesis which aims to initiate people into the mystery of Christ. In a more specific sense, the period of catechesis following immediately after the reception of Baptism by adults.

Nuptial Blessing

Prayers for the blessing of a couple being married, especially of the bride.

Original Sin

The sin by which the first human beings disobeyed the commandment of God, choosing to follow their own will rather than God’s will. As a consequence, they lost the grace of original holiness and became subject to the law of death; sin became universally present in the world. Besides the personal sin of Adam and Eve, original sin describes the fallen state of human nature which affects every person born into the world, and from which Christ, the “new Adam,” came to redeem us.

Parable

A characteristic feature of the teaching of Jesus. Parables are simple images or comparisons which confront the hearer or reader with a radical choice about his invitation to enter the Kingdom of God.

Paschal Mystery

Christ’s work of redemption accomplished principally by his Passion, death, Resurrection, and glorious Ascension, whereby “dying he destroyed our death, rising he restored our life”.

The Paschal Mystery is celebrated and made present in the liturgy of the Church,

its saving effects are communicated through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, which renews the paschal sacrifice of Christ as the sacrifice offered by the Church.

Passions

The emotions or dispositions which incline us to good or evil actions, such as love and hate; hope and fear; joy, sadness, and anger

Piety

One of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit which leads one to devotion to God.

Filial piety connotes an attitude of reverence and respect by children toward their parents.

Piety also refers to the religious sense of a people, and its expression in popular devotions

Pride

One of the seven capital sins. Pride is undue self-esteem or self-love, which seeks attention and honor and sets oneself in competition with God.

Prudence

One of the Cardinal moral virtues which prudence disposes a person to discern the good and choose the correct means to accomplish it. It disposes the Christian to live according to the law of Christ and provides the proximate guidance for the judgment of conscience

Punishment

Purification of the unhealthy attachment to creatures, which is a consequence of sin that perdures even after death. We must be purified either during our earthly life through prayer and a conversion which comes from fervent charity, or after death in purgatory.

Purgatory

A state of final purification after death and before entrance into heaven for those who died in God’s friendship but were only imperfectly purified; a final cleansing of human imperfection before one is able to enter the joy of heaven.

Real Presence

The unique, true presence of Christ in the Eucharist under the species or appearances of bread and wine. The Church invites the faithful to deepen their faith in the real presence of Christ through adoration and communion at the Eucharistic liturgy, and through adoration outside its celebration.

Reparation

Making amends for a wrong done or for an offense, especially for sin, which is an offense against God.

By his death on the cross, the Son of God offered his life out of love for the Father to make reparation for our sinful disobedience.

We are obliged to make reparation for personal sins against justice and truth, either through restitution of stolen goods or correcting the harm done to the other’s good name.

Sacramentals

Sacred signs which bear a certain resemblance to the sacraments, and by means of which spiritual effects are signified and obtained through the prayers of the Church.

Salvation

The forgiveness of sins and restoration of friendship with God, which can be done by God alone

Sin

An offense against God as well as a fault against reason, truth, and right conscience. Sin is a deliberate thought, word, deed, or omission contrary to the eternal law of God. In judging the gravity of sin, it is customary to distinguish between mortal and venial sins.

Tradition

The living transmission of the message of the Gospel in the Church.

The oral preaching of the Apostles, and the written message of salvation under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (Bible), are conserved and handed on as the deposit of faith through the apostolic succession in the Church.

Both the living Tradition and the written Scriptures have their common source in the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. T

he theological, liturgical, disciplinary, and devotional traditions of the local churches both contain and can be distinguished from this apostolic Tradition

Venial Sin

Sin which does not destroy the divine life in the soul, as does mortal sin, though it diminishes and wounds it.

Venial sin is the failure to observe necessary moderation, in lesser matters of the moral law, or in grave matters acting without full knowledge or complete consent

Viaticum

The Eucharist received by a dying person. It is the spiritual food for one’s “passing over” to the Father from this world. With Penance and the Anointing of the Sick, the reception of Holy Communion as Viaticum constitute the “last sacraments” of the Christian.

Virtue

A habitual and firm disposition to do the good.

The moral virtues are acquired through human effort aided by God’s grace;

the theological virtues are gifts of God

Vow

A deliberate and free promise made to God, concerning a possible and better good which must be fulfilled by reason of the virtue of religion.

Religious vows, the public profession of the evangelical counsels in the Church, have an exemplary value in witnessing to the Kingdom to come

Word of God

The entire content of Revelation as contained in the Holy Bible and proclaimed in the Church.

In John’s Gospel, God’s “Word” means his only-begotten Son, who is the fullness of God’s Revelation and who took flesh (the Word incarnate) and became man for the sake of our salvation.