Religion - Theological Vocab

Abraam

Hebrew for “father of a multitude”, and founder of the nation of Israel.  He was the first to receive a personal call from God and is an Old Testament model of faith.

Angel

a spiritual creature who glorifies God without ceasing.  They possess perfect reasoning and free will.  Comes from the Greek word meaning “messenger”.

Annunciation

The visit of the Archangel Gabriel to announce that she would be the Mother of God.  Feast Day is March 25.

Apostolic Succession

the truth that the bishops of the Church wo, through their ordination, can trace their authority in an uninterrupted, unbroken chain of succession directly back to the Apostles and Christ.

Ascension

Christ’s return to heaven 40 days after His resurrection.

Assumption

the dogma that teaches that the Blessed Virgin Mary was taken body and soul into heaven immediately upon her death.

Baptism

the first of the seven sacraments.  It incorporates a person into the Body of Christ, the Church.

Canonization

the Church’s official process by which she declares someone a saint.

Catechumenate

a process used in the early Church to educate and prepare those who wished to become Catholic.  Today the process is called RCIA or the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.

Catholic

Greek meaning “universal”.  It is also the name of the universal Church established by Christ.

Christ

Greek for anointed**; used to refer to Jesus because he accomplished perfectly the divine mission of priest, prophet, and king.**

Church

the entire assembly of the people of God all over the world; comes from the Greek word ekklesia.

Communion of Saints

the unity in Christ of all the redeemed, especially those on earth and those who have died and are in heaven or Purgatory.

Confirmation

one of the Sacraments of Initiation; it completes the Baptismal cycle by a special outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Covenant

a  solemn promise between people or between God and man.

Deposit of Faith

the definitive revelation of Christ given to the Apostles, and through them, to the entire Church as Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

Divine Inspiration

the special guidance that the Holy Spirit gave to the human authors of the Bible to ensure that there are no errors in God's Word.

Divine Revelation

God making Himself known to us.  The two sources of Divine Revelation are Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

Dogma

a revealed truth solemnly defined by the Magisterium of the Church.  Examples include the Incarnation, the death and resurrection of Christ, and the Immaculate Conception.

Ecumenism

the efforts to reunite all Christians on earth and to cooperate among faith traditions in achieving common goals.

Eucharist

comes from the Greek word meaning thanksgiving; the Sacrament by which bread and wine are consecrated by a priest and become the true Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus.

Evangelization

the mission given by Christ to the apostles to preach the gospel to the whole world and make converts in every nation.

Faith

the theological virtue by which one believes in all that God has revealed.

Four Marks of the Church

the four characteristics of the Church mentioned in the Nicene Creed; they are, holy, catholic, and apostolic.

Heaven

the eternal state of supreme happiness with God.

Hell

the eternal state of separation and exclusion from God’s presence; the dwelling of Satan and the other fallen angels.

Heresy

the obstinate denial by a baptized person of some truth that must be believed with divine faith.  Examples include that Jesus was never crucified or rose from the dead.

Holy Orders

the sacrament by which men are ordained to the priesthood or the diaconate.

Idolatry

the worship of idols, or false gods.

Immaculate Conception

the dogma defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854 that states that from the moment of her conception in her mother’s womb, Mary was free from the stain of original sin.

Incarnation

from the Latin meaning to become flesh**, the mystery of the union of both the divine and human natures in the person of Jesus Christ.**

Indulgence

the remission before God of the temporal punishment due to the sin whose guilt has already been forgiven.

Infallibility

the gift given by the Holy Spirit to keep the Church free from error in the matter of faith and morals.

Kingdom of God

the spiritual kingdom that begins here on earth and is perfected at the end of time; it is a kingdom of love, peace, and justice.

Laity

the faithful who have been made a part of the People of God through Baptism; anyone who is not a priest or religious.

Last Supper

the meal during which Jesus instituted the Eucharist; the last meal Jesus shared with his apostles in the upper room before his death.

Liturgical colors

colors that represent certain seasons in the Church year.  Colors include green (Ordinary Time), white or gold (Christmas and Easter), red (feast days of martyrs and Holy Week), and violet/purple (Advent and Lent).

Liturgy

comes from the Greek word meaning a public work**.  It refers to the official public prayer of the Church.**

Magisterium

the highest official teaching authority of the Church, which is entrusted to the pope and bishops together.

Manna

wafer-like bread that tasted like honey which came down from heaven to the Hebrews on their journey through the desert.

Martyr

comes from the Greek meaning witness; someone who suffers or dies for the sake of Christ.

Mass

the Catholic Church’s most important act of worship established by Christ at the Last Supper.

Nicene Creed

the statement of beliefs that was developed at the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) and clarified at the Council of Constantinople (381 AD).

Novena

a devotional prayer to a particular saint or group of saints, usually done over nine days, seeking their intercession for a particular need.

Original Sin

the sin of Adam and Eve that separated mankind from God; it was the loss of the grace of original justice and holiness.

Paschal Mystery

the work of redemption accomplished through Jesus’ Passion, death, resurrection, and ascension.

Penance

another name for the Sacrament of God’s forgiveness of sins that reconciles us to Himself.

Pentecost

the birthday of the Church, when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in the upper room after Jesus’ Ascension into heaven.

Pope

the successor of St. Peter, the Bishop of Rome, the Vicar of Christ; the supreme authority and shepherd of the entire Catholic Church worldwide.

Prayer

a conversation with God.

Precepts of the Church

Laws that must be followed by all Catholics.  An example includes going to Mass every Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation.

Purgatory

a state of final purification after death but before entrance into heaven for those who have died in a state of grace that is imperfectly purified.

Redemption

the act of Jesus in suffering, dying, and rising to secure our salvation.

Resurrection

Jesus rising from the dead after three days; confirms all of Jesus’ teachings

Sacrament

outward signs of grace given to us by God through which we share in God’s divine life.

Sacramentals

material objects, things, or actions set apart or blessed by the Church to help bring people closer to God by increasing respect for the Sacraments. Examples include rosaries, blessed medals, scapulars, and holy cards.

Sacred Scripture

another name for the Bible.  It is the written record of God’s Divine Revelation to His people, written by humans under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Saint

men and women who have lived lives of extraordinary faith and heroic virtue and who have been officially declared to be in heaven forever.

Sanctifying Grace

the free gift given to us by God through the sacraments which gives us a share in God’s divine life.

Schism

a  break or rupture in the unity of the Church.

Saint Peter

chosen by Christ Himself to be the first pope and head of the Church.

Saint Thomas Aquanis

the patron saint of Catholic theology, came up with the Five Ways that reason could be used to prove the existence of God.

The Ten Commandments

the moral code God gave to the Hebrews at Mount Sinai; also known as the Decalogue.

Theological Virtues

the gifts of faith, hope, and charity given to us by God through Baptism.

Tradition

refers to the Church’s teachings that were given by Christ to the apostles and passed down to their successors through the ages.  It includes our creeds, the documents of the Church (like encyclicals from the pope), and the liturgy.

Transubstantiation

the miracle by which Eucharistic bread and wine become the Body and Blood. Soul and Divinity of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Trinity

the mystery of God as three Divine Persons yet still one God.

Vatican II

an ecumenical council held from 1962

Virtue

behavior showing high moral standards

Worship

praise