Christology

Pharisees

A Jewish sect at the time of Jesus known for its strict adherence to the Law.

Sadducees

A Jewish sect at the time of Jesus known for its strong commitment to the Temple in Jerusalem.

Vocation

A calling from God to fulfill a particular purpose or mission in life.

Canonized

A deceased Catholic's having been publicly and officially proclaimed a saint.

Conscience

A person's God-given internal sense of what is morally right or wrong. To make good judgments, a person needs to have a well-formed conscience.

Covenant

A personal, solemn promise of faithful love that involves mutual commitments, such as the sacred agreement between God and his people. In the Old Covenant, God revealed his Law through Moses and prepared his people for salvation. He established as new and eternal Covenant in Jesus Christ, his only Son.

Prayer of petition

A prayer form in which you ask God for something you need.

Intercessory prayer

A prayer form in which you ask God's help for other people's needs; also called intercession.

Lament

A prayer, petition, or ritual of grief that honors the death of a loved one. Many of the psalms are examples of lament recorded in the Bible.

Heaven

A state of eternal life and union with God, in which one experiences full happiness and the satisfaction of the deepest human longings.

Purgatory

A state of final purification or cleansing, which one may need to enter following death and before entering Heaven.

Sanctifying grace

A supernatural gift of God by which our sins are forgiven, we are made holy, and our friendship with God is restored.

Abba

A way of addressing God the Father used by Jesus to call attention to his—and our—intimate relationship with his Heavenly Father. Abba means "my Father" or "our Father" in Aramaic.

Ecumenical Councils

A worldwide gathering of Catholic bishops convened by the Pope to discuss and resolve issues and problems the Church is facing.

Cloistered

Adjective indicating a religious order whose members rarely leave the monastery or convent that is their home.

Laity

All members of the Church with the exception of those who are ordained as bishops, priests, or deacons. The laity share in Christ's role as priest, prophet, and king, witnessing to God's love and power in the world.

Liturgy

All official public prayer of the Church, including celebrations of the Eucharist and other Sacraments and the Liturgy of the Hours, the official daily prayers of the Church.

Fall, the

Also called the Fall from Grace, the biblical revelation about the origins of sin and evil in the world, expressed figuratively in the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis.

The Fall

Also called the Fall from grace, the biblical revelation about the origins of sin and evil in the world, expressed figuratively in the account of Adam and Eve in Genesis.

Divine economy

Also known as the economy of salvation, this refers to God's eternal plan and his actions for the salvation of humanity.

Doctrine

An official, authoritative teaching of the Church based on the Revelation of God.

Personal sin

Any deliberate offense, in thought, word, or deed, against the will of God.

Evangelists

Based on a word for "good news," in general, anyone who actively works to spread the Gospel of Jesus; more commonly and specifically, the persons traditionally recognized as authors of the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Pluralistic

Characterized by the presence of many different ethnic, religious, or cultural groups.

Procreation

Conceiving and bearing children.

Beatific Vision

Directly encountering and seeing God in the glory of Heaven.

Sacraments

Efficacious and visible signs of God's invisible grace, instituted by Christ. The Seven Sacraments are Baptism, the Eucharist, Confirmation, Penance and Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders.

Holy day of obligation

Feast day in the liturgical year on which, in addition to Sundays, Catholics are obligated to participate in the Eucharist.

Novenas

From the Latin word for "nine," they are public or private devotions that extend for a period of nine days.

Incarnate

Having become flesh; specifically, God the Son assuming human nature. The Incarnation means that Jesus, the Son of God and Second Person of the Trinity, is both fully God and fully human.

Consecrated

Having made a person, place, or thing holy. The Consecration at Mass occurs during the Eucharistic Prayer, when the priest recites Jesus' of institution, changing the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.

Filial

Having to do with the relationship of a child to his or her parents.

Messiah

Hebrew word for "anointed one." The equivalent Greek term is christos. Jesus is the Christ and the Messiah because he is the Anointed One.

Solemnities

Important holy days in the Catholic liturgical calendar, such as Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and All Saints' Day.

Philosophy

In Greek this word literally means "love of wisdom." It refers to the study of human existence using logical reasoning.

Pentecost

In Sacred Scripture, the event in which the early followers of Jesus received the Holy Spirit. Today the Church celebrates this event on Pentecost Sunday, which occurs seven weeks after Easter Sunday.

Scribes

Jewish government officials and scholars of the Law.

Christological

Literally the study of Christ; the systematic statement of Christian beliefs about Jesus Christ, including his identity, mission, and saving work on earth.

Theology

Literally, "the study of God"; the academic discipline and effort to understand, interpret, and order our experience of God and Christian faith.

Immortal

Living forever; not subject to death.

Sanctifies

Makes holy; sanctification is the process of becoming closer to God and growing in holiness.

Stewards

People who are put in charge of managing, caring for, and protecting something, such as money or personal property.

Martyrs

People who suffer death because of their beliefs. The Church had canonized many martyrs as saints.

Litanies

Prayers consisting of a series of invocations and responses.

Collects

Prayers offered by the person leading an assembly in communal prayer

Anti-Semitism

Prejudice against Jewish people.

Vows

Promises made to God.

Samaritans

Residents of Samaria, the central hill country of Palestine. In the time of Jesus, tremendous ethnic hatred and tension, which sometimes erupted into violence, existed between Jews and Samaritans.

Gentile

Someone who is not Jewish.

Parables

Stories rooted in daily life that use symbolism or allegory as a teaching tool and that usually have a surprise ending.

Church Fathers

Teachers and writers in the early Church, many of whom were bishops, whose teachings are a witness to the Apostolic Tradition.

Interreligious dialogue

The Church's efforts to build relations with other world religions, such as Judaism and Islam.

Synoptic Gospels

The Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke are called synoptic - a word meaning "seen together" - because they appear to have been written using similar sources.

Circumcision

The act, required by Jewish law, of removing the foreskin of the penis, Since the time of Abraham, it has been a sign of God's Covenant relationship with the Jewish people.

Patriarchs

The ancient fathers of the Jewish people, whose stories are recounted in the Book of Genesis.

Monotheism

The belief in and worship of only one God.

Evangelical counsels

The call to go beyond the minimum rules of life required by God (such as the Ten Commandments and the precepts of the Church) and strive for spiritual perfection through a life marked by a commitment to chastity, poverty, and obedience.

Nicene Creed

The formal statement or profession of faith commonly recited during the Eucharist.

Free will

The gift from God that allows us to choose between good and evil. Human freedom attains its perfection when directed toward God. It is the basis for moral responsibility.

Grace

The gift of God's loving presence with us, which empowers us to respond to his call and to live always as his children. Grace is never earned; although none of us truly deserves grace, God freely chooses to bless us with this gift.

Eucharistic species

The gifts of bread and wine after they have become Christ's Body and Blood.

Last Judgment

The judgment of the human race by Jesus Christ at his second coming, as noted in the Nicene Creed. It is also called the Final Judgment.

Canon of Scripture

The list of the books of the Bible officially recognized as sacred, inspired writings.

Ecumenism

The movement to restore unity among all Christians, a unity that is a gift of Christ and to which the Church is called by the Holy Spirit.

Theological virtue

The name for the God-given virtues of faith, hope, and love. These virtues make us open to living in a relationship with the Holy Trinity and are the foundation of the Christian moral life, animating it and giving it a special character.

Magisterium

The official, authoritative teaching voice of the Church.

Salvation history

The pattern of specific events in human history in which God clearly reveals his presence and saving actions. Salvation was accomplished once and for all through Jesus Christ, a truth foreshadowed and revealed throughout the Old Testament.

Evangelization

The proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ through word and witness.

Reign of God

The reign or rule of God over the hearts of people and, as a consequence of that, the development of a new social order based on unconditional love. The fullness of God's Reign will not be realized until the end of time. Also called the Kingdom of God.

Parousia

The second coming of Christ, when his Kingdom will be fully established and his triumph over evil will be complete.

OriginalSin

The sin by which the first humans disobeyed God and thereby lost their original holiness and became subject to death. Original Sin is transmitted to every person born into the world, expect Mary and Jesus.

Beatitude

The state of eternal happiness with God in Heaven.

Genocide

The systematic and planned extermination of an entire national, racial, or ethnic group.

Beatitudes

The teachings of Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount in which he describes the actions and attitudes that should characterize Christians and by which one can discover genuine meaning and happiness.

Trinity

The truth that God, although one, is three Divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Fetus

The unborn child from the end of the eighth week after conception to the moment of birth.

Embryo

The unborn child from the time it implants in the uterine wall through the eighth week of its development.

Hypostatic union

The union of Jesus Christ's divine and human natures in one Divine Person.

Chastity

The virtue by which people are able to successfully and healthfully integrate their sexuality into their total person; recognized as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Annunciation

The visit of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to announce to her that she is to be the Mother of the Savior.

Tradition

This word (from the Latin, meaning "to hand on") refers to the process of passing on the Gospel message. Tradition, which began with the oral communication of the Gospel by the Apostles, was written down in the Scriptures, is handed down and lived out in the life of the Church, and is interpreted by the Magisterium under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Missionaries

Those people who devote themselves to spreading the Gospel—in word and service—to those who have not heard it or to those who have rejected it; missionaries often serve in foreign countries.

Solidarity

Union of one's heart and mind with all people. Solidarity leads to the just distribution of material goods, creates bonds between opposing groups and nations, and leads to the spread of spiritual goods such as friendship and prayer.

Noncanonical

Writings that are not part of a canon.

Inspired

Written by human beings with the guidance of the Holy Spirit to teach without error those truths necessary for our salvation.