Catholic Terms Glossary

The following terms are used in the document titled, "A Follower of Jesus In His Holy Catholic Church." You may view a PDF of the document here.

-----

Ascension: From Latin for to lift or go up. Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus was taken up into Heaven. P. 19

Anointing of the Sick: The Sacrament which can bring healing, forgiveness of sins, and the strength to walk with Jesus under the weight of suffering. This sacrament brings the hand of God to heal us, or the passionate presence of Jesus to suffer with us. P. 29

Assumption: At the moment of her death, Mary didn’t lie in a grave, while her body corrupted. Rather, she was taken up body and soul into the glory of Heaven. P. 8

Baptism: The Sacrament which takes away original sin and any other sins for which we are guilty and makes us adopted children of God as well as the brothers and sisters of all in the family of God. P. 27

Catholic: From the Greek, meaning universal. It is used as the proper name of the Church (when spelled in upper-case) and as an attribute of the Church, that it’s universal (when spelled in lower-case). P. 3

Christ: A title for Jesus. Christ is from Greek, a translation of the Hebrew word Messiah, which means the one anointed with oil. P. 1

Christians: Followers of Jesus, who is known as the Christ. P. 1

Church (with an upper-case C): The assembly of people who belong to the Lord by their profession of faith and by being baptized. P. 2

church (with a lower-case c): The building where the assembly of believers go for prayer, either alone or with others, and where they gather together for worship at Holy Mass. P. 3

Confession: See Penance

Confirmation: The Sacrament which strengthens the gifts of the Holy Spirit received at Baptism, especially for the purpose of continuing the mission of Jesus in the ministries of the Church. P. 27

Deposit of Faith: What we learn about Jesus from both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. P. 5

Disciple: From the Latin for one who learns, it refers to one who follows Jesus and learns from his teaching and example about how to live in this world, in hope of eternal life in Heaven. P. 2

Eucharist: The Sacrament of spiritual food that nourishes our life in Christ. Receiving the Eucharist is the most intimate union we can have with God this side of Heaven. It also deepens the bond of spiritual friendship with the others who receive it. P. 28

Heaven: An eternal state of sublime bliss derived from the quieting of our desires, because they are all satisfied by our perfect union with God. P. 14

Hell: The eternal punishment for unrepentant mortal sin. The opposite of Heaven: no bliss, because our desiring is not quieted, because instead of union with God, there is eternal separation from God. P. 14

Holy Matrimony/Marriage: The Sacrament in which a baptized man and a baptized woman enter when they freely intend to stay together until death, to be faithful to each other, willing to welcome children, and say “I do” in the presence of a clergyman and two witnesses. P. 29

Holy Orders: The Sacrament in which a baptized man is ordained a deacon, priest, or bishop to preach, celebrate sacraments, and to exercise servant leadership in the Church. P. 30

Holy Trinity: The three Divine Persons in the one Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. P. 6

Immaculate Conception: God prepared Mary for her role as the mother of the sinless savior by preserving her from original sin at her conception. P. 7

Incarnation: A mystery of the faith which means to be made flesh. It refers to the Son of God receiving a human nature like ours. Jesus became man. P. 6

Judgement Day: Also known as the Day of the Lord, it is the day when Jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. P. 21

Lectio Divina: A prayerful reading of the Bible. P. 4 & 24

Magisterium: The teaching authority of the Pope and the bishops in union with him, under the guidance of the Spirit. It has the final word when it comes to what we believe and how we live our Catholic Faith. P. 4

Marriage: See Holy Matrimony

Miracle: Something that can’t be explained by the laws of nature. P. 10

Mortal Sin: A sin in which the bad thing that’s actually done, or the good thing that’s not done, is serious in and of itself, and we’re fully aware of that fact, and our choice to sin is fully ours, fully free. The word mortal is from Latin, meaning deadly; it is said to kill the life of Christ (grace) that we receive at Baptism. P. 33

Mother of Christians: A title of honor given to Mary at the foot of the cross. Mary is regarded as the spiritual mother of the Church. P. 8

New Testament: The second part of the Bible which has 27 books that tell the story of Jesus, and the faith of his first followers. P. 3

Old Testament: The first part of the Bible which has 46 books of the history, law, and prophecies of the Jewish religion. P. 3

Penance/Confession: The Sacrament in which our sins are forgiven when we are sorry, confess to a priest, and the priest says “I absolve you of your sins.” P. 28

Pentecost: From the Greek for fiftieth. Celebrates the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In the Jewish religion, fifty days after Passover is the Feast of Weeks (a harvest festival). The first Christians were celebrating this feast when the Holy Spirit came upon them. P. 20

Perpetual Virginity of Mary: Mary and her husband Joseph renounced sexual intimacy, even though they were married. P. 8

Prayer: Lifting up our minds and hearts to God, to express love, sorrow for sin, gratitude, or need. Prayer is also described as a dialogue with God. P. 24

Purgatory: From the Latin meaning to purge, or purify. The final purification that people who die in God’s good graces may need to undergo before entering Heaven. P. 15

Redemption: From the Latin meaning to pay off a debt. Jesus’ death satisfied the debt of sin, and so saves us from Hell for Heaven. P. 18

Resurrection: From the Latin meaning to rise again. On the third day after his death, the first Easter Sunday, Jesus rose again. P. 19

Sacraments: Outward signs (like water, or oil) started by Jesus to give us grace, a share in the very life of God, putting us in relationship to God and other believers. P. 27

Sacred Scripture: The collection of the 73 books of the Bible written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to record without error those things needed for our salvation. P. 3

Sacred Tradition: From the Latin meaning to pass something down. Refers to what we learn about Jesus that was not written down, but handed down orally from Jesus to his Apostles, and by them to their successors, the bishops of the Catholic Church. We believe that it is inspired by the Holy Spirit, just like Scripture, and that it has the same authority as Scripture. P. 4-5

Sin: When we think, speak, or act in a way that is contrary to the law of God, especially the Ten Commandments, and even more the commandments to love God first and most, and to love your neighbor as yourself. P. 32

Tradition (with an upper-case T): An authoritative source of teaching, revealed by God and affirmed by the Church, which we have access to especially in Church doctrine, worship, and faith practices. P. 5

tradition (with a lower-case t): Prayers, or devotions, or stories associated with the saints that might be inspired by the Spirit, but not necessarily, and they are not authoritative for what we believe and how we live as Christians. P. 5

Venial Sin: A sin in which the bad thing that’s actually done (a sin of commission), or the good thing that’s not done (a sin of omission) is not so serious in and of itself, or when there were unavoidable limits to our knowledge or freedom. The word venial is from the Latin for pardonable. P. 33

Virginal Conception: Jesus was miraculously conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. P. 7