| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Abba | "Daddy" Jesus taught us to call God by this name |
| Abstinence and Fast | Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. To fast is to eat two small meals and one larger one during the day without snacks between meals. Abstain is to not eat meat. |
| Advent | the first season of the liturgical year. The first Sunday of this season is the Liturgical new year. This season is a time of preparation before Jesus' Birth (Christmas) |
| Advocate | another name for the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, who helps and guides us in following Jesus |
| Almsgiving | the act of giving time, money, or goods to people who are poor or in need |
| Apocrypha | also called the Dueterocanonicals, the list of seven additional books included in the Catholic bible |
| Apostle | the chosen 12, Jesus' closest companions |
| Ascension | the moment when Jesus, in His resurrected body, returned to His Father in heaven. He will come again at the end of time. Ascension is celebrated 40 days after Easter. |
| Ash Wednesday | day of fast and abstinence, first day of Lent |
| Baptismal grace | the gift of sharing in God's divine life that we receive at Baptism, which frees us from sin. |
| Baptismal Symbols | water (primary symbol, new life), Chrism (oil of salvation), candle (flame, light of Christ, lit from the Paschal Candle) white garment (new life in Christ) |
| Beatitudes | Jesus' teachings about how to live and find real happiness in God's kingdom. They teach us to love God, love each other, seek justice, and spread peace, ex "Blessed are those who..." |
| Bethlehem | town where Jesus was born |
| Biblia | Greek word for book, bible |
| Blasphemy | the act of showing contempt for God or sacred things through one's words or actions |
| Cana | village of the miracle where Jesus turned water into wine, Jesus first miracle, worked at the request of Mary His mother |
| Canon | list of books that make up the bible, there are 73 books in the Catholic bible. |
| Catherine McAuley | foundress of the Sisters of Mercy |
| Catechumen | a person who is studying and preparing to become a Catholic |
| Chalice | cup that hold the Blood of Christ |
| Chrism | the perfumed oil that has been blessed by a bishop and is used for anointing in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders. Being anointed is a sign of receiving the Holy Spirit. |
| Christian scriptures | the New Testament |
| Ciborium | bowl/cup/dish that holds the Body of Christ, usually has a cover |
| Confirmation | sacrament of Initiation, Bishop is the ordinary minister, benefits are a permanent mark on the soul and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Symbols; laying on of hands and Chrism oil |
| Deuterocanonical | also called the apocrypha, the list of seven additional books included in the Catholic bible |
| Disciple | a follower of Christ who carries on Christ's mission by showing others the love of God. We are one of these. |
| Divinely Inspired | the scriptures were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and are the Word of God |
| Easter Vigil | Mass on the Evening before Easter, new members are welcomed into the Church. At the this Mass we celebrate Jesus' resurrection. |
| Epistle | letter written to a Christian community by Saint Paul or another disciple in the early Church. Such letters are included in the New Testament. |
| Elizabeth | Mother of John the Baptist, cousin of Mary, wife of Zechariah |
| Eucharist | means 'thanksgiving". It is the sacrament in which the faithful are nourished with the Body and Blood of Christ |
| Evangelist | a person who proclaims God to the world by word of mouth, through writings, or as a living example. The word also refers to the gospel writers Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John |
| ex nihilo | Latin phrase meaning "from nothing." It is used to describe how God created the universe |
| Fast and Abstinence | There are two days in the Liturgical Year, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday whern this is practiced. To fast is to eat two small meals and one larger one during the day without snacks between meals. Abstain is to not eat meat. |
| Galilee | The northern region of Palestine, contains the Lake Galilee, Nazareth, Capernaum and Cana |
| General Intercessions | prayers offered for others, these prayers follow the Homily |
| Genealogy | a listing of ancestors; a family history |
| Gentile | a person who was not a Jew |
| Golgotha | the 'place of the skull', where Jesus was crucified, this is located just outside the wall surrounding the city of Jerusalem |
| Gospel | an account of the good news of Jesus and of His life, death and resurrection |
| Grace | a gift that God freely gives us, it is God's life within us, which fills us with his love and enables us to live according to his will |
| Hebrew Scriptures | Old Testament |
| Holy Thursday | feast of The Lord's Supper, first celebration of the Easter Triduum |
| How to read book, chapter and verse in the bible | 1 Chronicles 2: 3-4 is read the First Book of Chronicles, Chapter 2 verses 3-4 |
| Immaculate Conception | doctrine that Mary is free from original sin. Holy Day celebrated Dec. 8 |
| Incarnation | God's Son becoming man, one like us, Jesus Christ, who is both human and divine |
| Infancy Narratives | the scriptures that tell of Jesus birth, found in Matthew and Luke |
| Intercession | a prayer that we say on behalf of others in need of God's help |
| Jesus' baptism | John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, this event begins Jesus' public Ministry. Jesus is about age 30. |
| Jesus' followers | women, poor, lepers, outcasts, publicans and public sinners |
| Jesus' faith tradition | Jesus was raised (grew up) in the Jewish faith tradition |
| Jerusalem | considered the Holiest city for the Jewish people because this is the location of the Temple. Jesus was crucified outside this city. |
| John the Baptist | cousin of Jesus, baptizes Jesus, prepares the way for Jesus. |
| Judas | one of the apostles, betrayed Jesus with a kiss |
| Judea | the southern part of Palestine, contains the city of Jerusalem, also Bethlehem and Emmaus |
| Kingdom of God | God's reign of peace, justice, and love, initiated on earth by Jesus and reaching perfect fulfillment at the end of time. The kingdom of God is open to all. |
| Lectionary | a liturgical book containing the scripture readings proclaimed at Mass |
| Lent | the liturgical season in preparation for Easter. Begins on Ash Wednesday and ends with the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday. This season is 40 days long and the liturgical color is purple. |
| Liturgical colors, seasons and feasts | The primary liturgical colors are Red, White, Green and Purple. The season are Ordinary Time (green), Lent and Advent (both purple), Easter and Christmas (both white) and red is worn on the feasts of martyrs, Pentecost, and Good Friday |
| Meditation | a type of prayer in which we are silent and concentrate on listening to God through our feelings, imagination, and thoughts. Meditation is thinking about God's presence in our lives |
| Messiah | "God's anointed one" or "savior." A person chosen to save people from a particular fate. Jesus is the Messiah, the One promised to deliver all people from sin. |
| Miracle | a wondrous sign or event that can only happen through the power of God. One must have faith. |
| Mosaic Law | sets forth rules and practices that Jewish people have followed from the time of Moses, for whom the Law is named. The Ten Commandments, the basis of Mosaic Law, are found in the Bible, in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. The Book of Leviticus contains further details of the Law. |
| Nazareth | the village where Jesus grew up; its location was near to a main crossroads used by those traveling from China, Egypt, Rome etc. |
| New Testament | Christian Scriptures – 27 books – the four Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles and the Book of Revelation, these are books that tell of the covenant God made with the people of Israel through Moses and fulfilled in Jesus |
| Old Testament | Hebrew Scriptures – 46 books. Tells of the covenant God made with the people of Israel through Moses |
| Oral tradition | a body of stories that has been passed down by word of mouth. In ancient Israel, before the Gospels were written, people told stories about God and all God did for them |
| Original sin | the sin of the first man and woman, which has been passed on to all human beings. Because of it, we are weakened in our ability to resist sin and do good |
| Parallel Text | location of a similar or identical text, idea or matter in another part of the bible |
| Parable | a story that teaches a moral or religious lesson. These stories often use every day events and objects to explain important truths. Main themes: God's Kingdom, God's Grace, Judgment |
| Paschal candle | the Easter candle. It is lit for the first time each year at the Easter Vigil and symbolizes the light of Christ. It is the source of the flame for baptismal candles. |
| Paschal Mystery | God's plan for our salvation through the Passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus. The Church celebrates the Paschal mystery in the liturgy throughout the year, but in a special way during the Easter Triduum. |
| Paul | began his life as Saul, experienced a major conversion to follow Christ after he was blinded. He made three missionary journeys and wrote many epistles (letters) to the early Christian communities. |
| Pentateuch | the first 5 books of the Bible. It is the Torah Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy |
| Pentecost | 50 days after Easter, the Holy Spirit is given to the disciples and the disciples empowered by the Holy Spirit begin to preach the good news of Jesus. "Birthday of the Church" |
| Peter | Apostle, Jesus tells him he is rock and upon this rock I will build my church. Jesus gave Peter the "keys to the Kingdom" |
| Petition | a solemn prayer of request. |
| Pharisees | Jewish people who accepted and strictly followed the written laws of the Old Testament and tradition (the spoken teachings of religious leaders) |
| Psalms | songs – book of the Hebrew Scriptures contains 150 of these songs |
| Public Ministry of Jesus | began with Jesus' baptism around age 30 |
| Rabbi | teacher, Jesus was called one of these |
| Resurrection | Jesus' victory over death as he rose to new life. On the last day there will be a resurrection of our bodies as we rise to new life with Christ. The resurrection is central to Christianity. |
| Roman Empire | This group ruled Palestine and the Empire included areas around the Mediterranean Sea during Jesus' lifetime. |
| Revelation | God's act of revealing himself and inviting us to respond with faith. Also an important truth about God, expressed under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit |
| Sacraments of Initiation | Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist |
| Sacramental | a symbolic prayer, blessing, object, or action instituted by the Church that can lead us to a fuller participation in the grace of the sacraments |
| Sacramentary | the presider's (priest's) book used for the celebration of Mass |
| Sacred Scriptures | refers to the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, which have been accepted by the Catholic Church as the word of God written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. |
| Sadducees | a small Jewish religious party, typically priests. The Pharisees and this group had differing ideas on beliefs and practices of the Jewish faith. |
| Salvation | freedom from the pain of sin and assurance of permanent union with God. |
| Salvation History | the scriptures contain the stories of our faith and our salvation |
| Samaria | the middle region of Palestine in the time of Jesus. |
| Samaritan | one who lived in Samaria, disliked in Jesus' day, they did not share the accepted way of worshipping God. |
| Sanctifying grace | gift received at Baptism, brings us into an intimate and permanent relationship with God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) |
| Sea of Galilee | freshwater lake near Nazareth, source of food and work |
| Sanhedrin | the ruling council of Jews, council of Jewish Leaders |
| Scribe | skilled writers who copied Scripture texts onto scrolls they also helped people in the Jewish community understand God's law in the Scriptures. |
| Scripture reference | the book, chapter and verse for a scripture passage ex. Matthew 5: 1-5 |
| Sons of Thunder | the apostles James and John, brothers, fishermen and sons of Zebedee |
| Stole | A narrow strip of fabric worn by the priest for the celebration of sacraments worn over the shoulders. Deacon's wear theirs so that it crosses from the shoulder to the side. |
| Synagogue | a place where Jews met every Sabbath day for their public worship. It was a center for Jewish life and school for the children. |
| Synoptic | to "see in a similar way" , the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. These gospels tell about Jesus in a similar way |
| Synoptic gospels | Matthew, Mark and Luke |
| Ta biblia | 'the book' meaning the bible; the Greek word for book |
| Tabernacle | a secure place to reserve the Blessed Sacrament. |
| Tax collector | publican |
| Types of miracles | Raising of the dead, Healing, Nature, Exorcism |
| Temple | the center of worship and moral teaching in Jesus' time. It was located in Jerusalem. It was the "holiest place" for Jews. |
| Testament | means covenant. Refers to the covenant made between Jesus and the people of Israel with Moses and fulfilled in Jesus. |
| Torah | Pentateuch – the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy |
| Transubstantiation | through the power of the Holy Spirit the bread and wine are transformed to the Body and Blood of Christ during the consecration at Mass |
| Triduum | means 'three day festival' and refers to the high holy days of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil |
| Trinity | the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We believe that there is only one God, who is revealed to us in these three divine Persons |
| Yahweh | in the Hebrew Scripture this is the name of God, it means "I AM" |
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