Actual grace
This supernatural, free, and undeserved help from God is given for specific circumstances to help us choose what is good and avoid what is evil.
Church
The name given the assembly of people whom God has called together from the ends of the earth. This word has three meanings: the people that God gathers together, the local church (diocese), and the liturgical assembly. Also, the name given to a building used for public Christian worship.
Concupiscence
Human appetites or desires remain disordered due to the temporal consequences of Original Sin;Concupiscence remains even after Baptism and constitutes an inclination to sin. It is often used to refer to desires resulting from strong sensual urges or attachment to things of this world.
Covenant
A solemn agreement between people or between God and man involving mutual commitments and guarantees.
Ex opere operato
A term in sacramental theology (literally, "by the work done"), meaning that sacraments are effective by means of the sacramental rites themselves, and not because of the worthiness of the minister or recipient.
Form
The necessary ritual words and signs that accompany a sacrament.
Image of God
The image of God, present in all humans by virtue of their creation by Almighty God, is made even more explicit through the Sacrament of Baptism, whereby one is "baptized into" Christ and made "a new creation." That image of Christ is enhanced through living a life of grace or marred by the commission of sin.
Matter
The material or physical sign of a sacrament. Examples include water (Baptism) and bread and wine (the Eucharist).
Messiah
Hebrew for "anointed." This is used in reference to Jesus because he accomplished perfectly the divine mission of priest, prophet, and king, signified by his being anointed as Christ.
Minister
The person who administers or celebrates a sacrament.
Mystical body of Christ
Based on the teaching of St. Paul found in his First Letter to the Corinthians, this doctrine holds that believers are united to Christ as branches to a vine and, due to that union, united to one another.
Original sin
Adam and Eve's abuse of their human freedom in disobeying God's command. As a consequence, they lost the grace of original holiness and justice, and became subject to the law of death; sin became universally present in the world; every person is born into this condition. This sin separated mankind from God, darkened the human intellect, weakened the human will, and introduced into human nature an inclination toward sin.
Protoevangelium
From the Greek proto meaning "first" and evaggelos meaning "bringing good news." The first message of Good News—the first Gospel—is Genesis 3:15 in which the promise of the Messiah and Redeemer is foretold
Redemption
Literally meaning "being bought back," the act by which Jesus Christ, through his sacrificial Death on the Cross, set us free from the slavery of sin, thus redeeming or "buying us back" from the power of the Devil
resurrection
The bodily rising of Jesus from the dead, as he had foretold, on the third day after his Death on the Cross and burial in the tomb. By virtue of his Resurrection, Christians have the hope of resurrection with Christ on the last day
sacrament
An efficacious sign of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed through the work of the Holy Spirit. There are seven sacraments
Sacramental character
An indelible mark, i.e., a permanent and unrepeatable spiritual quality, imprinted on the soul by the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders, that gives the Christian a share in the priesthood of Christ.
Sacrilege
Profaning the sacraments or other liturgical actions, or things consecrated to God in a special way, such as priests, religious women and men, churches, shrines, convents or monasteries, icons, statues, etc. Extreme irreverence by word or deed.
sanctifying grace
The free and unmerited favor of God given through the sacraments. This heals human nature wounded by sin by giving man a share in the divine life infused into the soul by the Holy Spirit to heal from sin and sanctify
Adoration
Worship. This is the humble acknowledgment by human beings that they are creatures of the thrice-holy Creator. By obeying the First Commandment, people acknowledge and respond to the revelation of the glory and power of God.
eastern rites
Practices, traditions, disciplines, and liturgical expressions used in the Catholic Churches in communion with the Pope, but other than the Latin Rite.
genuflect
To kneel down on one knee as a sign of reverence to the Blessed Sacrament when entering or leaving a church or when passing in front of the tabernacle.
Heavenly liturgy
The adoration rendered Almighty God by the angels and saints in Heaven, most especially through the eternal pleading of Christ theHigh Priest and the perpetual offering of His once-for-all sacrifice of Himself to His heavenly Father
Holy water
Blessed water; a sacramental whose use is a reminder of Baptism and a means of sanctification.
Icon
A two-dimensional stylized painting or mosaic of Christ, the Virgin Mary, an angel, or one of the saints. This is used as an aid for Christian acts of piety. The artistic style of icons reflects a mystical beauty of Christ the Savior and the saints. An icon, by virtue of what is represented, is an invitation to prayer
Latin rite
The portion of the Catholic Church that follows the disciplines of the Diocese of Rome, especially regarding the Sacred Liturgy. This rite is called Latin because that has been its official language since the fourth century. Most of the world's Catholics belong to the Latin Rite, but twenty-two other rites also exist in communion with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope
Liturgy of the hours
Also called the Divine Office, or Breviary, it is the official prayer of the Church that allows the faithful to pray throughout the day with Psalms and other biblical readings
lord's day
Sunday; the principal day of the week for Christian worship, also known as the Lord's Day. Each Sunday Mass commemorates the Resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday and is a reminder of the first day of creation for those who have become a "new creation in Christ." Canon Law stipulates that Catholics are to attend Mass on Sunday and to abstain from any labors that impede Sunday worship or detract from the joy proper to the day
Pilgrimage
A journey to a sacred place undertaken as an act of religious devotion. The purpose may be to venerate a certain saint or to ask some spiritual favor, beg for a physical cure, perform an act of penance, express thanks, or fulfill a promise.
Relic
The earthly remains or personal items of a saint. Usually these are fragments of bone, which are venerated as sacred objects that give us on earth a connection with those who have gone to Heaven
Sabbath
The Sabbath—or seventh—day on which God rested after the work of the six days of creation was completed. In honor of Christ's Resurrection, Sunday must include rest from labor and the worship of God as required by the Third Commandment
Sacramental
An action or object that disposes us to God's grace.
Sacred objects
Items used to foster the virtue of religion and a life of devotion.
Stations of the cross
The pious practice of meditating upon Jesus' Passion, Death, and Resurrection. This may be done by either walking the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem or passing from one image depicting Jesus' sufferings to the next in a church.
Veneration
Showing devotion and respect to Our Blessed Mother and the saints who were viewed as faithful witnesses to the Faith, or to things set aside for the worship of God (for example, the Book of Gospels). This is distinct from adoration or worship, which is due to God alone