Glossary

Terms starting with A — browse A–Z or jump to the blog.

Terms — A

44 terms

Glossary
Aaron

Aaron is Moses's brother and Israel's first High Priest — a type of Christ the eternal High Priest, whose Levitical sacrificial ministry foreshadowed the perfect and final sacrifice of Calvary.
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Abortion

Abortion is the deliberate and direct killing of a human being in the initial phase of its existence between conception and birth.
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Abraham

Abraham is the patriarch of Israel — the man of faith who obeyed God's call, received the covenant of promise, and became the spiritual father of all who believe.
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Absolution

Absolution is the act by which a priest, in the person of Christ, pardons the sins of a penitent in the Sacrament of Penance — actually forgiving sins in Christ's name.
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Acedia

Acedia is the capital sin of spiritual sloth — not mere laziness but a sadness and indifference toward the goods of one's relationship with God, leaving the soul unable to engage with its own salvation.
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Acolyte

An acolyte is a ministry in the Church, either instituted or extraordinary, tasked with assisting at the altar.
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Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve are the first human beings, created by God in His image, common ancestors of the human race.
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Adonai

Adonai is a Hebrew name for God meaning 'Lord,' used by the Israelites out of reverence for the sacred name Yahweh.
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Adoration

Adoration is the acknowledgment of God as God — the primary act of the virtue of religion and the highest form of prayer. Only God is owed adoration.
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Adultery

Adultery is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Advent

Advent is the four-week season beginning the Church's year — a time of preparation for Christmas and expectation of Christ's Second Coming, marked by prayer, hope, and penance.
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Agnosticism

The view that the existence of God is unknown or unknowable.
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Agony in the Garden

The Agony in the Garden is Jesus's prayer in Gethsemane on the night of his arrest — the moment of supreme obedience in which he accepted the Father's will despite genuine human fear.
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Alleluia

A liturgical exclamation of praise to God, meaning 'Praise the Lord.'
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Almsgiving

Almsgiving is the giving of material aid to those in need — a pillar of Christian penance alongside prayer and fasting, and an expression of love for God in the poor.
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Altar

The altar is the holy table on which the sacrifice of the Cross is made present under sacramental signs.
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Amen

A Hebrew word used to express agreement, affirmation, and belief, meaning 'So be it' or 'Truly.'
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Analogy of Faith

The Analogy of Faith is the coherence of the truths of faith among themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation.
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Anamnesis

Anamnesis is the liturgical act of remembering God's saving deeds — not as mere mental recollection, but as the sacramental re-presentation that makes the sacrifice of Calvary truly present at every Mass.
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Anaphora

The Anaphora is the Eucharistic Prayer, the center and high point of the entire liturgical celebration.
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Angel

Angels are purely spiritual, personal, immortal creatures of intelligence and will — God's messengers and servants who surpass in perfection all visible creatures.
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Angels

Angels are purely spiritual, personal, immortal creatures of intelligence and will — God's messengers and servants who minister to human beings throughout salvation history.
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Angelus

The Angelus is the traditional Catholic prayer prayed three times daily commemorating the Annunciation — pausing to remember the moment the Word became flesh in Mary's womb.
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Anger

An emotion which is not in itself wrong, but which, when it is not controlled by reason or hardens into resentment and hate, becomes one of the seven capital sins.
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Annunciation

The Annunciation is Gabriel's announcement to Mary that she was chosen to be the Mother of God — and her fiat, the free consent that made the Incarnation possible.
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Annunciation to the Shepherds

The Annunciation to the Shepherds is the angel's proclamation of Christ's birth to the lowly shepherds of Bethlehem — revealing the Gospel as good news to the poor and marginalized.
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Anointing

Anointing is the ritual act of applying oil, symbolizing the gift of the Holy Spirit, used in the sacraments to heal, strengthen, and consecrate a person for a mission.
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Anointing of the Sick

Anointing of the Sick is the sacrament of healing for those who are seriously ill — uniting them to Christ's Passion and granting comfort, strength, and forgiveness.
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Antichrist

The Antichrist is a deceptive figure or movement that will appear before the Second Coming to lead people away from the truth.
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Antioch

The ancient city where the followers of Jesus were first called 'Christians.'
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Apologetics

The religious discipline of defending doctrines through systematic argumentation.
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Apostasy

Apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith by a baptized person — the complete and deliberate rejection of all that God has revealed.
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Apostle

The Apostles are the twelve men Jesus chose and sent to preach the Kingdom, baptize, and found the Church — their authority transmitted to the bishops through apostolic succession.
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Apostolate

The apostolate is the work of all members of the Church who participate in the mission of Christ and the Apostles.
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Apostolic Succession

Apostolic Succession is the unbroken chain of authority from the Apostles to today's bishops — the guarantee of doctrinal continuity and sacramental validity in the Church.
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Apparition

An apparition is a supernatural appearance of a heavenly being, such as Jesus, Mary, or a saint, to a person on earth.
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Ark of Noah

The Ark of Noah is the vessel that preserved Noah's family through the flood — a type of the Church (which carries the faithful to safety) and of Baptism (which passes through the waters of death to new life).
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Ark of the Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant was the sacred chest housing the Tablets of the Law — the throne of God's presence among Israel and a type of Mary, who carried the Word of God made flesh.
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Arminianism

A Protestant theology emphasizing human free will in salvation.
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Ascension

The Ascension is Christ's entry into heavenly glory forty days after the Resurrection — the completion of his earthly mission and the beginning of his heavenly intercession for the Church.
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Ascesis

Ascesis is the practice of spiritual discipline and self-denial to grow in holiness and master one's passions.
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Assumption

The Assumption is the dogma that Mary was taken body and soul into Heaven at the end of her earthly life, sharing fully in her Son's Resurrection.
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Atheism

Atheism is the denial that God exists — either theoretical (explicit denial) or practical (living as if God does not exist) — treated by the Church as a sin against the virtue of religion.
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Atonement

Atonement is the reconciliation of humanity with God through Christ's perfect sacrifice — making full satisfaction for sin and restoring the friendship between God and man.