Glossary

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

Terms — F

16 terms

Glossary
Faith

Faith is the theological virtue of believing in God and all he has revealed — a free, personal act of trust and self-surrender, given by grace and expressed through love.
Glossary
Faith and Reason

The two ways by which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.
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Faithful (The Christian)

The Christian faithful are those incorporated into Christ through Baptism, who share in His priestly, prophetic, and royal office.
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Fall

The Fall of Man is Adam and Eve's disobedience in the Garden of Eden — the primeval sin that wounded human nature, introduced death, and separated all humanity from God.
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Fasting

Fasting is the practice of abstaining from food as a form of penance, self-discipline, and preparation for prayer — an ancient practice of the Church rooted in Scripture.
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Father (God the)

God the Father is the first Person of the Holy Trinity, the almighty Creator and source of all things, who has revealed his paternal love through his Son.
Glossary
Fear of the Lord (Gift)

Fear of the Lord is a gift of the Holy Spirit that inspires a profound reverence for God and a desire not to offend Him, acting as the beginning of wisdom.
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Feast Days

Feast days are specific days in the liturgical year set aside to celebrate mysteries of the faith or honor the saints.
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Fiat

The Fiat is Mary's 'let it be done to me according to your word' at the Annunciation — the pivotal act of free human cooperation that made the Incarnation possible, and the model for every Christian life.
Glossary
Filioque

The Filioque is the Latin phrase meaning 'and the Son,' added to the Nicene Creed to express that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son.
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Finding in the Temple

The Finding in the Temple is the twelve-year-old Jesus found among the teachers — his first recorded words revealing his consciousness of the Father and foreshadowing the three days before the Resurrection.
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Flight into Egypt

The Flight into Egypt is the Holy Family's escape from Herod's massacre — recapitulating the Exodus and fulfilling the prophecy 'Out of Egypt I called my son.'
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Fornication

Sexual union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman.
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Fortitude (Gift)

Fortitude is a gift of the Holy Spirit that grants extraordinary spiritual courage and strength to overcome obstacles and profess the faith.
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Free Will

Free will is the God-given power to choose — the basis of all moral responsibility, the foundation of merit, and the condition for genuine love of God.
Glossary
Fruits of the Holy Spirit

The fruits of the Holy Spirit — charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and others — are the perfections the Spirit produces in souls open to his grace, first fruits of eternal glory.