Glossary

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

Terms — M

30 terms

Glossary
Maccabees

The Maccabees were the Jewish priests who revolted against the desecration of the Temple — their books containing the clearest Old Testament evidence for the resurrection of the dead and prayers for the dead.
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Magi

The Magi are the Gentile scholars from the East who followed a star to worship the infant Jesus — whose gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh identify him as King, God, and the one who will die for humanity.
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Magisterium

The Magisterium is the Church's living teaching authority — the Pope and bishops — which authentically interprets Scripture and Tradition on matters of faith and morals.
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Magnificat

The Magnificat is Mary's hymn of praise at the Visitation — proclaiming God's preferential love for the lowly and hungry, prayed daily at Evening Prayer in the Church's Liturgy of the Hours.
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Marian Apparitions

Marian apparitions are reported appearances of the Virgin Mary — some approved by the Church as 'worthy of belief' after rigorous investigation — though no Catholic is required to accept even approved apparitions.
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Marriage

A covenant or partnership of life between a man and a woman, which is ordered to the well-being of the spouses and to the procreation and upbringing of children.
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Martin Luther

Martin Luther was the Augustinian friar whose Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 began the Protestant Reformation — challenging indulgences, papal authority, and the doctrine of justification.
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Martyr

A martyr is a Christian who freely chooses death rather than deny the faith — the supreme witness to Christ and the highest form of charity, following Christ's own self-giving to the end.
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Mary

Mary is the Mother of God — the woman who freely said yes to the Incarnation, cooperated in our redemption, and now intercedes for the Church as its Mother and Queen.
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Mary (Mother of God)

Mary is the Mother of God (Theotokos) because she is the mother of the eternal Son of God made man.
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Mary as Mediatrix

Mary as Mediatrix is the traditional title for her role in bringing graces from Christ to the faithful — entirely subordinate to Christ's unique mediation, flowing from her cooperation in the Incarnation.
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Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene is the Galilean woman who followed Jesus, stood at the cross, and was first witness of the Resurrection — called the 'apostle to the Apostles,' sent to announce the risen Christ.
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Mass

The Mass is the central act of Catholic worship — the Eucharistic celebration in which Christ's sacrifice on Calvary is made present and the faithful receive him in Communion.
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Materialism

The belief that matter is the fundamental substance in nature.
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Matrimony

Matrimony is the sacrament of Christian marriage — a permanent, faithful, and fruitful covenant between a man and a woman, reflecting Christ's love for the Church.
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Meditation

A form of mental prayer in which the mind seeks to understand the why and how of Christian life in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking.
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Melchizedek

Melchizedek is the mysterious king-priest of Genesis who offered bread and wine and blessed Abraham — a type of Christ's eternal priesthood and of the Eucharistic offering.
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Mercy

Mercy is God's loving compassion toward sinners and the suffering — his willingness to forgive and restore — the most characteristic expression of his love that runs through all of Scripture.
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Merit

Merit is the concept that good actions performed in a state of grace have genuine value before God — not because we deserve heaven independently, but because God honors his grace at work in us.
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Messiah

The Messiah — the Anointed One — is the king, priest, and prophet promised throughout the Old Testament to save God's people. The New Testament proclaims that Jesus of Nazareth is this Messiah.
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Ministry

Ministry is the service rendered to the Church and the world by the faithful, participating in the mission of Christ. It includes both the ordained ministry and lay ministries.
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Miracles

Miracles are signs worked by God alone — events exceeding natural powers — that confirm divine revelation, authenticate Christ's mission, and point to the breaking in of God's Kingdom.
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Mission

Mission is the Church's fundamental vocation to evangelize the world, flowing directly from the sending of the Son and the Holy Spirit by the Father.
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Monastic Life

Monastic life is a form of consecrated life dedicated to prayer, silence, and work, usually lived within a monastery.
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Moral Relativism

The view that moral judgments are relative to particular standpoints.
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Morality

The ordering of human acts toward goodness and God.
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Mormonism / LDS

The religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement.
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Moses

Moses is the liberator of Israel, the mediator of God's covenant at Sinai, and the lawgiver who received the Ten Commandments — a type of Jesus Christ, the new and greater Moses.
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Mount Sinai

The mountain where God gave the Law to Moses.
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Mystagogy

Mystagogy is the liturgical and catechetical period following the sacraments of initiation in which the new Christian enters more deeply into the mysteries of the faith.