Glossary

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

Terms — O

13 terms

Glossary
Obedience

Obedience is the moral virtue and evangelical counsel that submits the will to legitimate authority, supremely modeled by Christ's obedience to the Father.
Glossary
Old Covenant

The series of relationships and promises God established with Israel through the Patriarchs and Moses.
Glossary
Old Testament Prophecy

Old Testament prophecy consists of the divinely inspired messages that prepared the people for the Messiah.
Glossary
Omnipotence

Omnipotence is God's attribute of being all-powerful — able to do all things consistent with his nature — the power of infinite love directed toward the good, not raw unlimited force.
Glossary
Omnipresence

Omnipresence is God's attribute of being fully present everywhere simultaneously — not spread thinly across space, but wholly present at every point of creation at once.
Glossary
Omniscience

Omniscience is God's attribute of knowing all things — past, present, and future — completely and perfectly, in one eternal act of knowing identical with his own divine being.
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Ontological Argument

A proof for God's existence based on the concept of God.
Glossary
Orders (Holy)

The sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his Apostles continues to be exercised in the Church.
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Orders (Religious)

Religious orders are communities of consecrated life with distinct charisms, traditions, and rules, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, or Jesuits.
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Ordination

The sacramental act which integrates a man into the order of bishops, presbyters (priests), or deacons through the laying on of hands by a bishop and the consecratory prayer.
Glossary
Original Sin

Original Sin is the sin of Adam and Eve that wounded all their descendants — introducing sin, death, and disordered desires into human nature, forgiven only through Baptism.
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Orthodox Churches

Christian churches recognizing the primacy of the Patriarch of Constantinople.
Glossary
Our Lady

Our Lady is a title of honor for the Blessed Virgin Mary, expressing her role as the mother of the Lord and the mother of the Church.