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Key Word Definitions
How many Key Words do you know?
Here's a list of important words
with their definitions for you to study & know.
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Class 1 - Week 1 Key Words: Welcome to 'Jesus Our Lord & Savior'
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Monotheism is belief that there is only ONE God.
Polytheism is believing in or worship
of MANY gods.
Believer is an adherent of a particular
religion; someone with religious faith.
Non-believer is a person who does not
believe in something, especially one who has no religious faith
Atheist is a person who disbelieves or
lacks belief in the existence of God or gods.
Agnostic is a person who believes that
nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of
anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor
disbelief in God.
Christianity is the religion based on
the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, and its beliefs and practices.
Paganism is a religion other than one
of the main world religions, specifically a non-Christian or pre-Christian
religion, and often involves nature worship.
Christian is a person who has received
Christian baptism or is a believer in Jesus Christ and his teachings.
Catholic -- The word “catholic” means
universal or whole. It is one of the 4 Marks of the Church because Jesus is
fully present in it; it proclaims the fulness of faith; Jesus has given the
Church to the whole world.
Relativism is a theory that knowledge,
truth & morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical
context, & are NOT absolute. Thus, there is no absolute truth --- NOT a
doctrine of the Catholic Church.
Moral law is a rule for living established by God
& people in authority for the good of all.
Moral laws are based on God’s direction to us to do what is right &
avoid what is wrong. Some are ‘written’
in the human heart & others have been revealed by God in Old Testament
& in the new law given to us by Jesus.
Natural law is that part of the moral law ‘written’ in
the human heart. We can know natural law
through our own reasoning because our Creator has placed knowledge of it in our
hearts.
Faith is a gift from God that helps us believe in
him. We profess our faith in the Creed, celebrate it in the sacraments, live by
it through our god conduct of loving God & our neighbor, & express it
in prayer. It is personal adherence of
the whole person to God, who has revealed himself to us through words &
actions throughout history.
Word root: theo- The
root theo comes from the Greek theos for ‘god’, such theology is
the study of God.
Dei is a Latin word for God, such Agnus Dei means Lamb of God, and Dei Gratia (By the
Grace of God).
Divine means of God, from God, or like God.
Free will is the ability to choose. God gave us free will to made
us like him. Choosing to do good increases our freedom, & using our free
will to choose sin makes us slaves to sin.
Heresy is a religious belief that opposes or denies
any divinely revealed truth of the Catholic faith.
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Class 2 - Week 2 Key Words: God Where Are You?
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Heaven is a state of complete happiness & fulfilled deepest
wishes of the human heart because we are in complete union with God: Father,
Son & Holy Spirit forever, in a life & love that never ends.
Hell is a state of being
in complete separation from God forever. In his infinite love for us, God can
only desire our salvation. Hell is the result of the free choice of a person’s
to reject God’s love & forgiveness once & for all.
Purgatory is a state of final cleansing after death of all our
human imperfections to prepare us to enter into the joy of God’s presence in
heaven.
Original Sin is the first sin committed, the consequence of the
first human beings, Adam & Eve, who choose to disobey God & chose to
follow their own will rather than do God’s will. As a result, human beings lost the original
blessings God had intended, and became subject to sin & death. In Baptism, we are restored to life with God
through Jesus Christ, although we still experience the effects of Original Sin.
Law of
Moses, also known as Mosaic Law,
is the body of civil, moral, & religious legislation found in
the last 4 books of the Pentateuch & traditionally ascribed to Moses. The
foundation of this law is the Decalogue (10 Commandments - Exodus 20), &
its center is the Book of the Covenant (Exodus 20-23). The civil legislation is
mainly in Exodus (18-23), & Deuteronomy (16-26). The moral laws are in
Exodus (20-23), supplemented by Leviticus (11-20) and Deuteronomy (5). The
religious & ceremonial precepts are in Exodus (25-30) & especially
Leviticus (1-27). Compared with similar law in other nations of that time, the
Mosaic code is vastly superior by reason of its strong monotheism, its
proclamation of God as the only source & final sanction of all laws, &
from its summation of the whole law in the love of God & of neighbor.
Creed is a brief summary of what people believe. The
word ‘creed’ comes from the Latin credo , which means ‘I believe’.
Nicene Creed is the summary of Christian beliefs developed by the
bishops at the first 2 councils of the Church, held in A.D. 325 & 381. It is the creed shared by most Christians in
the East & West.
Death is the cessation of the bodily functions of a human being
through the departure of the soul, & is a consequence of Adam's sin. Death is also the end of human probation or
testing of one's loyalty to God. It ends all possibility of merit or demerit.
Last Judgment is the final judgement of all human beings that will
occur when Christ returns in glory & all appear in their own bodies before
him to give an account of all their deeds in life. In the presence of Christ, the truth of each
person’s relationship with God will be laid bare, as will the good each person
has done or failed to do during his/her earthly life. At that time, God’s kingdom will come in its
fullness.
Particular Judgement is the judgement made by Christ, received by
every person at the moment of death that offers either entrance into heaven
(after a period of purification in Purgatory if needed), or immediate &
eternal separation from God in hell. At
the moment of death, each person is rewarded by Christ in accordance with
his/her works & faith.
Covenant is a solemn vow / agreement between people, or
between people & God. God made
covenants with humanity through agreements with Noah, Abraham, &
Moses. These covenants offered
salvation. God’s new & final
covenant was established through Jesus’ life, Death & Resurrection. ‘Testament’ is another word for covenant.
Bible is the collection of 73 books containing the truths of God’s
Revelation to us. These writings were
inspired by the Holy Spirit & written by human beings.
Scripture is the holy writings of Jews & Christians collected
in the Old & New Testaments of the Bible.
Torah is the Hebrew word for ‘law’. It is also the name of the 1st 5
books of the Old Testament of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers
& Deuteronomy.
Pentateuch is Greek for ‘5 books’. It refers to the 1st
5 books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy.
The Pentateuch tells of the Creation, the beginning of God’s special people,
& the Covenant. In Hebrew, it is called
‘Torah’, meaning the “law”
Concupiscence is the inordinate desire for gratification of
our senses (the flesh) contrary to reasoning (the spirit); appetite versus
reason. It is a result of Original Sin.
Single Deposit
of Faith is comprised of both
Scripture & Tradition.
Tradition is the beliefs & practices of the Church
that are passed down from one generation to the next under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit. What Christ entrusted to
the apostles was handed on to others both orally & in writing. Tradition
& Scripture together make up the single deposit of the Word of God, which
remains present & active in the Church.
Inspired means influenced by the Holy Spirit. The human authors of the Scripture were
inspired by the Holy Spirit. The creative inspiration of the Holy Spirit makes
sure that the Scripture is taught according to the truth God wants us to know
for our salvation.
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Class 3 - Week 3 Key Words: God Reveals Himself
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Incarnation means ‘God made flesh’; Jesus, Son of God,
being born as a full human being to save us.
Jesus is fully God & fully man.
Emmanuel means ‘God
with us’ in Hebrew. & in Mathew’s Gospel.
Jesus - The name Jesus means ‘God saves’.
Gospel is the good news of God’s mercy & love as revealed
in the story of Jesus’ life written in the 3 gospels.
Old Testament is the 1st
46 books of the Bible which tells of
God’s covenant with people of Israel
& his plan for the salvation of all.
New Testament is the 27 books of the 2nd part of
the Bible, which tell of the teaching ministry & saving events of life of
Jesus.
Typology – is a tool
for understanding the Bible, seeing ‘types’ as symbolic precursors of events. As Saint Augustine said: “The New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is
unveiled in the New.”
Synoptic Gospels refer to the
Gospels of Matthew, Mark, & Luke, which have many similarities among them. Synoptic means ‘similar’.
Infancy narratives are
accounts of the infancy & childhood of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew & Luke, which proclaim
Jesus is Messiah & Savior.
Acts of the Apostles is the
book of the NT that tells the story of the apostles and the early Church. It follows the 4 Gospels.
Epistle is a letter written
by St. Paul or other leader to Christian/s in the early Church. 21
out of the 27 books of the NT are epistles.
Messiah means ‘Anointed One’ in Hebrew, which is the
same as the Greek word ‘Christ’. It is a
title given to Jesus as priest, prophet, & king.
Theotokos is a title of the
Mary & means ‘Mother of God’.
Evangelist is a writer of 1 of the 4 Gospels. It also refers to anyone engaged in spreading
the gospel news.
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Class 4 - Week 4 Key Words: Who Am I?
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Eternal Life is the
never-ending life after death with God, granted to those who die as God’s
friends, with the grace of God alive in them.
Abba is an informal word for
father in Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke.
It is like ‘dad’ in English. When Jesus spoke to God the Father, he
called him ‘Abba’.
Adore means to worship God
above all else because He is our Creator.
The 1st Commandment requires us to adore God alone.
Devil (Satan) is a spirit
created good by God who became evil by disobedience. The devil tempted Adam
& Eve to sin, & still tempts us today.
But God’s grace is stronger than the works of the devil.
Conscience is the inner voice
that helps each of us judge the morality of our own actions. It guides us to follow God’s law by doing
good & avoiding evil.
Alleluia is an acclamation meaning
‘praise God’. Alleluia is sung before
the Gospel except during Lent.
Blessing is a prayer that
calls for God’s power & care upon some person, place, thing, or special
activity.
Altar is the table in the
church on which the priest celebrates Mass, where the sacrifice of Christ on
the Cross is made present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The altar
represents 2 aspects of the mystery of the Eucharist. It is the place where Jesus offers himself
for our sins & where he gives us himself as our food for eternal life.
Idolatry is the worship of false
gods, either a person or a thing or a creature, which could be power, pleasure,
or money in place of the Creator. Idolatry
is a sin against the 1st Commandment.
Lord is the name used for God
to replace Yahweh, the name he
revealed to Moses, which was considered too sacred to pronounce. It indicates the
divinity of Israel’s God. The NT uses
the title LORD for both the Father
& for Jesus, recognizing him as God himself.
Prayer is the raising of our
hearts & minds to God. We are able
to speak to & listen to God because he teaches us how to pray.
Sacrifice is a ritual
offering of animals or produce made to God by the priest in the Temple in
Jerusalem. Sacrifice was a sign of the
people’s adoration of God, giving thanks to God, or asking for his
forgiveness. Sacrifice also showed union
with God. The great high priest,
Christ, accomplished our redemption through the perfect sacrifice of his Death
on the Cross.
Soul is the part of us that
makes us human & an image of God.
Body & soul together form one unique human nature. The soul is
responsible for our consciousness & for our freedom. The soul does not die & is reunited with
the body in the final resurrection.
Salvation is the gift, which
God alone can give, of forgiveness of sin & the restoration of friendship
with him.
Sanctify is to make holy, to
separate from sin, to set aside for sacred use, to consecrate.
Salvation History is the
story of God’s loving relationship with is people, which tells how God carries
out his plan to save all people.
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Class 5 - Week 5 Key Words: Who IS Jesus?
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Sin is a deliberate thought,
word, deed, or a failure to act that offends God & hurts our relationship
with other people. Some sin is mortal
sin; some is venial sim.
Jews is the name given to the
Hebrew people, from the time of the Exile to the present. The name means “the people who live in the
territory of Judah”, the area of Palestine surrounding Jerusalem. Jesus was a Jew.
Judaism is the name of the religion
of Jesus & all the people of Israel after they returned from exile in
Babylon &built the 2nd temple.
Gentile is a non-Jew. It is the name given to the foreign people by
the Jews after the Exile. They were non-believers
who worshipped false gods, in contrast to the Jewish people who received God’s
law.
Pharisees is a sect in
Judaism that began 100 years before Jesus.
They saw Judaism as a religion centered on the strict observance of the
Law. They started & controlled the
synagogues, & believed in life after death.
‘Pharisee’ means ‘separated one. They preserved the Jewish religion after the
fall of Jerusalem. Saul/Paul was a Pharisee.
Sadducees is a sect of Jews
who come from the wealthy class, are often priests & work closely with Rome. We believe only
the Torah are from God, & do not believe in life after death. After Jesus’ resurrection, the Sadducees
stepped up the persecution of the Christians.
Essenes is a Jewish sect that
were unhappy with the way their faith was being lived, so they sought to live a
pure life in a community in the desert. The
location of this community was discovered with the finding of the Dead Sea
Scrolls in 1947-56.
Zealots were Jewish freedom
fighters who zealously defended the Mosaic Law & the national life of the
Jewish people, & worked to overthrow Rome from the time of Herod until the
fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
Scribes are scholarly
teachers, recorders & rulers on points of law. The scribes held authority because of their
knowledge, & along with the Pharisees & High Priests, opposed Jesus.
Sanhedrin is the supreme council,
Israel’s high court, comprised of 70 Jewish men in Judea, plus the High
Priest. The council enforces Mosaic Law
& holds power over many aspects of Jewish daily life, by its own police
force.
High Priest is the president
of the Sanhedrin.
Publicans were Jews who had
the job of tax-collector for Rome & thus were disliked by the Jews. The apostle Matthew was a publican.
Samaritans are a racially
mixed society with Jewish & pagan ancestry, living in the Northern Kingdom
of Israel. They worshipped Yahweh as did
the Jews, but they were not mainstream Judaism & their temple was on Mount
Gerazini, not on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.
Blasphemy is the act of
thinking or speaking words of hatred or defiance against God. It extends to
language that disrespects the Church, the saints, or holy things.
Miracle is a sign or act of
wonder that cannot be explained by natural causes but are a work of God.
Parable is a simple story
that Jesus told to show us what the Kingdom of God is like. Parables present images drawn from everyday
life. These images show us the radical choice
we make when we respond to the invitation to the Kingdom of God.
Kingdom of God is God’s rule
over us, announced in the Gospels & present in the Eucharist. The beginning
of the kingdom here on earth is mysteriously present in the Church, & it
will come in completeness at the end of time.
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Class 6 - Week 6 Key Words: Jesus' World & His Kingdom
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Shema is the
title of a prayer that serves as a centerpiece of the morning & evening
Jewish prayer services. It is Hebrew &
means listen, obey & keep God’s covenant.
Disciple is a person who has
accepted Jesus’ message & tries to live as he did, sharing his mission, his
suffering, & his joys.
Apostle means ‘one sent’ to
preach the Gospel to the whole world; the 12 special men chosen by Jesus who
accompanied him in his ministry & were witness to the Resurrection.
Commandment is a standard or
rule for living as God wants us to live.
Jesus summarized all the commandments into 2: love God & love your
neighbor.
Beatitudes are the teachings
of Jesus given in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel. They are 8 ways of living the Christian life
& a way to true happiness. They
fulfill the commandments given to Moses.
The Christ is the Anointed
One; also called as the Messiah.
Witness is the passing on of
the Faith to others, by our words & actions. Every Christian has the duty to give witness
to the good news about Jesus.
Biblical Canon or
canon of scripture is a set of texts (or
"books") which the Catholic Church regards as authoritative scripture. The canon of the NT was determined by Church
councils in the 4-5th centuries A.D. at the Council of Hippo (393 A.D.) & Council of Carthage (397,
419 A.D.).
Priest represents people in offering
sacrifice to God. Jesus as priest offered himself to the Father on the Cross.
Prophet hears God’s word
& proclaims it. Jesus as Prophet delivered the Good News
that the Father wanted made known: ‘Repent, the kingdom of God is at hand’. He like many other prophets was killed for
proclaiming God’s word.
King is a man who rules in
God’s name. Jesus as King is Lord of the universe as
a result of his Incarnation, Death, Resurrection & Ascension.
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Class 7 - Week 7 Key Words: Jesus' Mission
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Inerrancy is the teaching of
the Catholic Church that the Bible taches the truths of the faith necessary for
our salvation without error. Because God
inspired the human authors, he is the author of the Sacred Scriptures. This gives us the assurance that they teach
his saving truths without error, even though certain historical &
scientific information may not be accurate.
With the help of the Holy Spirit & the Church, we interpret what God
wants to reveal to us about our salvation through the sacred authors.
Magisterium is the living
teaching office of the Church. This
office, through the bishops & with the pope, provides an authentic
interpretation of the Word of God. It
ensures faithfulness to the teaching of the apostles in matter of faith &
morals.
Infallibility is
the gift the Holy Spirit has given to the Church that ensures that the pope
& the bishops in union with the pope can proclaim as true the doctrines
that involve faith & morals. It is
an extension of the fact that a whole body of believers cannot be in error when
it comes to questions of faith & morals.
Trinity is
the mystery of the existence of 1 God in 3 persons: Father, Son & Holy
Spirit. Each person is God, whole &
entire. Each is distinct only in relationship to the others.
Triune God means
3 persons in 1 God.
Sola Scriptura
is the Scripture/Bible alone.
Septuagint (abbreviation LXX) is a translation of the Hebrew Bible into the Koine
Greek language. The name “Septuagint” comes from the Latin word for seventy.
The tradition is that 70 (or 72) Jewish scholars were the translators behind
the Septuagint. It was translated in the 3rd & 2nd centuries B.C. in Alexandria, Egypt. It is the most ancient translation of the Old Testament and
consequently is invaluable.
Vulgate is a Latin translation of the Bible, prepared chiefly
by Saint Jerome at the end of the 4th century that became, during the 16th century, the Catholic Church's
officially promulgated Latin version of the Bible
Grace is the gift of God, given
to us without our meriting it. Grace is
the Holy Spirit alive in us, helping us to live as God wants us to.
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Class 8 - Week 8 Key Words: Jesus Leads us to God
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Eschatology is the study of
the end times, the final days.
Parousia is the second coming
of Christ to the earth.
Paschal Mystery is the work
of salvation accomplished by Jesus through his Passion, Death, Resurrection
& Ascension, which is celebrated in every Mass.
Resurrection of Jesus is the
bodily raising of Jesus from the dead on the 3rd day after his death
on the cross. The Resurrection is the
crowning truth of our faith.
Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported in the NT when Jesus is transfigured & becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain top
& the prophets Moses & Elijah appear next to him, as the apostles,
Peter, James & John witness the event.
Ascension of Jesus is the
entry of Jesus onto God’s presence in heaven.
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Class 9 - Week 9 Key Words: Paschal Mystery -- Jesus Loves Us
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Moral Choice is a choice to
do what is right or not do what is wrong.
Mystery is a religious truth
that we can know only through God’s Revelation & that we cannot fully
understand. Our faith is a mystery that
we profess in the Creed, & celebrate in the liturgy & the sacraments.
Mystical Body of Christ is
the members of the Church formed into a spiritual body & bound together by
the life communicated by Jesus Christ through the sacraments. Christ is the center & source of the life
of this body. In it, we are all
united. Each member of the body receives
from Christ gifts fitting for him/her.
Lectionary is the official
book that contains all the Scripture readings used in the Liturgy of the Word.
Parish is a stable community
of believers in Jesus Christ, who meet regularly in a specific area to worship
God under the leadership of a pastor.
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