N

Nationalism  –  The movement which promotes the nation state as the arbiter of the rule of law. 

Natural Family Planning  –  The methods of planning for children using natural methods alone. Because such methods do not interfere with the natural processes of fertility, they are morally acceptable, and encourage an openness between couples that contraceptives tend to deny.

Nature  –  The essence of a being.

Natural Law  –  The moral law written in our hearts, that ables us to discern the good to do and the evil to avoid. It is discernible by reason alone, i.e., without the need of faith.

New Law  –  The law of the Gospel to love God and to love others as we would like to be loved.

Nun  –  A woman that has chosen to consecrate herself to God by living in a community under the authority of a religious superior and taking vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

O

Oblation  –  From the Latin oblata, meaning “those things that are offered”. An oblation is what is offered in sacrifice. Christ himself becomes the oblation in his self-gift on Calvary, re-enacted each time the sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated.

Oils  –  Blessed by a Bishop at the Mass of Sacred Chrism. Used for specific purposes in some sacraments, there are three types: the oil of catechumens, the oil of chrism and the oil for the sick.

Ordination  –  The liturgical rite (sacred ceremony) in which a man is consecrated deacon, priest or bishop. It is a Sacrament.

Original Sin  –  The act of disobedience by our first parents, out of pride, by which they disobeyed God. Thanks to that act, all people inherit original sin. It is washed away at baptism, but its effects (concupiscence) remain, tempting us to sin even after baptism.

P

Parish  –  A geographical area with its own priest.

Parousia  –  Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time.

Particular Judgment  –  The judgment by God of each person at the moment of death, at which he or she is welcomed into the eternal life of Heaven (either directly or after the cleansing of the soul in Purgatory) or consigned to the eternal death, or separation from God, of Hell.

Paschal Mystery  –  The central events of Christ's life on earth: his suffering, death, resurrection and ascension.

Passion  –  1) An emotion of the soul, such as anger, joy or desire. Passions are not sinful, but can influence how we behave in certain situations; 2) The suffering of Christ before he died.

Penance  –  1) The conversion from sin of a person intent on following Christ; 2) An act such as prayer, fasting or almsgiving in reparation for sins committed, given (for instance) by a priest during the sacrament of Confession.

People of God  –  1) The Jewish people in the Old Testament; 2) A name for members of the Church.

Person  –  An individual substance of a rational nature. Human beings are persons; God is three Persons in one nature.

Pew  –  A wooden bench in a church on which the congregation sits.

Philosophy  –  From the Greek meaning “love of wisdom”, the systematic search for the truth.

Pope  –  Successor of St Peter as Chief of the Apostles, elected by the Cardinals. He has the task of acting as a focal point of unity in the Church and encouraging the faithful. Also known as the Supreme Pontiff. He pronounces either alone or with the hierarchy on matters of faith and morals, in which he acts with infallibility.

Prayer  –  Speaking with and listening to God.

Precepts of the Church  –  Certain precepts that every Catholic is obliged to follow. To fail to do so constitutes a sin. There are seven Precepts of the Church: 1) To attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and resting from servile works; 2) To observe the days of abstinence and fasting; 3) To confess our sins to a priest, at least once a year; 4) To receive Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist at least once a year during Easter Season; 5) To contribute to the support of the Church; 6) To obey the laws of the Church concerning Matrimony; 7) To participate in the Church’s mission of evangelisation of souls.

Priest  –  A man who offers sacrifice to God on behalf of the people. A priest of the Catholic Church is set apart to celebrate the sacraments, to preach the Gospel and to build the community through his good example.

Prudence  –  One of the four cardinal virtues, by which we know how to choose what is the good thing to do in a particular situation. It is the guide for our consciences, and through it we are able to govern our lives by reason and what is true.

Purgatory  –  The state of existence whereby those who die in God’s friendship go to be purified in preparation for heaven.

Q

Quietism  –  The doctrine which declares that man's highest perfection consists in a sort of psychical self-annihilation and a consequent absorption of the soul into the Divine Essence even during the present life. In the state of “quietude” the mind is wholly inactive; it no longer thinks or wills on its own account, but remains passive while God acts within it. 

R

Regina Caeli  –  A Latin hymn to Mary, Queen of Heaven.

Redemption  –  The saving actions of Christ by dying on the Cross and rising again that ransomed us from sin and offer us the possibility of receiving eternal life.

Repentance  –  Seeking out the forgiveness of one's sins through a change of heart.

Resurrection  –  Christ’s rising to life after having died on the Cross.

Resurrection of the Body  –  The raising-up of our bodies, as well as our souls, to eternal life after earthly death, whereby the body is no longer subject to suffering and corruption.

Revelation  –  The body of belief that God reveals to us in the Sacred Scriptures and Sacred Tradition of the Catholic Church. Christ himself embodies the fulness of revelation.

Rite  –  A liturgical action in which the faith is expressed and celebrated. It consists of hymns, gestures, prayers and rituals.

S

Sacrament  –  An outward and efficacious sign of an inner grace, instituted by Christ and administered, throught he power of the Holy Spirit, by the Church. It imparts sacramental grace, that is, the very life of Christ himself, since he is present in the sacraments. There are seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Confession, Marriage, Holy Orders and Anointing of the Sick. We need the sacraments if we are to become holy and conformed to Christ and so inherit eternal life.

Sacramental Grace  –  Also called Sanctifying Grace, it is the grace given by the Holy Spirit specific to a particular sacrament, which, if worthily received, bestow the divine life upon us.

Sacramentals  –  1) Blessings (eg with holy water) that help us co-operate with grace; 2) Objects (eg a holy picture or the rosary) that remind us of God or his saints.

Sacred Heart  –  The human heart of Jesus, traditionally worshipped as the source of all mercy.

Sacred Scripture  –  The revelation of God as written down, in the 73 books of the Bible.

Sacred Tradition  –  The living transmission of revelation by the Pope and the Bishops, as successors of the Apostles, under the unerring guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Sacrifice of the Mass  –  The re-enactment of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, the same sacrifice made present once again on the altar. (See too “Mass”.)

Sacrilege  –  The profaning, or making unholy, of religious places or objects.

Sacristy  – The room, usually at the side of a church where the Priest and altar servers vest and prepare for liturgies.

Saint  –  1) Someone officially recognised by the Church to be in heaven; 2) Anyone in heaven, and more broadly, someone who is striving to do good.

Salvation  –  The reconciling with God of the human race through saving us from sin.

Sanctuary  –  The part of the Church where the Word of God is proclaimed in the Sacred Scriptures and the Sacrifice of Calvary is re-enacted by the Priest at the altar.

Satan  –  The devil, Lucifer. He is a fallen angel, and places temptations to sin in our way. He is also known as the “Father of lies”.

Sin  –  A deliberate thought, word, action or omission against God's law as revealed by the Holy Spirit in the Church.

Soul  –  The form of the body, the spiritual part of us that knows, desires, freely chooses and loves.

Spirit  –  Something that is non-material, occupying neither space nor time but which nevertheless possesses an intellect and a will.