Reference
Glossary
Hover or tap an underlined term anywhere on the site to see its definition. Every term is listed here with the Catechism paragraph it comes from.
- AdorationCCC 2096
- The worship that belongs to God alone.
- Apostolic successionCCC 861
- The line of bishops going back to the apostles, who hand on the apostles' teaching and authority.
- Canon of ScriptureCCC 120
- The list of books the Church receives as Scripture. The Catholic Old Testament has 46 books and the New Testament 27.
- Communion of saintsCCC 946
- The bond between all Christians, living and dead, who share one life in Christ.
- Deuterocanonical booksCCC 120
- Old Testament books that Catholics and Orthodox accept and most Protestants do not: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees, plus parts of Esther and Daniel.
- DogmaCCC 88
- A teaching the Church holds as revealed by God and asks all the faithful to believe.
- Ecumenical councilCCC 884
- A gathering of the bishops of the whole Church, with the pope, to settle questions of teaching and practice.
- EucharistCCC 1324
- The sacrament in which Catholics believe bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. The word means thanksgiving.
- IndulgenceCCC 1471
- The Church's remission of the temporal punishment due for sins that are already forgiven, gained under set conditions. It is not forgiveness itself, and it cannot be bought.
- InfallibilityCCC 891
- The gift by which the Church, and the pope in certain defined acts, is preserved from error when teaching faith and morals.
- IntercessionCCC 2634
- Prayer on behalf of someone else. Christians ask each other to pray for them, and Catholics also ask the saints.
- LiturgyCCC 1069
- The public, official worship of the Church.
- MagisteriumCCC 85-87
- The Church's teaching office: the pope and the bishops in union with him.
- MassCCC 1332
- The Catholic celebration of the Eucharist.
- OCIACCC 1232-1233
- The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. The Church's process for adults who want to become Catholic. It used to be called RCIA.
- PopeCCC 882
- The bishop of Rome and successor of Peter, who holds a leading role in the whole Church. Christians disagree about what that role means.
- PurgatoryCCC 1030-1031
- A final purification after death for those who die in God's friendship but are not yet fully cleansed.
- SacramentCCC 1113, 1131
- An outward sign, given by Christ, that gives the grace it points to. The Church counts seven.
- TheotokosCCC 495
- Greek for God-bearer. A title of Mary, affirmed at the Council of Ephesus in 431, that says who her son is.
- TraditionCCC 78
- The Gospel handed on from the apostles in the Church's teaching, life and worship, alongside Scripture.
- TransubstantiationCCC 1376
- The name the Church uses for the change of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, while the appearances stay the same.
- TriduumCCC 1168
- The three days from Holy Thursday evening to Easter Sunday evening, the center of the Church's year.
- VenerationCCC 2132
- Honor given to saints and holy images. It is different from adoration.
No term matches that.
Sources
Sources marked "checked" have been compared with the original text. The rest were written from memory and still need checking.
Catechism of the Catholic Church
- CCC 78, 85-87, 88, 120, 138, 495, 861, 882, 884, 891, 946, 956, 1030-1031, 1069, 1113, 1131, 1168, 1232-1233, 1324, 1332, 1376, 1471, 2096, 2132, 2634 . One reference per term, listed with each entry. Written from memory and not yet checked against the text.