We are indebted to Fr. John Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary for the definitions marked with an asterisk. The numbers after the definition correspond to the lesson in which the word appears above.
Apostolic Ministry – The ministry given by Jesus to the Apostles and their successors for the preaching of the Word and the communication of the Sacraments (4.4).
Baptismal Priesthood – The share in the high priesthood of Christ received by Christians at baptism and strengthened by confirmation and the Eucharist. Essential to this priesthood is the right to receive the other sacraments, of participating in the Church’s liturgy, and of being united with Christ the eternal priest as he offers himself, with the members of his Mystical Body, to the heavenly Father in the Eucharistic Sacrifice (4.4).* Also known as “Priesthood of the Faithful.”
Clergy – Those specially ordained for Divine Service as deacons, priests, or bishops. In this sense the clergy form the Church’s hierarchy (4.4).*
Confessional – The place where the Sacrament of Penance is administered (4.4).*
Diaconate – The ministry of service, and the lowest rank of holy orders, below the priesthood and the episcopate (4.4).*
Direct Evangelization – Spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ through intentional encounters with other people (4.6).
Discipline – Spiritual and physical efforts of the Christian with the help of God’s grace and the pastors of the Church to train themselves in virtue and uproot vice (4.6).
Doxa – Greek word for “glory” in the Scriptures (4.8).
Dynamis – Greek word for “power” in the Scriptures (4.6).
Episcopacy – The divine institution of bishops. Successors of the Apostles (4.4).
Eternal High Priest – Christ, who is God and man, is the first, last, and greatest priest of the New Law. He is the eternal high priest who offered himself once and for all on the Cross, a victim of infinite value, and he continually renews that sacrifice on the altar through the ministry of the Church (4.4).*
Fasting – A form of penance that imposes limits on the kind or quantity of food or drink.* Could also impose a limit on other goods such as television, video games, etc. Often combined with prayer (see below) and has great spiritual benefit for evangelization (4.4).
The Great Commission – The mandate from Jesus to His Apostles and disciples, found at the end of Matthew’s Gospel, to go out to all the world, preach the Gospel, baptize, and teach the Christian way of life (4.4).
Hierarchy – The successors of the Apostles under the Pope as successor of St. Peter…. A man enters the hierarchy by episcopal ordination when he receives the fullness of the priesthood (4.3).*
Holy Spirit Adventures – Fr. Patrick Gonyeau’s personal term for direct evangelization and reflects how the Holy Spirit can direct an evangelist to evangelize specific people (4.6).
Holy Thursday – The night before Jesus’ suffering on the Cross, and the day of the Last Supper (4.4).
Intercessory Prayer – A person praying to God on behalf of another person (4.5).
Kabowd – Hebrew word for glory in the Old Testament (4.8).
Kingship of Christ – Jesus Christ is King. As the Divine Son and Anointed Jewish Messiah, he has the right to rule over all creation (4.5).
Last Supper – The Passover meal shared by Jesus Christ with His Apostles on the night before His death. He instituted the Sacraments of the Eucharist as well as Holy Orders at this time (4.4).
Lay faithful – Baptized members of the Mystical Body of Christ but who are not clergy (4.4).
Ministerial Priesthood – The permanent state of one who has been ordained a priest, as distinct from the priesthood of all believers, common to all the baptized (4.4).*
New and Eternal Covenant – The greatest and last covenant; made in the Blood of Jesus Christ (4.4).
Office of Christ (Priestly, Prophetic and Kingly) – The three-fold munus or office of Christ in His mission as Messiah: Priest, Prophet, and King. Also known as Munus Triplex (cf. CCC 436) (4.5).
Pentecost – The event recorded in Acts chapter 2, in which the Holy Spirit descended upon Mary and the Apostles giving them boldness to preach and manifesting the coming of the Kingdom with miraculous signs. It occurred on the day of the Jewish feast of Pentecost (4.3).
Prayer – The voluntary response to the awareness of God’s presence. This response may be an acknowledgment of God’s greatness and of a person’s total dependence on him (adoration), or gratitude for his benefits to oneself and others (thanksgiving), or sorrow for sins committed and begging for mercy (expiation), or asking for graces needed (petition), or affection for God, who is all good (love).* Often accompanied by fasting (see above) and is a necessary part of the work of evangelization (4.4).
Priesthood – Second of the three ranks of Holy Orders under the New Law of Grace, whereby priests assist the Bishops for the proper fulfillment of the apostolic mission that Christ entrusted to the episcopal order (4.4, see CCC 1563).
Prophetic Witness – A witness is one who can give evidence based on personal and immediate knowledge of a fact, event, or experience.* This witness is “prophetic” in that it reveals the Will of God to others (4.5).
Reconciliation (Sacrament) – The voluntary self-accusation of one’s sins to a qualified priest in order to obtain absolution from him (4.4).* Also known as “Confession” or “Penance.”
Relational Evangelization – A form of evangelization that utilizes the forming of bonds with a person over time as a way of gaining a hearing for the Gospel. Even so, the person must be loved for their own sake, not merely in order to convert them and build them up in Christ (4.6).
Transfiguration of Jesus – The glorification of the appearance of Jesus before his Resurrection. It took place in the presence of Peter, James, and John. While he was praying on a mountain, suddenly “his face did shine as the sun,” while “his garments became glistening, exceeding white.” The frightened witnesses saw Moses and Elijah appear before them and converse with Jesus and heard the voice of God. The extraordinary vision vanished as suddenly as it appeared (Luke 9:28-36; Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8) (4.8).*
Worship – In religion, worship is given either to God (adoration), or to the angels and saints (veneration). Divine worship actually includes three principal acts, namely adoration (or the recognition of God’s infinite perfection), prayer or the asking for divine help, and sacrifice or the offering of something precious to God. Worship as veneration also has three principal forms, whereby the angels and saints are honored for their sanctity, asked to intercede before the divine Majesty, and imitated in their love and service of God (4.5).* In common usage, “worship” is often synonymous with “adoration.”