ARK Vocabulary

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ARK Glossary: Grade 3

ACT OF CONTRITION:

A formal prayer telling God we are sorry for our sins, want His forgiveness, and need His help to do better next time. We say an act of contrition before receiving absolution when we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

APOSTLE:

A person who is sent out as a representative of someone else. Jesus chose twelve men to be His apostles. . They preached the Good News of salvation and worked miracles in Jesus’ name. Jesus gave the apostles special authority and made them the first leaders (bishops) of the Church.

ASSUMPTION OF MARY:

According to tradition, at the end of Mary’s earthly life, she was assumed, or taken up, into Heaven body and soul. Mary is now in Heaven with her son, crowned Queen of Heaven and seated at His right hand. Mary’s Assumption into Heaven reminds us of how all the members of Christ’s Church will rise again! The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption every year on August 15th.

BAPTISM:

The first Sacrament of Initiation. In Baptism we are born into new life in Jesus. We need Baptism to go to Heaven.

BISHOP:

The leader of a particular diocese and a main teacher of the Catholic faith. A bishop also makes the Sacraments available to the people of his diocese. The bishops of the Church are the successors to the Apostles. They guard and protect the teachings of the Church to make sure they are handed on faithfully.

BODY OF CHRIST:

A term we use to describe the Catholic Church. The People of God make up the Body of Christ. A body has many parts, just like the People of God is made up of different people with different gifts and talents. Though we are all different, as the Body of Christ we are one body with Christ as our head.

COMMUNION OF SAINTS

All the members of Christ and His Church: those here on earth, those in Purgatory, and those in Heaven.

CONFIRMATION:

The Sacrament of Initiation that strengthens the outpouring of the Holy Spirit received in Baptism. Confirmation also gives us special strength to spread and protect our Catholic faith.

DISCIPLE:

Student. The disciples were followers, or students, of Jesus. Jesus had thousands of disciples. All Christians are His disciples today.

EUCHARIST:

The Sacrament in which we receive the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian life. It is not merely a symbol, but is Jesus’ true flesh and blood.

GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:

Wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord.

GREAT COMMANDMENTS:

Jesus’ teaching that “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” These two commandments are a summary of all Ten Commandments.

HOLY SPIRIT:

The third Person of the Holy Trinity. He proceeds from the Father and the Son and is worshiped and glorified as fully God. The Holy Spirit fills us with His gifts and guides us to holiness in the Church.

HOPE:

The Theological Virtue by which we desire the Kingdom of God and eternal life, and place our trust in all of God’s promises to us.

LAMB OF GOD:

A title given to Jesus used by Scripture and John the Baptist that describes His sacrifice to free us from sin. Just like the sacrifice of the Passover lamb freed the Israelites from slavery, Jesus’s sacrifice frees us from death and sin in a new Passover.

LORD’S PRAYER:

The prayer that Jesus gave to His apostles during the Sermon on the Mount. It contains seven petitions asking for the coming of God’s Kingdom and our physical and spiritual needs.

MASS:

The liturgical celebration and memorial of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross and Resurrection from the dead. At every Mass, bread and wine are turned into Christ’s Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

ORIGINAL SIN:

The first sin of Adam and Eve that brought pain, suffering, and death into the world. Because we are all descendants of Adam and Eve we are all born with Original Sin in our souls. We need to be baptized to remove the stain of Original Sin. The effects of Original Sin remain, however. For example, we tend to sin, we suffer, and die.

ROSARY:

A special prayer in which we reflect on the Joyful, Sorrowful, Luminous, and Glorious Mysteries – important events in the lives of Jesus and Mary. A string of beads of the same name is usually used to aid the prayer.

SACRAMENT:

A sign of God’s grace that gives the grace that it signifies. Jesus founded seven Sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance and Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Holy Matrimony.

SACRAMENTALS:

Objects or actions that are sacred signs of God’s grace which prepare us to receive His grace and cooperate with it. A blessing is a sacramental, as well as objects such as medals, crosses, scapulars, and rosaries when they are blessed by the Church.