Catechism of the Catholic Church

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Vocabulary[edit | edit source]

catechism
- "instruction in Christian principles"
- from Latin catechismus for "book of instruction"
  - from Greek katekhismos
    - which is from katekhizein "to teacher oraly, instruct by word of mouth" which is from Greek katekhein "to resound"
  - thus "catechism" maintains an element of joyful echoes from katekhein "to resound"
catacomb
- "sepulchral vaults" = underground burial tombs
- from Latin cata tumbas "among the graves"
  - cata = among + comb = graves or tombs
    - derived from Latin cumbere "to lie:
- unrelated to "catechism"
communion
- generally, coming together in worship
- specifically, "Holy Communion" for "partaking in the sacrament of the Eucharist"
  - from com for "with, together" + unus for "oneness, union"
confess
- con = wtih + fess from Latin fateri = "to admit"
  - from PIE *bha- "to speak, tell, say"
  - Latin confiteri = "to acknowledge"
consecrate
- "consecrated elements, such as the bread and wine in the Eucharist
- con = with
creed
- from Latin credo for "I believe"
dome
- from Genesis, what is above the waters, i.e. "heaven"
- in NKJV called "firmament"
Eucharist
- sacrament of the Last Supper
  - from Latin eucharistia and Greek eukharistia for "thanksgiving, gratitude"
  - eu = Greek for "good or well " + kharis "favor, grace"
    - thus includes a sense of "thankfulness", "to be thankful"
  - Eukharistia = "the Lord's Supper"

"fullness of the mystery"
historicism
- the idea that ideas and cultures of a certain period are tied to that time period and are disconnected from any larger connections across history
- historicism denies eternal truths
- see JPII p. 50

Incarnation
Genesis
- origin, birth, creation of the world
  - from PIE *gene for "to give birth, to beget"
hermeneutics
- theory, interpretation and study of biblical texts
- << to expan
invention
- "finding or discovery"
- from Latin invenire, "to come upon, find out, discover"
  - in = "in, on" + venir = "to come"
    - PIE root *gwa for "to go, to come"
- thus an "invention" is not something created by man, it is something discovered or found out by man
- God creates the world; mankind "invents" or "discovers" it
- used for the original "Invention of the Cross", which was the discovery of the three crosses from the biblical crucifixion (see Saint Helena, mother of Satin Constantine ("Constantine the Great")
lay (adj) / laity (n)
- not clerical, or "of the people", as in "the lay people" or "the laity
  - from Latin laicus and Greek laikos "of the people,"; both from laos for folk, the people, the crowd; a tribe
- also indicates common people as distinguished from "experts"
liturgy
- "the service (mass) of the Holy Eucharist"
- or the conduct (form, presentation) of divine services
- from Latin liturgia for "public service, public worship" and Greek leitourgia for "a liturgy; public duty, ministry,"
  - related to leitourgos for "one who performs a public ceremony or service
    - as opposed to leito- "public" (from laos "the people")
- liturgical = "of or related to divine mass"
- liturgical calendar = the calendar that guides Catholic masses over a year
Mass
- "eucharistic service" or "celebration of the Eucharist
- Mass = "the Lord's Supper", an assembly of people for memorial celebration of the Lord
  - from Matthew 18:20: where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them
- Old English mæsse and Middle English messe or masse\
  - the meaning is likely derived from the "dismissal" at the end of the service
  - as it is related to Latin mittere for "to let go, send" as in on a mission
Paschal Mystery
philosophy
- = truth discerned through reason
- from Greek for "love of wisdom"
profess
ransom
- = a fee paid for the release of someone or something
- see Timothy1, 2: 5
- Jesus paid the "ransom" for man's sins
rosary
- a series or "garden" of prayers w/ beads to guide their recitation (saying of the prayers)
- related to Latin hortulus animae for "prayerbook"
  - which means "little garden of the soul"
revelation
sacred
salvific
- as in "salvific character of God's Revelation" (JPII)
theology
- study of God's word (scripture) and of Church doctrine (beliefs)
- from Greek "theologia"
  - theos = God + logia for "word, utterance, sayings"
  - origin in PIE *dhes- = any religious reference, likley from PIE *dhe- for "to set, to put"
    - thus what is set, what is put by God
Trinity
Triune God
Word, "the Word"
- Dei Verbum from Second Vatican Council = "Word of God"
- see John 1: << to do

Catechism translations[edit | edit source]

Chapter One: Man's Capacity for God
37 In the historical conditions in which he finds himself, however, man experiences many difficulties in coming to know God by the light of reason alone: Though human reason is, strictly speaking, truly capable by its own natural power and light of attaining to a true and certain knowledge of the one personal God, who watches over and controls the world by his providence, and of the natural law written in our hearts by the Creator; yet there are many obstacles which prevent reason from the effective and fruitful use of this inborn faculty. For the truths that concern the relations between God and man wholly transcend the visible order of things, and, if they are translated into human action and influence it, they call for self-surrender and abnegation. The human mind, in its turn, is hampered in the attaining of such truths, not only by the impact of the senses and the imagination, but also by disordered appetites which are the consequences of original sin. So it happens that men in such matters easily persuade themselves that what they would not like to be true is false or at least doubtful. - Pius XII, Humani Generis, 561: DS 3875	Overview: Made in the image of God, man is capable of understanding God's knowledge as relates to mankind, but... God's knowledge is shielded from man by man's incomplete perception of it and, worse, it is further misguided by sin. As a result, men deny, deflect, or ignore God's wisdom by hiding behind their own ignorance which they use to justify their denial of God's knowledge. Man can only perceive God's knowledge by surrendering and rejecting his own limited perceptions Translation: God's relation with man can be understood by reason Yet man's reason has obstacles to that understanding Man's reason ("the human mind") cannot easily attain "such truths" because the relation between God and man goes beyond what can be observed ("visible order of things") as it is "impacted" (hampered) by senses (what man imperfectly perceives) and imagination (what man imagines or dreams of) to begin to perceive God's truths (that go beyond what can be seen by man), man must "transcend" or get beyond what is seen in "human action" "self-surrender and abnegation" (renouncing man's conceit) are required worse, man's perceptions are "disordered" (negatively impacted by) "appetites" (desires) that "are the consequences of original sin." so when man false short of pure reason (incorrect perception, sin, etc.) he convinces ("easily persuade") himself that what he doesn't want to be true (God's word) is not true, or "doubtful" (likely not true) i.e. = he fools himself Other notes the visible and invisible = parts of revelation we can reason God but we cannot know the Trinity without Jesus God reveals himself through visible creation
52 God, who "dwells in unapproachable light", wants to communicate his own divine life to the men he freely created, in order to adopt them as his sons in his only-begotten Son.³ By revealing himself God wishes to make them capable of responding to him, and of knowing him and of loving him far beyond their own natural capacity.	"unapproachable light" = God told Moses not to come closer God speaks to humans in their own terms, as they cannot fully understand God ("beyond their natural ability") therefore, God "reveals himself" in ways beyond their "natural capacity"