Notes to accompany and supplement Catholicism in the Third Millennium
by Thomas P. Rausch, S.J. (2nd ed.; Liturgical Press, 2003)
compiled by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.
For definitions of many of the following terms, see the Glossary in the
back of Rausch's book (pp. 246-61).
For other terms, check a good published dictionary, or online resources like dictionary.com
or wikipedia.com, or see the Biblical Glossary on this website.
Jesus summarizes them in the "Greatest Commandment" =
Love God & Love neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:28-34; par.)
Sin - Types or Categories:
original sin (from Adam, before one's birth)
& personal/individual sin (after your own birth)
& social sin (participation in injustice, racism, militarism, etc.)
sins of commission (in "thoughts & words & deeds")
& sins of omission ("what I have failed to do")
mortal sins ("deadly"; total rupture of relationship w/ God)
& venial sins (less serious transgressions)
NT: forgiveness thru baptism; not, or only once, afterward
Patristic Era: long, public penances ("Order of Penitents")
Medieval Era: individual private "confession" to monks
pre-Vatican II: frequent confession (req. at least annually)
today: individual confession still required for "serious" sin; less "devotional confession"; more "communal reconciliation"; less "laundry list of sins"; more "spiritual dialogue" for healing
formal or formula prayers: Lord's Prayer (Our Father), Hail Mary, Glory Be, Grace before meals, Rosary, Novenas, etc.
spontaneous: speaking to God as to a friend
intercessions: praying on behalf of others, and/or asking the saints to pray for us
Mental Prayer (meditatio)
reading: Bible or other spiritual writings
meditating: thinking about the meaning of texts
imagining: putting yourself "into the scene"
Contemplative Prayer
(contemplatio)
"Centering Prayer": repeating single words or short phrases (like a mantra); e.g. Abba, Jesus, God is Love; or the Jesus Prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner"
a.k.a. "practice of the presence of God"; mystical prayer; spiritual awareness; wordless adoration; prayer of the heart; etc.
Liturgical (official, public) Prayer:
Eucharist / Mass - the "source & summit" of Xn life
Other Sacraments & Rites & Blessings
Divine Office / Liturgy of the Hours
Spirituality (see Rausch for more details)
"Life in the Spirit" (broadly speaking, in prayer & action)
other ascetical practices: abstinence; mortifications; penances; corporal & spiritual works of mercy; etc.
other spiritual practices: retreats, spiritual direction
traditional spiritualities: monastic, clerical, religious
newer types: liberationist, feminist, social justice, lay, charismatic, matrimonial, etc.
all Christian spiritualities: communal & liturgical
More Spiritualities and Spiritual Movements:
Benedictine: ora et labora (prayer & work)
Ignatian: Finding God in All Things; Contemplation in Action
Marriage Encounter movement
Charismatic Renewal movement
Catholic Worker communities
L'Arche communities
many others, always more!
Mariology = "the study of (teachings about) Mary"
Mary among Jesus' disciples (John 19:26-27; Acts 1:14)
Annunciation & Virgin Birth - Angel Gabriel "announces" to Mary; Jesus is "conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary" (325, Nicene Creed; cf. Matt 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38)
Theotokos (431, Council of Ephesus) - lit. "God bearer"; Mary is "Mother of God," not just mother of the human part of Jesus
Immaculate Conception (def. 1854, Pope Pius IX) - Mary herself was conceived without original sin (don't confuse this with the Annunciation or Virgin Birth of Jesus)
Dormition (Eastern Churches) - Mary "falls asleep" (dies)
Assumption (def. 1950, Pope Pius XII) - Mary was taken up "body & soul" into heaven
Coronation - Mary is revered as "Queen of Heaven"; also given many other titles in prayers called "Litanies"
Rosary - a simple prayer exercise using beads, popular since the 13th Cent.; includes the Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be, recited in a set sequence, while meditating on some "mysteries" of the lives of Jesus & Mary
Apparitions - Mary "appearing" to ordinary people ("Our Lady of..." Guadalupe, Fatima, Lourdes, Medjugorje, etc.)
Marian Feasts - liturgies focusing on Marian events
Other Important Terms:
Abba = "Daddy" in Aramaic
discernment of spirits
glossolalia / speaking in tongues
retreat (guided / directed, individual / group)
spiritual direction
veneration vs. worship
Ch. 10
- The Fullness of Christian Hope
Eschatology = teachings about the "end" or "end times"
from Gk adj. eschatos = "last, final, ultimate"
Christian hope about death, end of world; afterlife, heaven/hell, judgment, etc.
Types of Eschatology:
Personal - my own death; when? how? what's after?
Ethnic or National - will our group/nation cease to exist?
Cosmic - the "end of the world"; when? how?
Questions about Eschatology:
When? soon or far off? predictable or unexpected?
How? catastrophic apocalypse or smooth transition?
Note: not all eschatology is violent or "apocalyptic"!
Eschatological Beliefs at the end of the Creeds:
Nicene Creed: "We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come."
Apostles Creed: "I believe in... the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting."
Various Biblical Expressions for the "Last Day":
Day of the LORD - Amos 5:18-20; Joel 4:12-14; etc.
Day of the Son of Man - Dan 7:13; Luke 17:20-30
Parousia or (Second) Coming of Jesus -
2 Thess 2:1-8; James 5:7-8; 2 Pet 3:3-12
Judgment Day / Final Judgment - Matt 25:1-46
When? No one knows! - Mark 13:32-33
Judgment & Salvation
Particular Judgment - you are "judged" by God at death
& General Judgment - cosmic separation of good vs. bad
Salvation - being "saved" - from what? how?
Redemption - being "redeemed" or "ransomed"
Justification - being "justified" or declared "righteous"
Deliverance, Vindication, Liberation, Freedom, etc.
Eternal Life - "fullness of life" with God, not just "forever"
vs. Final Condemnation - why? by God or by ourselves?
Different Conceptions of Life after Death:
Not just immortality of the soul (without a body), but
Main goal: "full, conscious, and active participation"
thru language, music, symbols, architecture, etc.
not just "watch and adore" or "sit and listen"
Key focus: four-fold presence of Christ in the liturgy:
in the assembly (congregation), Xns gathered for worship & prayer, forming "the Body of Christ"
in the presider (priest or bishop), representing Christ as head of the body, leading the Church
in the Word of God proclaimed (biblical readings)
in the Eucharist shared (consecrated bread & wine)
Theology of Ministry: Priests, Deacons, Laity:
What is the relationship of "ministerial priesthood" (clergy) to the "baptismal priesthood" (all believers)? (see Ch. 6)
What are the many effects of the "priest shortage"?
Can the requirements for ordination be changed to include married men? women as deacons? as priests? even bishops?
What are the increasing roles of "permanent deacons"?
What about full-time and part-time "lay ministers"?
Church Authority: Bishops & Bishops' Conferences:
Each bishop leads, guides, shepherds his local diocese
National "Bishops' Conferences" cooperate more & more
International "Synods of Bishops" meet more regularly
The "Bishop of Rome" (Pope) guides the whole Church (but how? as a king, a CEO, an elder brother, a servant?)
How should bishops be chosen (appointed? elected?)
Women in the Church / Christian Feminism:
Are women "second-class" members of the Church?
What does the Bible say about women's roles and rights?
How are women's experiences different from men's?
Does our religious language discriminate against women?
How can the Church benefit from women's increased contributions, esp. in leadership roles?
Ecumenism / Ecumenical Dialogue:
What are the relationships of the many different Christian Churches and denominations with each other?
What theological issues remain decisive and divisive?
What practical difficulties still need to be overcome?
How can we more forward toward "Christian Unity," both on world-wide and local levels?
Interreligious Dialogue:
What are the relations of Xnty to other world religions?
What are the special connections of Xns, Jews, and Muslims?
How can Xns acknowledge and respect the presence of the one God in other world religions and cultures?
What can Xns learn from other religions, and what do Xns have to offer to others, without expecting conversions?
How can all people truly "dialogue" with each other, not just speaking but listening & seeking to understand, respecting both similarities and differences in our pluralistic world?
