Vocabulary for Units 7, 8, & 9

The Kingdom of God is the state of being when the will of God is universally obeyed. It is the mission of the Church to build up the Kingdom of God.

A parable is a short story about familiar things, but it contains an unexpected twist. Parables were used by Jesus to illustrate the Kingdom of God.

A miracle is an action that defies the laws of nature and reveals the power and majesty of God. Miracles demonstrate God’s power over Creation. They can include healing, feeding, exerting power over nature, exorcism, and resurrection.

An apostle is one who is sent on behalf of another. Apostles are given a mission to complete and the power or authority to carry it out.

A disciple is one who is a follower. Disciples model their lives after that of their master or teacher.

St. Francis was born in Italy toward the end of the 12th Century to a wealthy middle-class merchant. After a failed attempt to become a knight he experienced a conversion, dedicating his life to serving the poor. He founded an order to carry out this mission.

The Luminous mysteries are a series of meditations to accompany the prayers of the Rosary. These five meditations were created by Pope John Paul II to help shed light on the Public Ministry of Jesus Christ.

The Paschal Mystery is the series of events by which Christ saved humanity from sin and death:

Passion – his suffering at the hands of the soldiers & carrying the cross.

Death – his death on the Cross.

Resurrection – his triumph over death, rising on the third day.

Ascension – his rising up into heaven 40 days after the Resurrection.

Pharisees were one of the factions within Jewish culture at the time of Christ. Pharisees were scholars, studying all of the Laws of the Old Testament (over 600!). They were very strict in abiding by the Law. They also created a large body of additional laws not found in the Old Testament.

Sadducees were another one of the factions within Jewish culture at the time of Christ. Sadducees were committed to strictly following the Jewish laws, but rejected much of the Non-Biblical Tradition  embraced by the Pharisees. Sadducees were a priestly class and held much influence over the Temple.

Zealots were a faction within Judaism that was looking for a great war between the Jews and the occupying Gentiles that would bring about the end of the world.

Essenes were a faction that withdrew from society and lived lives of fasting and prayer, waiting for the end of the world, which they thought was soon.

Passover was the Jewish festival commemorating the Angel of Death coming to the Egyptians and the Jews being spared by him “passing over” their homes. Jesus chose the celebration of the Passover to fulfill his ministry and inaugurate the New Covenant by his Paschal Mystery.

Typology is a way of reading and interpreting Sacred Scripture that identifies one figure or event as a precursor or foreshadowing a future figure or event. The original figure / event is called the archetype and the one that follows is said to be a “type” of the original. For example, Adam, Isaac, Moses, and Jonah are all Old Testament figures that serve as archetypes that are fulfilled in Christ who is said to be a type.