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	Word	Definition as found in Blest Are We
	altar	An altar is a raised place where sacrifices are offered. The altar used for the center of worship during the Mass is also a table.
	amen	Amen is a word we usually say at the end of our prayers. It means "I believe" or "So it is."
	ark of the covenant	The ark of the covenant was a special box that held the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments
	catholic	The word catholic means "universal." With a capital C, it describes the Church founded by Christ’s apostles.
	chosen people	In the Old testament, the chosen people were Abraham and his descendants, whom God had selected to receive God’s word. People who choose to follow God’s will today are also chosen people.
	commitment	A commitment is a pledge to completely accomplish a promise.
	conscience	A conscience is an ability to know what is right and what is wrong.
	covenant	A covenant is an agreement or relationship sealed by a ritual or ceremony. In the Old Testament, the covenant was a loving, sacred agreement between God and the people to be faithful to each other.
	dignity	Dignity is the specialness of people because they are God’s children.
	discernment	Discernment is discovering, with God’s help, God’s will for our lives.
	Easter Triduum	The Easter Triduum is the holiest celebration of the liturgical year. It begins on Holy Thursday evening and concludes with the evening prayer on Easter Sunday. The Triduum includes the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, the remembrance of Jesus’ crucififion on Good Friday, and the celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection at the Easter Vigil.
	Essenes	Essenes were devout Jewish people who lived simply in the desert. They believed in special washing rituals and life after death.
	exile	Exile is the forced removal of people from their homeland to another land, or a person who has experienced such removal.
	Exodus	The Exodus is the Old Testament story of how God freed the Hebrews in Egypt.
	faith	Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. It means believing and trusting in God.
	fidelity	Fidelity is faithfulness and loyalty to something or someone.
	fulfillment	Fulfillment is the accomplishment of a promise. Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s promises in the Old Testament.
	guidance	Guidance is help in making the right choices.
	heaven	Heaven is a life of everlasting happiness with God, and with all people who love God and others, after death.
	hell	Hell is everlasting suffering and separation from God after death.
	Incarnation	The Incarnation is God’s Son becoming man, one like us, Jesus Christ, who is both human and divine.
	laity	Laity are people who serve in the church community and are not clergy or religious brothers or sisters.
	liturgical year	The liturgical year is the Church’s yearly calendar of celebrations and seasons. They honor the Paschal mystery.
	manna	Manna is the breadlike food that God gave the Israelites in the desert.
	meditation	Meditation is a type of prayer in which we are silent and concentrate on listening to God through our feelings, imagination, and thoughts. We can meditate by thinking about a Scripture story, art, or music.
	messiah	A messiah is a person chosen to save people from a particular fate. The word means "savior." Jesus Christ is our Messiah, chosen by God to free us from sin and death.
	ministry	A ministry is a way of serving and caring for others in Christ’s name.
	moral virtues	The moral virtues are four spiritual qualities – temperance, prudence, justice, and fortitude – that we receive through the Holy Spirit. They help us avoid sin.
	original sin	Original sin is the sin of the first man and woman, passed on to all human beings. Because of it, we are weakened in our ability to resist sin and do good.
	Paschal mystery	The Paschal mystery is the way that Jesus’ Passion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension saved us from sin and gave us life after death.
	Passover	Passover is the Jewish celebration of the Exodus from Egypt.
	patriarch	A patriarch, a term meaning "father," is a great leader of the Hebrews from early Scripture times. A patriarch is also the male leader of a family or tribe.
	persistence	Persistence is the act of continually pursuing something in spite of obstacles.
	Pharaoh	Pharaoh is the title for a ruler of ancient Egypt.
	Pharisees	Pharisees were Jewish people who accepted both the written law of the Old Testament and spoken teachings and tradition.
	piety	Piety is putting God above everything else.
	precepts	Precepts are teachings about our obligations. Two precepts of the Church are that we attend Mass on Sunday and Holy Days and that we receive the Eucharist at least once a year.
	promise	A promise is a pledge to do something.
	promised land	The promised land is Canaan, the sacred place God promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the Israelites in Egypt. God led the people out of Egypt to this holy land, and God’s people formed a Hebrew nation there. The term can also refer to heaven.
	prophet	A prophet is a person sent by God to speak out against accepted behavior that does not follow God’s will.
	psalms	Psalms are religious songs and prayers from the Old Testament. Many psalms express praise for God and are believed to have been written by David.
	purgatory	Purgatory is a final purification from sin after death.
	resurrection	Our bodies decay at our deaths, but our souls live forever. Resurrection is the new life given to us when our bodies reunite with our souls at the end of time.
	revelation	Revelation is God’s act of revelation of self and inviting us to respond with faith.
	reverence	Reverence is honor and respect.
	sacrament	A sacrament is a sacred sign and cause of grace instituted by Christ in the Church to continue the saving action of Christ through the Holy Spirit
	sacramental	A sacramental is a symbolic prayer, blessing, object, or action instituted by the Church that can lead us to a fuller participation in the grace of the sacraments. Examples include holy water, blessed candles, and the Sign of the Cross.
	sacramental grace	Sacramental grace is the unique gift of God’s love that we receive in each sacrament. Sacramental grace helps us respond to the challenge of the sacraments.
	sacrifice	A sacrifice is an act of unselfish giving. It is also the act of making an offering at an altar.
	Sadducees	Sadducees were Jewish people who accepted only the written law of the Old Testament and rejected spoken teachings and tradition.
	salvation	Salvation is freedom from the pain of sin.
	spiritual works of mercy	The spiritual works of mercy are loving deeds to meet the needs of other people.
	supplication	Supplication is humbly and earnestly asking for help. As a form of prayer, supplication is praying to God in a time of need.
	Temple	The Temple was the Jewish place of worship in Jerusalem built by Solomon. It contained the ark of the covenant and became an important center of worship for the Israelites.
	temple of the Holy Spirit	Each of us is a temple of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit dwells within us. As temples of the Holy Spirit, we are called to respect our bodies and to become saints.
	theological virtues	The theological virtues are three spiritual qualities – faith, hope, and charity – that come from God and help us become more holy. They connect us with the Trinity.
	transubstantiation	Transubstantiation is the sacred mystery in which bread and wine are changed into the real presence of Jesus Christ.
	Yahweh	Yahweh is the most sacred name of God, spoken to Moses. It means "I am who I am."