Glossary of Spiritual Terms

Glossary of Spiritual Terms

Bible (please see Holy Scripture)

Church - With a history spanning almost two thousand years, the Church is “the world's oldest and largest institution.” However, while the Church as institution is the definition most people think of, the Church is theologically  the People of God and the Body of Christ.

Contemplation - In Christianity, contemplation refers to a content-free mind directed towards the awareness of God as a living reality. This corresponds to what in Eastern religion is called meditation. In Christianity, however, meditation refers to a specific, directed mental exercise, such as visualization of a religious scene or consideration of a scriptural passage.

Evangelical Counsels - The three evangelical counsels in Christianity are chastity, poverty, and obedience. Not only those wishing to dedicate their life to God in the consecrated life, but every one of Jesus's followers is invited to observe chastity, poverty and obedience, since he exhorted all to “be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Holy Scripture - Religious texts, also known as scripture, are the texts which various religious traditions consider to be sacred, or of central importance to their religious tradition. Many religions and spiritual movements believe that their sacred texts are divinely or supernaturally inspired. Holy Scripture in the Christian tradition is commonly known as the Bible and is divided into the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and the Christian Scriptures (New Testament).

Liturgy – Deriving from the Greek word meaning “public duty,” liturgy usually refers to the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy is a communal response to the sacred through activity reflecting praise, thanksgiving, supplication, or repentance.

Meditation - In Christianity, meditation refers to a specific, directed mental exercise, such as visualization of a religious scene or consideration of a scriptural passage.

Personal Prayer - Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional connection to some greater power in the universe through deliberate intentional practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words, song, or complete silence. When it takes place in private, it is usually referred to as personal prayer.

Prophet - In religion, a prophet is a person who has encountered, the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other humans. The message that the prophet conveys is called a prophecy. A prophet in the Hebrew Scriptures is one who, among other things, reads the signs of the times, and speaks the truth to power.

Religion - A religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a supernatural agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. The term "religion" refers both to the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction. The word is derived from the Latin “to bind,” which denotes the bond that the human person has with God.

Religious (men and women) - Christians who have been called by God and who have made a public profession to order their life by the evangelical counsels, and confirmed this by a public religious vow before their competent church authority (the act of religious commitment called "profession") are recognised as members of the consecrated life.

Retreat - Spiritual retreats allow time for reflection, prayer, or meditation. A retreat can either be a time of solitude or a community experience. Some retreats are held in silence, and on others there may be a great deal of conversation, depending on the understanding and accepted practices of the host facility and/or the participant(s). Retreats are often conducted at rural or remote locations, either privately, or at a retreat centre such as a monastery.

Spiritual Direction - “the help given by one believer to another that enables the latter to pay attention to God’s personal communication to him or her, to respond to this personally communicating God, to grow in intimacy with this God, and to live out the consequences of the relationship.”  (From Barry, W.A.; Connolly, W.J.(2009) THE PRACTICE OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION. Harper One, New York, New York, USA.)

Spiritual Exercises - The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, (composed from 1522-1524) are a brief set of meditations, prayers and mental exercises, divided in four thematic 'weeks' of variable length, designed to be carried out over a period of 28 to 30 days. They were composed with the intention of helping the retreatant to discern God's will in his or her life, leading then to a personal commitment to follow it. Though the underlying spiritual outlook is Catholic, the exercises are often made nowadays by non-Catholics.

Spiritual Formation - the process by which persons become conscious of the transcendent dimensions of life, and learn to develop and live out of that consciousness

Spirituality - Spirituality is traditionally associated with the development of an individual's inner life through practices such as meditation, prayer and contemplation.

Third Order - The term Third Order designates persons who live according to the Third Rule of a Roman Catholic religious order. Their members, known as Tertiaries, are generally lay members of religious orders, i.e. men and women who do not necessarily live in a religious community and yet can claim to wear the habit and participate in the good works of some great order.