CATHOLIC WORD BOOK - Knights of Columbus, Supreme Council

Avarice (Covetousness): A disorderly and
unreasonable attachment to and desire for
material things; called a capital sin because
it involves preoccupation with material
things to the neglect of spiritual goods and
obligations of justice and charity.
Ave Maria: See Hail Mary.
B
Baldacchino: A canopy over an altar.
Baptism: See Sacraments.
Beatification: A preliminary step toward
canonization of a saint. It begins with an
investigation of the candidate’s life,
writings and heroic practice of virtue, and,
except in the case of martyrs, the
certification of one miracle worked by God
through his or her intercession. If the
findings of the investigation so indicate,
the pope decrees that the Servant of God
may be called Blessed and may be honored
locally or in a limited way in the liturgy.
Additional procedures lead to canonization
(see separate entry).
Beatific Vision: The intuitive, immediate
and direct vision and experience of God
enjoyed in the light of glory by all the
blessed in heaven. The vision is a
supernatural mystery.
Beatitude: A literary form of the Old and
New Testaments in which blessings are
promised to persons for various reasons.
Beatitudes are mentioned 26 times in the
Psalms, and in other books of the Old
Testament. The best known Beatitudes —
identifying blessedness with participation
in the kingdom of God and his
righteousness, and descriptive of the
qualities of Christian perfection — are
those recounted in Mt 5:3 12 and Lk 6:20
23. The Beatitudes are of central
importance in the teaching of Jesus.
Benedictus: The canticle or hymn of
Zechariah at the circumcision of St. John
the Baptist (Lk 1:68 79). It is an
expression of praise and thanks to God for
sending John as a precursor of the Messiah.
The Benedictus is recited in the Liturgy of
the Hours as part of the Morning Prayer.
Biglietto: A papal document of notification
of appointment to the cardinalate.
Biretta: A stiff, square hat with three
ridges on top worn by clerics in church and
on other occasions.
Blasphemy: Any internal or external
expression of hatred, reproach, insult,
defiance or contempt with respect to God
and the use of his name, principally, and to
the Church, saints and sacred things,
secondarily; a serious sin, directly opposed
to the second commandment. Blasphemy
against the Spirit is the deliberate refusal
to accept divine mercy, rejection of
forgiveness of sins and of the promise of
salvation. The sin that is unforgivable
because a person refuses to seek or accept
forgiveness.
Blessing: Invocation of God’s favor, by
official ministers of the Church or by
private individuals. Blessings are
recounted in the Old and New
Testaments, and are common in the
Christian tradition. Many types of
blessings are listed in the Book of
Blessings of the Roman Ritual. Private
-11-