CATHOLIC WORD BOOK - Knights of Columbus, Supreme Council

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deal with the subject of freedom within the Church. It noted the responsibility of the faithful “carefully to attend to the sacred and certain doctrine of the Church” (No. 14). Freemasons: A fraternal order that originated in London in 1717 with the formation of the first Grand Lodge of Freemasons. From England, the order spread to Europe and elsewhere. Its principles and basic rituals embody a naturalistic religion, active participation in which is incompatible with Christian faith and practice. Grand Orient Freemasonry, developed in Latin countries, is atheistic, irreligious and anticlerical. In some places, Freemasonry has been regarded as subversive of the state; in Catholic quarters, it has been considered hostile to the Church and its doctrine. In the United States, Freemasonry has been widely regarded as a fraternal and philanthropic order. For serious doctrinal and pastoral reasons, Catholics were forbidden to join the Freemasons under penalty of excommunication, according to church law before 1983. Eight different popes in 17 different pronouncements, and at least six different local councils, condemned Freemasonry. The first condemnation was made by Clement XII in 1738. Eastern Orthodox and many Protestant bodies have also opposed the order. In the U.S., there was some easing of the ban against Masonic membership by Catholics in view of a letter written in 1974 by Cardinal Franjo Seper, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The letter was interpreted to mean that Catholics might join Masonic lodges which were not anti-Catholic. This was called erroneous in a declaration issued by the Doctrinal Congregation Feb. 17, 1981. The prohibition against Masonic membership was restated in a declaration issued by the Doctrinal Congregation Nov. 26, 1983, with the approval of Pope John Paul II, as follows. “The Church’s negative position on Masonic associations remains unaltered, since their principles have always been regarded as irreconcilable with the Church’s doctrine. Hence, joining them remains prohibited by the Church. Catholics enrolled in Masonic associations are involved in serious sin and may not approach Holy Communion. Local ecclesiastical authorities do not have the faculty to pronounce a judgment on the nature of Masonic associations which might include a diminution of the abovementioned judgment.” This latest declaration, like the revised Code of Canon Law, does not include a penalty of excommunication for Catholics who join the Masons. Local bishops are not authorized to grant dispensations from the prohibition. The foregoing strictures against Masonic membership by Catholics were reiterated in a report by the Committee for Pastoral Research and Practice, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, released through Catholic News Service June 7, 1985. Free Will: The faculty or capability of making a reasonable choice among several alternatives. Freedom of will underlies the possibility and fact of moral responsibility. Friar: Term applied to members of mendicant orders to distinguish them from members of monastic orders. (See Mendicants.) -33-
Fruits of the Holy Spirit: Charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self control, chastity. Fruits of the Mass: The spiritual and temporal blessings that result from the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The general fruits are shared by all the faithful, living and departed, while the special fruits are applied to the priest who celebrates it, to those for whose intention it is offered, and to all those who participate in its celebration. Fundamental Option: The orientation of one’s life either to God by obedience or against Him through disobedience. Catholic Tradition acknowledges that one free and deliberate act with knowledge renders one at odds with God. A prevalent and vague moral theory today asserts that one act cannot change one’s option to God — no matter how grave — unless the action comes from the person’s “center.” Pope John Paul II cautioned against this ambiguous position in the encyclical Veritatis Splendor (1993). G Gehenna: Greek form of a Jewish name, Gehinnom, for a valley near Jerusalem, the site of Moloch worship; used as a synonym for hell. Genuflection: Bending of the knee, a natural sign of adoration or reverence, as when persons genuflect with the right knee in passing before the tabernacle to acknowledge the Eucharistic presence of Christ. -34- Gethsemani: A Hebrew word meaning oil press, designating the place on the Mount of Olives where Christ prayed and suffered in agony the night before he died. Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Supernatural habits disposing a person to respond promptly to the inspiration of grace; promised by Christ and communicated through the Holy Spirit, especially in the sacrament of confirmation. They are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord. Glorified Body: The definitive state of humanity in eternity. The risen Christ calls humanity to the glory of his resurrection; this is a theological premise that presupposes that, like Christ, all of his brothers and sisters will be transformed physically. Gluttony: An unreasonable appetite for food and drink; one of the seven capital sins. God: The infinitely perfect Supreme Being, uncaused and absolutely self sufficient, eternal, the Creator and final end of all things. The one God subsists in three equal Persons, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. God, although transcendent and distinct from the universe, is present and active in the world in realization of his plan for the salvation of human beings, principally through Revelation, the operations of the Holy Spirit, the life and ministry of Christ, and the continuation of Christ’s ministry in the Church. The existence of God is an article of faith, clearly communicated in divine Revelation. Even without this Revelation, however, the Church teaches, in a
Page 1 and 2: D O C T R I N E VVERITAS CATHOLIC W
Page 3 and 4: Copyright © 2007 by Knights of Col
Page 5 and 6: procedure should not be confused wi
Page 7 and 8: of a number of impressions; e.g., t
Page 9 and 10: III in 1553 and 1554 and by Paul IV
Page 11 and 12: God’s presence. The Ark was proba
Page 13 and 14: lessings, as well as those of an of
Page 15 and 16: to such means, because they better
Page 17 and 18: usually indicated by the terms Nihi
Page 19 and 20: as he will’ (1 Cor 12:11), he dis
Page 21 and 22: of economics and social organizatio
Page 23 and 24: Contraception: Anything done by pos
Page 25 and 26: Cura Animarum: A Latin phrase, mean
Page 27 and 28: the pastoral direction of a bishop
Page 29 and 30: his divine mind from eternity, and
Page 31 and 32: the communicator of religious truth
Page 33: honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Page 37 and 38: the Annunciation, in the Infancy Na
Page 39 and 40: which takes place during Mass. (See
Page 41 and 42: constitution issued by Paul VI Jan.
Page 43 and 44: Irregularity: A permanent impedimen
Page 45 and 46: norms corresponding to man’s natu
Page 47 and 48: done so infallibly; however, the ex
Page 49 and 50: in 1907 in the decree Lamentabili a
Page 51 and 52: Obedience: Submission to one in aut
Page 53 and 54: constitution Universi Dominici Greg
Page 55 and 56: appropriated by the Spanish Crown a
Page 57 and 58: Primary Option: The life choice of
Page 59 and 60: perishable and Whose existence is u
Page 61 and 62: the Rosary, which are the subject o
Page 63 and 64: their part, have not yet arrived at
Page 65 and 66: approval permits public devotion at
Page 67 and 68: Situation Ethics: A subjective, ind
Page 69 and 70: Stole Fee: An offering given on cer
Page 71 and 72: not became official in the Church u
Page 73 and 74: Vicar Forane: A Latin term meaning

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