CATHOLIC WORD BOOK - Knights of Columbus, Supreme Council

declaration by the First Vatican Council,
that human beings can acquire certain
knowledge of the existence of God and
some of his attributes. This can be done on
the bases of principles of reason and
reflection on human experience. Non
revealed arguments or demonstrations for
the existence of God have been developed
from the principle of causality; the
contingency of human beings and the
universe; the existence of design, change
and movement in the universe; human
awareness of moral responsibility;
widespread human testimony to the
existence of God.
Goods of Marriage: Three blessings —
children, faithful companionship, and
permanence — that were first enumerated
by St. Augustine in a work on marriage.
Grace: A free gift of God to persons (and
angels), grace is a created sharing or
participation in the life of God. It is given
to persons through the merits of Christ
and is communicated by the Holy Spirit.
It is necessary for salvation. The principal
means of grace are the sacraments
(especially the Eucharist), prayer and good
works. (1) Sanctifying or habitual grace
makes persons holy and pleasing to God,
adopted children of God, members of
Christ, temples of the Holy Spirit, heirs of
heaven capable of supernaturally
meritorious acts. With grace, God gives
persons the supernatural virtues and gifts
of the Holy Spirit. The sacraments of
baptism and penance were instituted to
give grace to those who do not have it; the
other sacraments, to increase it in those
already in the state of grace. The means for
growth in holiness, or the increase of grace,
are prayer, the sacraments, and good
works. Sanctifying grace is lost by the
commission of serious sin. Each sacrament
confers sanctifying grace for the special
purpose of the sacrament; in this context,
grace is called sacramental grace. (2) Actual
grace is a supernatural help of God which
enlightens and strengthens a person to do
good and to avoid evil. It is not a
permanent quality, like sanctifying grace.
It is necessary for the performance of
supernatural acts. It can be resisted and
refused. Persons in the state of serious sin
are given actual grace to lead them to
repentance.
Grace at Meals: Prayers said before meals,
asking a blessing of God, and after meals,
giving thanks to God. In addition to
traditional prayers for these purposes,
many variations suitable for different
occasions are possible, at personal option.
Guilt: The condition of an individual who
has committed some moral wrong and is
liable to receive punishment.
H
Habit: (1) A disposition to do things easily,
given with grace (and therefore
supernatural) and/or acquired by
repetition of similar acts. (2) The garb
worn by Religious.
Hagiography: Writings or documents
about saints and other holy persons.
Hail Mary: A prayer addressed to the
Blessed Virgin Mary; also called the Ave
Maria (Latin equivalent of Hail Mary) and
the Angelic Salutation. In three parts, it
consists of the words addressed to Mary by
the Archangel Gabriel on the occasion of
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