CATHOLIC WORD BOOK - Knights of Columbus, Supreme Council

done so infallibly; however, the exercise of
the Magisterium is faithful to Christ and
what He taught.
Magnificat: The canticle or hymn of the
Virgin Mary on the occasion of her
visitation to her cousin Elizabeth (Lk 1:46
55). It is an expression of praise,
thanksgiving and acknowledgment of the
great blessings given by God to Mary, the
Mother of the Second Person of the Blessed
Trinity made Man. The Magnificat is
recited in the Liturgy of the Hours as part
of the Evening Prayer.
Martyr: A Greek word, meaning witness,
denoting one who voluntarily suffered
death for the faith or some Christian
virtue.
Martyrology: A catalogue of martyrs and
other saints, arranged according to the
calendar. The Roman Martyrology contains
the official list of saints venerated by the
Church. Additions to the list are made in
beatification and canonization decrees of
the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
Mass for the People: On Sundays and
certain feasts throughout the year pastors
are required to offer Mass for the faithful
entrusted to their care. If they cannot offer
the Mass on these days, they must do so at
a later date or provide that another priest
offer the Mass.
Materialism: Theory that holds that matter
is the only reality, and everything in
existence is merely a manifestation of
matter; there is no such thing as spirit, and
the supernatural does not exist.
Materialism is incompatible with
Christian doctrine.
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Meditation: Mental, as distinguished from
vocal, prayer, in which thought, affections,
and resolutions of the will predominate.
There is a meditative element to all forms
of prayer, which always involves the
raising of the heart and mind to God.
Mendicants: A term derived from Latin
and meaning beggars, applied to members
of religious orders without property rights;
the members, accordingly, worked or
begged for their support. The original
mendicants were Franciscans and
Dominicans in the early 13th century;
later, the Carmelites, Augustinians,
Servites and others were given the
mendicant title and privileges, with
respect to exemption from episcopal
jurisdiction and wide faculties for
preaching and administering the
sacrament of penance. The practice of
begging is limited at the present time,
although it is still allowed with the
permission of competent superiors and
bishops. Mendicants are supported by free
will offerings and income received for
spiritual services and other work.
Mercy, Divine: The love and goodness of
God, manifested particularly in a time of
need.
Mercy, Works of: Works of corporal or
spiritual assistance, motivated by love of
God and neighbor, to persons in need. (1)
Corporal works: feeding the hungry,
giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the
naked, visiting the imprisoned, sheltering
the homeless, visiting the sick, burying
the dead. (2) Spiritual works: counseling
the doubtful, instructing the ignorant,
admonishing sinners, comforting the
afflicted, forgiving offenses, bearing