Glossary of Terms
A contemplative is someone who spends ample amounts of time in contemplative prayer. Traditionally, monks who live in monasteries spend time in contemplative prayer. Since the monasteries are set apart from the temporal demands of day-to-day life in the city, monks are known for their ability to offer perspective and counsel to those who live in the city. Hence, the term active contemplative refers to one who lives an active life with people in the city, yet attempts to somehow live apart from her surroundings, taking on the attitude of the monk.
Catholic
catholicity
1. Pertaining to the Catholic or Roman Catholic church.
2. From the Greek word katholikos which means universal.
3. The term coined by Ignatius of Antioch in 106 A.D. to indicate that the church founded by Christ is intended for all people, not just the Jews. Therefore in this parlance there is only one catholic church whose membership is open to all people. Insofar as Christ came to bring the good news to every person on earth, everyone on earth can be considered a member of the catholic, or universal church. Catholic can therefore be seen as synonymous with Christianity; the various denominations of Christianity are all part of the one church that Jesus founded.
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1. The Greek word for messiah. Messiah is the Hebrew word for anointed one.
2. Short for Jesus the Christ, or Jesus the anointed one. The anointed one is the individual prophesied in the Hebrew scriptures to be the one who would come, sent by God, and set the Jewish people free from their political bondage. Christians believe that Jesus the Christ is the fulfillment of that prophesy. But instead of setting people free from political oppression, Christians believe that the Christ has shown a way of life that frees a person from bondage of self and ego, allowing for a pure being that can continue the work of creation that was begun with God.
In the words of Jesus, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" and "The kingdom of God is within." As such, we are cocreators with God.
cocreative
cocreator
1. God created the world including you and me. When I create something which is life-giving, that is, with God's approval, I am actually cocreating with God. For example, if Teresa builds a hospital to care for the sick, we can say this is part of God's doing, God's creation. We can also say that Teresa created this, or that Teresa cocreated this with God.
2. When you and I create together, our synergy produces something which may not have been attainable if we had done it individually.
1. Someone who spends time in contemplative prayer.
2. A listening attitude.
Often synonymous with meditation, contemplative prayer refers to prayer which does not require thinking, pondering, words, or any other mental processing. Rather, it is heart-felt, feeling prayer. This is generally known as the highest form of prayer and can be done by anyone. For some it may take a bit of practice, yet others can do this innately. In advanced stages it can be considered the prayer of union with God.
While not discounting the fall-redemption model, creation spirituality believes that contemporary Christianity's over-emphasis of fall-redemption has eclipsed from view the creative and cocreative dimensions of the way of life Jesus came to teach us to live. Creation Spirituality is a term coined by Matthew Fox that has its theological origins from the teachings of the late French theologian and paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J..
The belief that every person has shortcomings (fallen), is therefore worthy of some sort of castigation, and is then relieved of all penalties through the expiatory (forgiveness) act of Jesus dying on the cross. This is considered a primary tenet of contemporary Christianity. Compare this to creation spirituality.
1. From the Greek words meaning work and people. In liturgy one experiences the work of the people.
2. The mass, the primary communal prayer of the Catholic church, which is also called the Eucharist.
3. Any ritual or service which involves people in which the symbolism of words, song, ceremony, procession, dance, and other movements are associated with an experience of reality that goes beyond metaphor.
Same as contemplation or contemplative prayer.
See liturgy, 3.